On May 26, 2025, the Indian Air Force (IAF) marked the anniversary of Operation Safed Sagar, its pivotal air campaign during the 1999 Kargil War.
The operation was launched to support Operation Vijay, aiming to flush out Pakistani troops and intruders from high-altitude Indian positions in Kargil, Jammu & Kashmir.
“This was the first large-scale use of air power in the Kashmir region since the 1971 Indo-Pak war,” the IAF stated on X, calling it a “watershed moment in military aviation history.”
Aircraft deployed included Mirage 2000s, MiG 21s, Jaguars, Mi-17s, MiG 29s, and others. The mission broke conventional doctrines by using air power in mountainous terrain without crossing international borders—demonstrating its effectiveness in a localized conflict.
The commemoration comes just days after India concluded Operation Sindoor, its latest military response to a deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22 that killed 26 civilians. On May 7, India retaliated with airstrikes on terror camps in Pakistan and PoK, neutralizing over 100 terrorists and destroying nine camps.
Following Pakistan’s retaliatory drone and missile attacks, India struck select military targets deep inside Pakistan. A ceasefire was reached last Saturday after four days of intense cross-border hostilities.
