Indonesia Tests F-16, Super Tucano Landings on Toll Road to Evaluate Civilian Infrastructure as Emergency Runway

Indonesian Deputy Minister of Defense Donny Ermawan Taufanto oversaw the Air Force’s F-16 and Super Tucano aircraft conducting landing trials on a toll road in Lampung as part of efforts to assess emergency air operations across the archipelago.

The inspection took place on February 11 on the Terbanggi Besar–Pematang Panggang–Kayu Agung Toll Road. The exercise evaluated the use of civilian transport infrastructure as an alternative landing strip during contingencies.

“This concept is considered crucial for maintaining defense preparedness in the archipelago. We want each large island to have multiple alternative bases. If one base is disrupted, there are still other options,” Taufanto said.

The toll road section used for the test is about 24 meters wide, significantly narrower than standard military airbases. The Indonesian Air Force conducted the landings under controlled conditions to assess operational feasibility.