Operation Safed Sagar

 OPERATION SAFED SAGAR

Operation Safed Sagar was the code name assigned to the Indian Air Force's strike to support the Ground troops during Operation Vijay that was aimed to flush out Regular and Irregular troops of the Pakistani Army from Indian Positions in the Kargil sector along the Line of Control. It was the first large scale use of air power in the Jammu and Kashmir region since the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971.

Ground Operations

Initial infiltrations were noticed in Kargil in early May, 1999. Because of the extreme winter weather in Kashmir it was common practice for the Indian and Pakistani Army to abandon forward posts and reoccupy them in the spring. That particular spring, the Pakistan Army reoccupied the forward posts before the scheduled time not only theirs but also the posts which belonged to India, in a bid to capture Kashmir.

By the second week of May, an ambush on an Indian army patrol acting on a tip- off by a local shepherd in the Batalik sector led to the exposure of the infiltration. Initially with little knowledge of the nature or extent of the encroachment, the Indian troops in the area initially claimed that they would evict them within a few days. However, soon reports of infiltration elsewhere along the LoC made it clear that the entire plan of attack was on a much bigger scale. India responded with Operation Vijay, a mobilization of 200,000 Indian troops. However, because of the nature of the terrain, division and corps level operations could not be mounted; the scale of most fighting was at the regimental or battalion level. In effect, two divisions of the Indian Army numbering 20,000, along with several thousand from the Paramilitary forces of India and the Air force were deployed in the conflict zone. The Indian Army moved into the region in full force. Soon, the intruders were found to be well entrenched and while artillery attacks had produced results in certain areas, more remote ones needed the help of the Air force.

Air Operations

The Indian Air Force (IAF) was first approached to Provide air support on 11 May with the use of helicopters. On 21 May a Canberra on a reconnaissance mission was hit by ground fire. The flight was however, recovered safely, and returned to base on one engine. On 25 May, the Cabinet Committee on Security authorized the IAF to mount attacks on the infiltrators without crossing the LoC. Initial indications from the government to the IAF was to operate only Attack helicopters. However, the Chief of Air Staff put forth the argument that in order to create a suitable environment for the helicopters, fighter action was required. On 26 May, the go-ahead was given and the IAF started its strike role tasks. Flying from the Indian airfields of Srinagar, Avantipur and Adampur, ground attack aircraft MiG-21s, MiG-23s, MiG-27s, Jaguars and the Mirage 2000 struck insurgent positions.

The first strikes were launched on the 26 May, when the Indian Air Force struck infiltrator positions with fighter aircraft and helicopter gunships. The initial strikes saw MiG-27s carrying out offensive sorties, with MiG-21s and (later) MiG-29s providing fighter cover. Mi-17 gunships were also deployed in the Tololing sector.

However, on 27 May, the first fatalities were suffered when a MiG-21 and a MiG-27 jets were shot down over Batalik Sector by Pakistan Army. The following day, a Mi-17 was lost- with the loss of all four of the crew, when it was hit by three Stinger missiles while on an offensive sortie. These losses forced the Indian Air Force to reassess its strategy. The

helicopters were immediately withdrawn from offensive roles as a measure against the man-portable missiles in possession of the

infiltrators.

On 30 May, the Indian Air Force called into operation the Mirage 2000 which was deemed the best aircraft capable of optimum performance under the conditions of high- altitude in the zone of conflict. Armed with Laser Guided Bombs (LGB) the Mirages repeatedly struck enemy positions, Destroying Logistics and resupply capability of the infiltrators. The LGBs ensured accuracy and extensive damage to the deeply entrenched enemy position. The aircraft employed steepdive attacks ensuring safety.

The choppers used were Mi-8 and the Mi-The transport planes were Avro, An-32 and IL-76.

According to IAF the "air strikes against the Pakistani infiltrators, supply camps and other targets yielded rich dividends. By July all the remaining intruders had withdrawn and the operation was declared a success by the IAF in having achieved its primary objectives. In the context of the war and in light of the poor

information available on the infiltrations, the Indian Air Force was able to coordinate well with the Army and provide air support to the recapture of most the posts before Pakistan decided to withdraw its remaining troops.