The Indian Air Force (IAF) recalled a historic campaign of 26 May 1999 26 years ago. The campaign conducted by the Air Force was the name Operation was the White Sea, which was started to support Operation Vijay’s Indian Army to drive away Pakistani intruders from Kargil sector of Jammu and Kashmir during the Kargil war. Under the Operation White Sea, various Air Force resources including Mirage 2000, MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-27, MiG-29, Jaguar and Chetak helicopter were used, which was an example of massive air force for the first time in the Kashmir region after the Indo-Pak war of 1971.
The IAF said that for the first time an Air Force was deployed in inaccessible hilly areas for accurate campaigns at such height. It became a milestone of military aviation history. According to the IAF, this campaign was unique in itself as aerial power was used in new roles, not traditional. The campaign showed the impact of limited aerial resources in the local conflict and broke the idea that the use of aerial power would turn into a full war.
The IAF said that the impact of accurate attacks can be considered best in the message received from an Indian Army headquarters … ‘You guys have done a great job. The laser guided bomb in the Tiger Hill area was targeted by our Mirage pilots, the Shatru Battalion Headquarters was targeted, killing five Pakistani officials and their command and control broke – due to which our army took over the Tiger Hills area. The enemy is running away. They are also running in other sectors. The end of conflict at this pace may come soon. In the X post, the IAF said that this operation not only demonstrated the multi-dimensional capacity and resolution of the Indian Air Force, but also established the fear of limited aerial attacks-even in a low-initiation conflict. “It has been proved that aerial power could decisively change the attitude of war without crossing the international border.
According to the news of the Indian Express, the target of Jaguar of the Indian Air Force was missed in the Kargil war, otherwise Nawaz Sharif and Parvez Musharraf would have been killed only then. During the Kargil War, a Jaguar of the Indian Air Force flew over the Line of Control (LoC). Its purpose was to set the target to bomb the laser guided system at a hideout of the Pakistani Army. The second Jaguar coming behind it was to bomb it. But perhaps Pavage Musharraf and Nawaz Sharif were breathless. So the second Jaguar missed the target and dropped the bomb outside the laser basket. This survived the hideout, where Parvez and Nawaz were present.
#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
