Indonesian F-16s and Super Tucanos land on an East Java toll road in an alternative runway test

Indonesia's air force flew fighter and attack aircraft off a public toll road in East Java on Thursday 22 October, testing whether a stretch of the Pasuruan-Probolinggo highway could serve as a runway if its normal bases could not be used. The trial was the second of its kind this year, after a similar exercise on a toll road in Lampung province in February.

Two types of aircraft took part. According to the state news agency ANTARA, air force chief of staff Marshal Mohamad Tonny Harjono said the drill used two EMB-314 Super Tucano light attack aircraft from Abdulrachman Saleh Air Base in Malang and two F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters from Iswahjudi Air Base in Madiun.

Kompas reported that the first aircraft arrived at about 09:00 local time. A Super Tucano made a low pass to check the surface before landing, followed by an F-16 that touched down at high speed and stopped in a short distance. The road markings had been changed to look like a runway, and a temporary control tower was set up beside the carriageway. After a technical team cleared them, the aircraft took off again and flew several low, high-speed passes while hundreds of local residents watched.

Reports differ slightly on the size of the strip. Kompas described a section 3.5 kilometres long and 24 metres wide, while ANTARA referred to a stretch of about three kilometres. The head of Indonesia's toll road regulator, Ni Komang Resminiati, told beritajatim.com that the straight section measures 3.5 kilometres and is 24.5 metres wide, which she said meets the air force's technical criteria for a fighter runway.

Tonny, who watched the trial in person, said it went safely and smoothly. He described it as part of the air force's preparation of alternative support for flight operations in particular circumstances, for example when air bases or airports can no longer be used for military operations. He also said the test was meant to check operational readiness and the service's ability to use local infrastructure, especially toll roads.

The air force has already picked further sites. ANTARA reported that Tonny named the Cibinong-Cilincing toll road and a planned toll road on Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara as candidates for future drills, and said the service will keep working with the public works ministry on toll road planning so that selected roads can be prepared as alternative runways.

Getting the road ready took several days. Beritajatim reported that the Paspro toll road had been closed since 19 October, with traffic diverted between the Probolinggo Barat and Probolinggo Timur gates. The central median was taken out so aircraft could use the full width, and the regulator planned to fit temporary water barriers, reinstall the steel guardrails and reopen the road to drivers at 18:00 local time on Thursday.

Both the air force and the road regulator stressed that the arrangement is limited. Kompas and ANTARA reported the air force saying that toll roads would serve as runways only in contingencies and that their main job remains carrying public traffic, while the regulator said its priority was to restore the road for normal use.

The trials show Indonesia, which operates F-16s from a small number of main bases, starting to map civilian roads that could keep aircraft flying if those bases were damaged or closed. Beritajatim noted that the test pointed to the potential of the national toll road network to support defence needs.