If they have been training on landing on highways, I haven’t read about it (assuming runways and carriers are not an option, which they may be)
Does the PLA have this as an option? I don’t remember reading about it…
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That’s be because of the arresting cables…
Chinese? Like what aircraft?
A straight stretch of highway isn’t really any different than a runway, so not sure what training you envision being required.
Like the ones I have otherwise read about
edit: also, I don’t even fill vending machines in this industry, but it seems to me a proper runway might have lights and humans to help with landing, maybe I’ve just see too many movies…
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No humans on runways. Lights at night help. Not necessary during the day. Plenty of planes takeoff and land on much worse than highways.
If I somehow conjured images of humans sacrificing themselves on runways for the purposes of landing, I apologize.
It seems to this lay person, a proper runway would have air traffic controllers, such as guys in towers or those dudes we see in movies waving glowy sticks on an aircraft carrier. Even the contractors that fill the vending machines should know that much, this isn’t high level stuff I’m bringing up… Here, I’m assuming such people are very helpful, because they seem to be more than just window dressing, but my area of expertise is education more than aviation…
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For those that haven’t read Xi-Jingping’s thought here’s the link:
If you’re landing on a highway, you’re kind of in an emergency situation and not that worried about what happens in a “proper” situation.
That said, there are plenty of uncontrolled airports out there with no tower (many more than controlled), air traffic control, or ground control, that people with much less training than military aviators manage to takeoff and land on.
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Richard Bush. 
The Taiwan lobby doesn’t like him at all.
I’m going to stick with: Landing on a highway without assistance is harder than landing on a runway with assistance, especially if that is all you have ever done; I never said it was impossible, I said I have’t read about the Chinese training for it. Please, if you’re going to dispute either of the points I am actually making, pay attention to the actual points and some evidence would be nice as well.
Good to know
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It appears it can be done, though you’d probably have to prepare for it, and only use it in an emergency. From August 2019:
Taiwan landed military aircraft on a nearly two-mile stretch of the Sun Yat Sen Freeway in May to demonstrate the island nation’s capability to defend itself in the event that enemy attacks severely damaged or destroyed its airfields. The country’s freeway bureau prepared for the drill by removing 1,375 median barriers, 111 street lights, and 77 road signs.
Among the aircraft that participated in the military exercise were three fighter jets—a U.S.-made F-16A/B, a French Mirage 2000-5, and Taiwan’s own Indigenous Defense Fighter—as well as an E-2K airborne early warning aircraft.
There’s ~20,000 airports in the u.s. Only about 500 of them are controlled. Military aviators can handle a highway just fine.
Private pilot’s landing on roads isn’t exactly uncommon and happens from time to time.
The Harrier jump jets were designed to be capable of landing in a field and being refueled and rearmed in case the Russians overwhelmed ground forces. Of course pilots can land on a road if needed to
Apparently China doesn’t have VTOL carrier fixed wings. They run a Su-33 knockoff. There were a couple of carrier based Soviet YAK models with a strong superficial resemblance to the Harrier but from a quick Google China didn’t buy or copy them.
Arrester cables could be used on land if the aircraft have the hooks fitted, as seen towards the end of the film below, where its being tested with Lockheed Starfighters, just about the least STOL aircraft imaginable without clever tricks.
What’s the point of selling Taiwan arms if they’re not willing to defend against an invasion? Aside from making money?
All US support should be conditional.
I’d rather sell them everything they want and hope they never have to use them.
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Yeah they’ve been doing this for about the last decade or 15 years now. They have mobile refuelers and certain areas of highways they can land and refuel and take off again.
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25 PLAF planes crossed the ADIZ yesterday. They’re ramping up. There’s an expectation that Xi Jinping will be given 12 months from the CCP 100 year anniversary in July to take control of Taiwan. If the current rollout of coronavirus vaccines is successful and international air travel resumes then any invasion attempts will be much more difficult. Reports are also coming through that the China made coronavirus vaccine only has a roughly 30% success rate and that cities are crippled due to lockdowns. I guess we will learn whether China has enough money in the bank to cover the debts they’ve run up in the last 30 years or if their whole game plan is to take Taiwan’s wealth and subjugate the people.
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If you mean the Chinese, I’d be curious to see your sources, since as I mentioned I haven’t read anything about this.
Again, I’d be curious to see your sources. In particular, who is giving such instructions to Xi Jinping?
Here’s another analysis that I find quite reasonable
Taiwan has been practicing highway landings and refueling/rearming for about the last 15 years now.
There are many within the top echelons that are unhappy with Xi declaring himself leader for life. There are also quite a number of stirrings about how he and his family have been profiting from his leadership (Mercedes Benz dealership licenses and Rolex watch stores to say the least). The understanding is that if he wishes to be leader for life then unification of Taiwan with China is very high on the to do list. Unfortunately he over-played his hand with Hong Kong. Hong Kong was the same old tactic. Replace the local police with staunch pro Mainland police so that there were little to no family/community ties between them and the locals. Crack down. Voila. Same methods will be applied to Taiwan if Taiwan agrees to reunification. Local police will be transferred to the Mainland and pro CCP police will replace them. It’ll make the White Terror Era look like a picnic.
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cite?