26 May 1999: "Operation Safed Sagar": The Day Indian Air Force Entered the Kargil War
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On May 26, 1999, the Indian Air Force launched Operation Safed Sagar during the Kargil War to support Indian Army troops fighting Pakistani intruders in the Kargil sector of Jammu and Kashmir. The operation was carried out at altitudes between 15,000 and 18,000 feet, making it the highest-altitude air war ever fought.
During the Kargil War, Ladakh was part of Jammu and Kashmir. Later, on August 5, 2019, it became a separate Union Territory.
The operation was launched after Pakistani soldiers and terrorists occupied high mountain Indian positions along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kargil sector. Indian Army troops were already fighting to recapture the peaks, and the Air Force was brought in to provide aerial support.
The operation marked the beginning of major air strikes by the Indian Air Force in the mountains of Kargil. Fighter jets and helicopters were used to target enemy bunkers, supply routes and positions captured by infiltrators on the Line of Control (LoC).
Aircraft including MiG-21, MiG-27 and Mirage 2000 took part in the mission. The Mirage 2000 aircraft later played a key role in carrying out precise strikes on enemy camps and supply bases located at high-altitude peaks of Batalik and Drass sectors.
Operation Safed Sagar was the first large-scale use of air power by India in J&K after the 1971 India- Pakistan war. Despite difficult weather and dangerous mountain terrain, Indian pilots carried out missions with courage and determination.
India also decided not to cross the LoC during the air operations, showing restraint while continuing action against the intruders.
The operation is remembered as a major turning point in the Kargil War and a symbol of bravery and coordination between the Indian Army and the Air Force.