The Kargil War of 1999 was a historical war about which the child of India talks proudly. The war began on 3 May 1999 and ended on 26 July 1999 with Vijay. The war with Pakistan lasted for about 60 days. Therefore, Kargil Victory Day is celebrated every year on 26 July. This year is the 26th anniversary of Kargil Victory Day. You must have heard the word air strike many times before, such as the recent operation vermilion. Do you know that an operation was run by the Air Force in the Kargil war called Operation White Sea.
What was the Operation White Sea?
Operation The White Sea, during the Kargil War, was an operation in support of Operation Vijay in which the Indian Air Force provided border security. The main objective of this campaign was to prevent the Pakistani Army from entering and occupying uncontrollably into the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian Air Force also faced several challenges for this operation as the Indian Air Force was not allowed to cross the Line of Control for this. Operation White Sea is the divine saga of this war, where the Army was protecting the country by staying on the land, while the Air Force was sitting in its security shield in the sky. The Air Force was deployed on 25 May for this operation.
With the help of Operation White Sea, the Army provided cover fire to soldiers while fighting the ground war. Its purpose was to identify the enemy’s bases and destroy them through air strikes. Weaker and destroying the enemy’s communication network was also a major function of this operation.
Indian Air Force with the help of this operation
In Kargil, Dras and Batalik sectors, the posts, bunkers and bases of Pakistani intruders were to destroy at an altitude of 14,000 to 18,000 feet. Accurate airstrikes were carried out at these locations.
Where did which aircraft attacked?
In this operation, the laser-guided bomb LGB was first used by the Air Force from the MiG-200 aircraft, which destroyed the Tiger Hill and other enemy’s bases. Mirage-20000 aircraft was used for this. The MiG-27 brave was used to bombing heavy bombing and enemy bunkers, artillery and trench systems. It is an aircraft manufactured in Russia. It was inducted into the Air Force in 1980. With the help of this warship, attacks were carried out in Dras and Batalik areas. The Air Force was assisted by MiG-21. This high speed jet was used to evacuate the injured soldiers and martyrs. MiG-21 was also used for small bombing, flight cover and monitoring. Jaguar aircraft were used for reconnaissance and ground attacks. It was the aircraft ready for immediate action in the event of night attack. With its help, the communication and supply lines of the enemy were to be destroyed.
Operation White Sea Characteristics
Operation The White Sea was an air campaign lasting 40 days. More than 5000 flights were flown in it. Also, Mirage-20000 dropped more than 1 ton of bombs. In this campaign, a MiG-21 and a MiG-27 aircraft were destroyed and a pilot was martyred.
Who was leading this campaign?
Operation The White Sea was led by the then Air Chief Marshal Anil Yashwant Tipnis. He guided the entire campaign at a strategic level. Yashwant Tipnis maintained coordination between the Prime Minister, Ministry of Defense and Army Chiefs during this period. Air Marshal P.S. Ahluwalia was the Commander-in-Chief of the Western Command and took command of the Western Command. He did control work in the plan and implementation of Operation White Sea as this area also comes under Kargil. Air Vice Marshal A.K. Tiwari played an important role in the Air Force war plan and coordination. He inspected the preparations for Air Force stations and also monitored the Mission Control Centers.
Waysicians martyred in Operation White Sea
Squadron leader Ajay Ahuja was riding in MiG-21. Pakistan attacked him when he was moving forward to help his partner. They were getting off the parachute, when Pakistan violated the rules and opened fire on them. He died on 27 May. Ajay was also posthumously awarded the Veer Chakra. Apart from this, Squadron Leader Rakesh Pandir, Flight Lieutenant S.K. Muhilaan, Sergeant Raj Kishore Sahu and Sergeant PVNR Prasad were also martyred. Air Force pilot Kunnikrishnan Nachiketa fell from a MiG-27 aircraft in Pakistan during this operation. The engine of his aircraft had failed. Pakistan sent him back 8 days later. However, he was not martyred, but was badly injured.
