A-10 ‘Warthog’ and Other Warplanes Train on Michigan Highway

The ‘historic’ exercise was the first re-arming and refueling of a running jet on a public U.S. highway, according to the Michigan Air National Guard.

Kimberly Johnson

Wednesday, July 06, 2022 at 04:13 PM ET

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An A-10 Thunderbolt II from the 107th Fighter Squadron, 127th Wing, Michigan Air National Guard (ANG), lands and takes off from a highway during Agile Combat Employment (ACE) training during Northern Agility-1 22 in Alger County, located in the Upper Peninsula of Mich., June 29, 2022. [U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. David Kujawa]

Key Takeaways:

The Michigan Air National Guard conducted a historic "Northern Agility 22-1" exercise, transforming a stretch of M-28 highway into a temporary landing strip for military aircraft, including an A-10 Thunderbolt II.
This marked the first integrated combat turns (rearming and refueling of running jets) on a public U.S. highway, aiming to prepare for combat operations in austere environments.
The exercise demonstrated the Air Force's ability to generate combat power and maintain effectiveness from non-base locations, supporting the "accelerate change or lose" directive.

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A Michigan highway along Lake Superior became a temporary landing strip for military aircraft—including an A-10 Thunderbolt II “Warthog”—during an Air National Guard (ANG) training exercise, which military officials described as “historic.”

The Michigan ANG commandeered a 9,000-foot stretch of state highway M-28 outside of Munising as part of the three-day “Northern Agility 22-1” training exercise focused on preparing for combat operations in austere environments. The June 29 event represented the first integrated combat turns, or rearming and refueling of a running jet, on a public U.S. highway, according to the ANG.