Why would an F-18 take off on a road? It might look crazy but this crew is just practicing a capability and utilizing what’s known as a highway airstrip. A nation’s air force is only effective if they can get the planes off the ground. It is assumed that some of the first targets of a war would be the airfield. Highway airstrips were built during the cold war. Segments of straight, reinforced concrete roads capable of landing aircraft are strategically located throughout Europe. These auxiliary strips allow aircraft to take to the skies in the event that the primary airfields are rendered unusable.