Appropriate load-bearing capacity evaluation in terms of natural airfield pavements is a crucial factor directly affecting air operation safety. This paper presents the current natural airfield pavement load-bearing capacity evaluation methodology for civil and military airport facilities. It raises the common issue of insufficient natural airfield pavement load-bearing capacity, which has a direct impact on the safety and effectiveness of civil and military operations.
It also includes the natural pavement load-bearing capacity analysis results for particular airport facilities and their graphic presentation, relative to the minimum requirements stipulated in the normative documents. Attention was drawn to the current issue of the one-off character of the field studies, which do not involve full recognition of the load-bearing capacity.
Additionally, it also presents first attempts to determine the load-bearing capacity evaluation methodology, which enables taking continuous measurements based on the actual wheel-pavement contact surface and the rut in the natural pavement.