By Group Captain Praveer Purohit (retd)
Come July and every year the nation remembers the heroic deeds of our soldiers and air warriors who fought in the high Himalayas. Paeans are sung about their gallantry in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds and against a well dug-in enemy, who had intruded well across the Line of Control (LoC). The memory of the common citizen has been occasionally revived by some Bollywood movies that have eulogized a few of the heroes. Occasionally, the decisive role of Indian Air Force (IAF) is brought to fore in some writings but in these too, often, the focus is on the operations by fighter aircraft, especially the Mirage 2000. On Kargil Vijay Diwas, it is therefore apt to shift focus onto some of the lesser-known heroes whose contribution in the ultimate success during the Kargil conflict was no less important. For the uninitiated, the IAF operations in the Kargil conflict were codenamed ‘Operation Safed Sagar’.
The IAF transport and helicopter fleet has a rich legacy of operating from high altitude airfields and helipads. The earliest sorties into Kashmir were undertaken immediately after independence in Dakota aircraft. Operations into Ladakh followed soon thereafter, commencing in May 1948. Although helicopters were inducted in the IAF only in 1954, the fledgling IAF helicopter fleet was quick to start high altitude operations. The baptism with fire gained through the wars in 1962, 1965, 1971 and the continuing operations in Siachen since 1984 (Operation Meghdoot), ensured that enduring lessons were learnt and passed on to every new generation of pilots joining the transport and helicopter fleets. In Operation Safed Sagar too, foremost into operations were the helicopter and transport pilots. Thus, when the first indicators of trouble were noticed in early May 1999, IAF Cheetah helicopters started reconnaissance (recce) missions to ascertain the situation. Now, the Cheetah was unarmed, had no self-protection, no navigation aids or avionics, no cameras or sensors and had a single-engine. Imagine flying these machines in an environment where both oxygen and air density are so low that it adversely affects the performance of both, the pilots, and the machine. Add to these, the unforgiving terrain with jagged peaks, air turbulence and an armed enemy whose locations were unknown. The odds were heavily stacked against the Cheetah pilots. But these Mavericks were made of sterner stuff. They persisted and by 08 May 1999, the recce sorties flown in Dras sub-sector validated the scale of the intrusions.
Helicopters being ubiquitous and extremely useful, the IAF pro-actively inducted eight Mi-17 helicopters into Srinagar by 11 May. These were employed in carrying troops, ammunition, supplies and to refresh the training of soldiers in slithering down from the helicopter with the help of a rope. On 12May, an IAF helicopter was fired upon near the most forward-based Pakistani positions overlooking Kargil and landed with a damaged rotor. The dice had been cast. Western Air Command was placed on high alert and recce missions were enhanced. It was in one such mission on 21 May, that an IAF Canberra aircraft suffered a direct hit on its right engine from a Surface to Air Missile (SAM). Displaying great composure, skill and reaction, the crew was able to land the Canberra safely at Srinagar on one engine. Meanwhile, the demands on the IAF transport fleet continued increasing. In addition to the airlift and air supply requirements of Operation Meghdoot, IAF had to cater to the enhanced airlift requirements in the Kargil area. The airlift included troops and warfighting material. Casualties had to be flown back and all this had to be done in a narrow time-frame since inclement weather was the rule rather than an exception. As the intensity of fighting on ground increased, the tempo of IAF operations be it by helicopters, transport aircraft or Canberra increased. The MiG-25 and Jaguar were also flown for recce. Once political approval was accorded for offensive use of air power, the Mi-17 helicopters were armed and used to strike enemy occupied positions. In these forays into the ‘Danger Zone’ the helicopter aircrew displayed great skill, good temperament and a ‘Just Do It’ attitude. The enemy fired SAMs liberally. The only defence against SAMs is a combination of good tactics and self-protection by equipping them with Infra-Red (IR) flares. These IR flares deflect the heat seeking SAMs thereby protecting the helicopter against being hit. It was in one such daring mission that a Mi-17 was shot down by an enemy SAM. The crew displayed bravery of the highest order by undertaking such a high-risk mission although it was this very helicopter that was not equipped with IR flares. Apart from the strike missions, IAF helicopter pilots had enough on their plate to keep themselves extremely busy. The requirement of casualty evacuations kept increasing as also supplying our troops in the battle zone. Daring missions to evacuate our injured soldiers were undertaken in the face of direct hostile fire. In addition, the Army required considerable firepower up ahead through artillery guns. Transporting them by road was impossible (there were no roads!). The valiant Mi-17 pilots flew these guns and their parts right where they were required. Of the total 7631 sorties flown by IAF in Safed Sagar, a mammoth 3427 (ie 44.9 %) were flown by transport aircraft and 2474 (i.e. 32.4%) by helicopters. The remaining 1730 (i.e. 22.7%) were flown by fighter aircraft.
The initial strikes by MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-27 did not yield the desired success. The important reasons were the degradation in weapon and aircraft performance at high altitude, their rudimentary bombsights, the inaccuracy of their unguided weapons and the government-imposed restriction of not crossing the LoC. A decision was then taken to employ the Mirage 2000. Its entry into the war zone was a game-changer. But how did it happen? When a bomb is dropped, the fuse in it detonates a munition’s explosive material under specified conditions. Surprisingly, there were no fuses available for the 1000-pound bombs! A solution was found by modifying pistol fuses and it was effective. The lasing time of the laser pods was altered manually with good results. Without taking away credit from the Mirage pilots who produced decisive results, their success in the air owes a lot to some innovative and dedicated personnel on ground- the technical and maintenance crew. These air warriors along with personnel of the IAF’s Aircraft & Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) integrated the Israel-made Litening electro-optical targeting pods onto the Mirage 2000. At the same time, ASTE helped modify the centerline weapons station of Mirage 2000 to carry 1,000-pound US-made PavewayII laser-guided bombs. In parallel, the maintenance crew of helicopter units had another challenge. The versatility of helicopters meant these machines had to shift their roles frequently and suddenly – from the armed role to one for carrying supplies (load) or casualty evacuation or vice versa. This involved removal of pylons, rocket pods, doors and retro-fitting equipment such as skid-boards, stretchers etc. Rearming or de-arming and change of configuration also involved altering the electrical and hydraulic connections – an activity that even in peacetime is tedious and time consuming. Good leadership can triumph over adversity and was proved once again. The engineering officers led from front and were on the tarmac – day or night, with their teams ensuring no mission was aborted or delayed. They often shared whatever frugal meal was available and whenever it was available. Most of these personnel had a proper meal in the Mess only after we achieved victory. The dedicated maintenance crew, both officers and airmen, of all the flying units rose to the challenge of innovating ‘on the fly’ and gave an excellent performance under pressure.
In ensuring a ‘worry-free’ environment for our air warriors engaged in Safed Sagar, the role of IAFs family support system personified by the ladies (or ‘Sanginis’ as they are called) was invaluable, though understated. These ‘superwomen’ bravely endured the uncertainty and agony even as they knew their spouse was away with no guarantee when or if he would be back. They had to give courage to their children and a plethora of relatives. They had to give confidence to the other Sanginis, for fear of the worst was a real feeling. They gave each other company, shared positive vibes, and had the back of air warriors fighting upfront. They sent notes and words of encouragement. Their courage, steely resolve, poise, and maturity in confronting their fears make Sanginis the unacknowledged heroes of Safed Sagar.
Much has changed in the 24 years after Safed Sagar. Many who fought for the honour of the country have since retired. There may be more such men and women, in and out of uniform, who silently and stoically did their duty. It is the collective effort of such lesser-known heroes, some of whom find a place in this article, that ensured we came out victorious.
This Kargil Vijay Diwas, let’s celebrate their heroism too and remember them.
The writer served in the IAF for over three decades. He has flown over 5500 hours with extensive experience of flying in high altitude. He holds an M.Phil in Defence and Management.
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