Operation Safed Sagar 1999 | Indian Air Force | Indian Army | Brotherhood | Indian Defence
The Indian Air Force’s role in acting jointly with the Ground troops during the Kargil war that was aimed at flushing out Regular and Irregular troops of the Pakistani Army from vacated Indian Positions in the Kargil sector along the Line of Control. It was the first large scale use of Airpower in the Jammu and Kashmir region since the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
But the orders to execute the plans never came from the then NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Instead, the cabinet committee on security on May 25 clearly instructed then IAF chief Air Chief Marshal AY Tipnis that his fighter jets must not cross the Line of Control under any circumstances, leave alone undertake deep strikes into Pakistan.
The IAF's request to cross the LoC slightly during the Kargil conflict had been categorically rejected by the then government. "The PM (Vajpayee) straightened up in his chair and said firmly, 'Please don't cross the LoC. No crossing the LoC'," recalled then IAF chief A Y Tipnis later.
This restraint shown by India in not escalating the conflict into a full-blown war, in fact, put tremendous international pressure led by the US on Pakistan to finally withdraw from the Kargil heights.
IAF's own "offensive air operations" under Operation Safed Sagar, in support of the ongoing Army operations on the ground, began on May 26. But all throughout the conflict, the Indian MiG-21, MiG-27 and Mirage-2000 fighters fired rockets and missiles at the "fortified enemy positions" only from their "own side" of the LoC.
While the Kargil conflict was its peak, the Srinagar airbase was put on high alert for a pre-emptive deep strike inside Pakistan at dawn on June 13.
The conditions were tough with regard to the operational limitations on rough terrains at a height of 18,000 ft, coupled with the short notice on which IAF was called for action.
The MiG-21 pilots from the "Golden Arrows" squadron were all geared up, with targets being assigned, and equipped with revolvers and Pakistani currency to escape in the eventuality of being shot down over Pakistan or Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, as is customary. They had also written "letters home" if they did not return from their missions.
The IAF followed all instructions to the core pressing its fleets of MiG 21, MiG 23, MiG 25, MiG 27, MiG-29 Fulcrum armed with Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missiles, Jaguars and Mirage 2000Hs armed with day and night laser-guided bombs and MI-17 helicopters.
These fighters had to fly at heights above 30,000 feet since the missiles possessed by intruders could not reach beyond 28,000 feet.
With just 25 percent of the total strike force of the Western Air Command, Pakistan Army and its air foce received serious blows to their morale to the extent that PAF refused to support Pak Army.
In fact, even when the PAF F-16s tried to support by Combat Air Patrols, IAF's MiG-29s forced them to retreat. IAF inflicted serious damage to Pak intruder posts, material and supply dumps after exhaustive recce.
IAF mission strikes also disrupted and cut off the supply lines of enemy to an extent that even the wounded could not be evacuated. IAF's exhaustive planning inflicted 300 enemy casualties in a mere two minutes in one of the air strikes of two Mirages over Northern Light Infantry's camp.
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