Defence Ministry Plans to Use Toll Road Sections as Emergency Jet Landing Strips
The Defence Ministry plans to convert several toll road and national highway sections across Indonesia into emergency landing strips for fighter jets. This policy is being implemented to strengthen emergency landing preparedness in support of national defence.
“This concept is important for maintaining readiness in the archipelago region,” said Deputy Defence Minister Air Chief Marshal (Ret.) Donny Ermawan Taufanto.
According to Donny, each region on major islands must have multiple alternative landing points to ensure combat operations continue even if primary bases are disrupted. The Defence Ministry will work with the Ministry of Public Works to adjust specifications on existing and future toll roads.
The toll roads will be designed to meet the technical specifications of emergency aircraft landing strips and aligned with defence requirements. “Going forward in toll road construction, we will adjust specifications to meet runway requirements,” Donny said.
On 11 February 2026, the TNI Air Force successfully conducted a test landing of fighter aircraft on a section of the Trans-Sumatra Toll Road. Two TNI Air Force fighter jets that conducted the test landing and take-off were the EMB-314 Super Tucano and F-16.
The two types of fighter jets tested have different characteristics. The Super Tucano is a turboprop aircraft used by TNI Air Force for aerial patrol, reconnaissance and close air support. Meanwhile, the F-16 is a supersonic fighter aircraft that serves as the frontline of national air defence.
Donny explained that the test landing and take-off of fighter aircraft marks the first conducted on a toll road in Indonesia. According to him, this test is an important indicator of strengthening the national defence system, particularly in preparing civil infrastructure that can be utilised for defence purposes during emergency conditions.
“The toll road is only about 24 metres wide, far narrower than airport runways which can reach 45 to 60 metres. This is quite risky, but TNI Air Force pilots have been trained for confined conditions and the results were safe,” Donny said.