Air Force A-10 Thunderbolts practiced landings and take-offs from a state highway near Alpena, Mich., as part of Exercise Northern Strike 21-2. Two A-10 Thunderbolt IIs from the 354th Fighter Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., and two A-10s from the Michigan Air National Guard’s 127th Wing took part in the operation, which demonstrated the ability of the aircraft to land in an austere environment.

An A-10 Thunderbolt II takes off on a highway in Alpena, Mich., August 5, 2021.

Senior Airman Alex M. Miller/USAF