Operation Safed Sagar, a key phase of the 1999 Kargil War, marked the Indian Air Force's (IAF) pioneering use of laser-guided bombs delivered by Mirage 2000 fighter jets, inflicting significant damage on Pakistani positions at high altitudes and accelerating their withdrawal from strategic heights. The operation encompassed comprehensive air support, including casualty evacuation by helicopters and logistical supply by transport aircraft, often executed at extreme altitudes. Veterans recently gathered to honor the IAF's critical contribution, with a memorial at Dras featuring a MiG-21 aircraft associated with Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, who made the supreme sacrifice. An upcoming web series, 'Operation Safed Sagar: The Untold Story of the Kargil War,' further sheds light on these events and the bravery displayed. The precision strikes by Mirage 2000 jets, notably on Tiger Hill, were instrumental in recapturing key positions, with former IAF chief Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa affirming that the air support was decisive in turning the tide of the conflict.

Operation Safed Sagar, a key phase of the 1999 Kargil War, marked the Indian Air Force's (IAF) pioneering use of laser-guided bombs delivered by Mirage 2000 fighter jets, inflicting significant damage on Pakistani positions at high altitudes and accelerating their withdrawal from strategic heights. The operation encompassed comprehensive air support, including casualty evacuation by helicopters and logistical supply by transport aircraft, often executed at extreme altitudes. Veterans recently gathered to honor the IAF's critical contribution, with a memorial at Dras featuring a MiG-21 aircraft associated with Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, who made the supreme sacrifice. An upcoming web series, 'Operation Safed Sagar: The Untold Story of the Kargil War,' further sheds light on these events and the bravery displayed. The precision strikes by Mirage 2000 jets, notably on Tiger Hill, were instrumental in recapturing key positions, with former IAF chief Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa affirming that the air support was decisive in turning the tide of the conflict.

Operation Safed Sagar, a key phase of the 1999 Kargil War, marked the Indian Air Force's (IAF) pioneering use of laser-guided bombs delivered by Mirage 2000 fighter jets, inflicting significant damage on Pakistani positions at high altitudes and accelerating their withdrawal from strategic heights. The operation encompassed comprehensive air support, including casualty evacuation by helicopters and logistical supply by transport aircraft, often executed at extreme altitudes. Veterans recently gathered to honor the IAF's critical contribution, with a memorial at Dras featuring a MiG-21 aircraft associated with Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, who made the supreme sacrifice. An upcoming web series, 'Operation Safed Sagar: The Untold Story of the Kargil War,' further sheds light on these events and the bravery displayed. The precision strikes by Mirage 2000 jets, notably on Tiger Hill, were instrumental in recapturing key positions, with former IAF chief Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa affirming that the air support was decisive in turning the tide of the conflict.

Operation Safed Sagar marked the first time the Indian Air Force (IAF) used high-precision laser-guided bombs against enemy positions. According to IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Jaideep Singh, the deployment of Mirage 2000 fighter jets carrying laser-guided bombs, along with MiG-21s and MiG-27s, dealt a "decisive and crushing blow" to Pakistan and hastened its withdrawal from strategic heights in Kargil during the conflict in 1999.

Several veterans, including retired IAF officers who participated in the operation attended the commemorative event at Dras recently, and interacted with news agency PTI.

"During Operation Safed Sagar, the IAF was pressed in for providing air support to take out intruders at strategic heights. The weight of the attack was delivered to the enemy positioned at very high altitude -- one of the highest altitudes where air power was used, world over then," Singh said.

He added that IAF helicopters provided crucial support, including casualty evacuation, while transport aircraft carried heavy logistic loads to forward airfields.

The Dras memorial also honours the IAF's contribution to the conflict. A vintage MiG-21 aircraft belonging to the Golden Arrows Squadron is displayed on its lawns. According to a plaque at the site, the aircraft was part of Squadron No. 17, led by Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, who was posthumously awarded the Vir Chakra after making the supreme sacrifice during the Kargil War.

The aircraft was installed at the memorial in 2013 to commemorate the IAF's contribution to the conflict.

Group Captain Sanjay Misra, a Kargil War veteran who served with the Golden Arrows Squadron, said, "The plane you see there was the very plane I flew for almost 15 years, exact tail number—C 1538."

Recalling his visit to Tololing Hill after retirement, he said it gave him a better understanding of the challenges faced by Indian soldiers.

"After retirement, I had the opportunity to climb the Tololing Hill right behind me, and from there I realised how difficult was that Battle of Tololing, where the enemy was sitting at heights that gave them strategic advantage. Still, the brave soldiers fought and got us the victory," he said.

The remembrance comes ahead of the premiere of the web series 'Operation Safed Sagar: The Untold Story of the Kargil War' on August 7. The series depicts the story of the Golden Arrows Squadron and also highlights the role of Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, whose aircraft was hit by an enemy shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile while he was attempting to locate a downed pilot despite being aware of the threat posed by such missiles.

The Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft played a significant role during Operation Safed Sagar, striking enemy positions at Tiger Hill and Muntho Dhalo. On June 24, 1999, Mirage jets used laser-guided precision bombs to attack Tiger Hill, contributing to the eventual recapture of the strategic position.

Former IAF chief Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa (retd), who commanded the 17 Squadron during the Kargil War, had earlier said that the deployment of Mirage 2000 fighter jets and air support to ground forces had "turned the tide" of the 1999 conflict in India's favour.

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