Ukrainian Air Force exercise almost ends in disaster

On 27 August, Ukrainian Air Force fighter jets have practiced for rough landings on improvised runways, as a part of trials to use roads for emergency landings and to demonstrate the capability to swiftly assemble air power to counter any threat.

Two Sukhoi Su-27 heavy fighter jets of the Ukrainian Air Force landed on the main road connecting the capital, Kyiv, with Chop on Thursday.

In the footage below, published by numerous witnesses on social media, you can see Su-27s performing their drills on what is known as Highway M06, a Ukrainian international highway connecting Kyiv to the Hungarian border near Chop.

One of the fighter jets miscalculated the landing point and almost landed on the head of people and police cars. The Su-27 fighter also knocked down a road sign during landing, which could lead to a fatal crash.

It should be noted in the days leading up to the exercise, the road’s bus stops and lamp posts were temporarily removed.

Specialised road sweepers combed the few kilometers stretch to pick up debris left by the heavy vehicles that normally ply the road, and loud flares were fired to scare away birds that could pose a hazard to the aircraft.

Dangerous incidents during the exercise occur in many countries, for example, a T-72 tank caught fire in Russia earlier this month.