IAF Remembers Operation Safed Sagar: 26 Years Since India’s Air Power Turned The Tide In Kargil War 1999

Twenty-six years ago, the 1999 Kargil War was fought between the Indian Army and Pakistani Army soldiers disguised as terrorists. It was in May 1999 that India discovered a large-scale incursion by Pakistani soldiers and infiltrators who had crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and occupied Indian posts.

To support the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force (IAF) launched Operation Safed Sagar. As part of this operation, IAF fighter jets bombed enemy-occupied posts. On Monday, the IAF commemorated the 26th anniversary of Operation Safed Sagar.

“This marked the first large-scale use of air power in the Kashmir region since the 1971 Indo-Pak War. Never before had an air force been tasked with such high-altitude precision operations in rugged mountainous terrain—making it a watershed moment in military aviation history,” the IAF said in an X post.

“Operation Safed Sagar was a trailblazer in many ways: it saw air power employed in unconventional roles, demonstrated the effectiveness of limited use of air assets in a localised conflict, and shattered the long-held notion that use of air power would inevitably escalate into full-scale war,” the IAF added.

The operation showcased not only the IAF’s versatility and resolve but also the deterrent value of calibrated air strikes—even in a low-intensity conflict.

#ThisDayThatYear | 26 May 1999#OpSafedSagar — the Indian Air Force’s codename for its air operations during the KargilWar1999 — was launched in support of ground forces under Operation Vijay. It aimed to flush out Pakistani regulars and intruders who had occupied Indian… pic.twitter.com/CtBJvqRqsx

— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) May 26, 2025

IAF Aircraft Involved in Operation Safed Sagar:

• Mirage 2000s
• MiG-21s
• Mi-17s
• Jaguars
• MiG-23s
• MiG-27s
• Chetaks
• MiG-29s

According to reports, IAF aircraft—both fighter jets and transport helicopters—carried out over 7,000 sorties during the operation.

Among the heroes of the conflict was Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, who was killed in action. His MiG-21 was hit by a Pakistani shoulder-fired FIM-92 Stinger missile. He ejected from the aircraft and parachuted to the ground, where he was captured and subsequently killed by Pakistani troops.

Meanwhile, Group Captain Nachiketa, then a Flight Lieutenant, was flying an airstrike mission over the Batalik sector when his MiG-21Bis suffered an engine flameout. He ejected safely but was captured by the Pakistani Army. Nachiketa remained a prisoner of war (POW) for eight days before being repatriated on June 3, 1999, at the Attari border check post on the Amritsar-to-Lahore road. He later described his captivity as “difficult to be described in words” and said he felt “death would have been a better solution.” After retiring from the Air Force, he now serves as a commercial airline pilot.

Also Read: India’s Operation Sindoor: How Unprecedented Airstrikes Using ‘Dummy’ Aircraft, Brahmos Missiles Crippled 11 Pakistan’s Air Bases

The Kargil War broke out just three months after then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited Pakistan with a message of peace and a strong resolve to solve the Kashmir issue diplomatically. India first got wind of Pakistan’s betrayal in May 1999 when a patrol party led by Captain Saurabh Kalia failed to report back from the area. This prompted the Indian Army to launch Operation Vijay.

Operation Vijay was declared a success on July 26, 1999, a date now commemorated every year as Kargil Vijay Diwas, in honour of the valour and sacrifice of India’s armed forces.