steps required had to be much more drastic - including de-
molition of existing structures and rearrangement of power
lines or telephone poles.
In most cases, the squads responsible for securing the ope-
rations were organizing logistics, arranging alternate routes
using local roads, and deploying navaids, lighting, and a
command post.
Using highway strips during the Cold War was a major chal-
lenge for the pilots - preceded by training involving landings
on a designated, narrow section of airbase runways or taxi-
ways.
Initially, solely the Lim-1 and Lim-2 jets were allowed to use
the DOLs - with relatively low approach speeds. As the Polish
Air Force decided to procure MiG-21 in mass quantities, it
was just a matter of time, until the Fishbeds used the hi-
ghway strips. High landing speeds of the MiG-21 have been
a major challenge for the pilots, leaving much less room for
any errors. Thanks to refined pilot recruitment and training
systems, over 25 years, not a single incident or crash happe-
ned during the highway strip operations.
Apart from the light fighter aircraft, other aircraft operated
by the Air Force also used the highway strips, including the
large An-26 airlifters.
Foreign visitors also took part in exercises on the highway
strips - in 1996 and 1998, during exercises, Swedish and
French pilots participated in DOL operations.
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