The Washington Post reports that “in another episode ripped from the U.S. military’s Cold War training manual, four Air Force A-10 jets landed on an isolated highway in Estonia on Monday, the first time the aircraft has practiced highway landings since 1984.”  

“The iconic ground-attack aircraft were from the 127th Wing, Michigan Air National Guard, which was participating in a U.S. Army-led, 14-nation exercise known as Saber Strike. According to a news release online, the jets had just finished a close air support exercise before being guided onto the highway in Jägala, Estonia, by a detachment soldiers on the ground, known as joint terminal attack controllers, or JTACs.”  

“Highway landings were a very real possibility if the Cold War ever went hot. According to the Aviationist, highway landing strips were developed because the locations of airfields were by-and-large public information, and they would be wiped out during the first salvo of warheads.”