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archive: Air operations in Kargil

Air operations in Kargil

Narendra Gupta
The Hindu
June 19, 1999


    Title: Air operations in Kargil
    Author: Narendra Gupta
    Publication: The Hindu
    Date: June 19, 1999
    
    I WRITE this piece with a feeling of deep revulsion at the savage,
    inhuman behaviour of the Pakistani troops towards the downed MiG-21
    pilot, Sqn. Ldr. Ajay Ahuja, and the captured Lt. Kalia and his five
    colleagues. If anything, this will only increase the resolve of the
    Army and the Air Force to repel the Pakistani aggressor and avenge the
    torture and killings of prisoners who were not combatants any more. As
    it is, the casualties returning from the Kargil front are a heart-
    rending trauma for the relatives and friends of those injured or
    killed.
    
    One needs to understand the environment in which our planes are
    operating. The aircraft fly through air. It is the flow of air over
    the wings of the airplanes and over the rotor blades of helicopters
    that provides a lifting force to support the craft up in the sky. At
    high altitudes, the air density is much less than what obtains at
    lower heights for which the craft are designed. Consequently, for the
    same forward speed, the lifting force correspondingly reduces with the
    rarefied atmosphere. 
    
    The terrain in the Kargil area is 16,000 to 18,000 feet above the sea
    level. The aircraft are, therefore, required to fly at about 20,000
    feet. At these heights, the density of air is roughly 30 per cent less
    than that at the sea level. This causes a reduction in weight that can
    be carried and also reduces the ability to manoeuvre as the radius of
    a turn is higher than at lower levels. The engine performance also
    deteriorates with altitude as for the same forward speed, there is a
    lesser mass of air going into the jet engine of the fighter or the
    helicopter.
    
    The Indian airfields nearest to the targets in Kargil are the Srinagar
    air base and the neighbouring military airfield, Avantipur. Therefore,
    the IAF has to operate primarily from these two bases. As per
    newspaper and television reports, the fixed- wing planes being used
    for ground attack are the single-seat MiG- 21s and MiG-27s. The MiG-21
    is the older type of jet fighter built mainly for air interception
    with a secondary role of ground attack. Its avionics and weapons are
    of the 80s vintage. However, this fighter is capable of operating in
    restricted spaces which would be of importance in the Kargil terrain.
    The swing-wing MiG- 27 is an airplane optimised for attacking targets
    on the ground. It can carry a load of roughly four tonnes which could
    be a mix of various weapons including 23-mm machineguns, rocket pods,
    multiple carriage freefall bombs of various varieties, retarded bombs
    and smart weapons. It has a computerised bomb sight which enables
    accurate weapon delivery. Its variable geometry wings are kept forward
    at 14 degrees sweep for takeoff and landing and whenever required to
    fly at slower speeds. The other two sweep positions are for combat and
    for high speed getaway. The MiG-27 is, therefore, ideal for employment
    in the high and mountainous terrain of Kargil. It is understood that
    the Mirage-2000 planes are carrying out electronic warfare and
    reconnaissance.
    
    Because of the need to engage Pakistani targets in the valleys and on
    ridges, a helicopter gunship became an imperative. The load carrying
    logistics Mi-17 was hence modified to carry four rocket pods, each
    with a capacity of 16 or 32 air-to-ground rockets. This helicopter is
    proving very effective in engaging Pakistani bunkers and troops,
    although one helicopter and its four crew members have been lost to an
    American-built Stinger surface-to-air heat seeking missile fired by
    regular Pakistani troops. The other helicopter in use is the small,
    agile Cheetah. The Cheetah is used to stay outside Pakistani gun range
    and direct artillery fire at the Pakistani targets. It is also used as
    an airborne Forward Air Controller (FAC) to guide our fighters to the
    targets. 
    
    In the high mountains, the air crew have various difficulties in
    carrying out their operational missions. We have discussed the
    lowering of aircraft performance because of the rarefied atmosphere.
    Thus pilots have to be very careful while flying in the valleys. The
    larger radius of turn also increases the height lost in a pullout from
    dive. Thus, the pullout has to be initiated at a higher height.
    Therefore, the weapon release height has to be correspondingly raised.
    This may cause inaccuracies in the aiming of weapons. The non-standard
    air density also affects the trajectory of the weapons which has been
    calculated for sea level firing. The firing hence may not be accurate.
    In the mountains, be they in the valleys or on the ridges, the targets
    are relatively small, spread out and difficult to spot visually
    particularly by high speed fighter jets. This becomes worse in low
    visibility conditions or when there is clouding en route or over the
    target. These are some of the odds against the aircrew operating at
    Kargil. However, one learns to overcome these difficulties and find
    solutions with ingenuity and determination. 
    
    On a typical day of operations, if the first few missions are to be on
    target at first light (20 minutes before sunrise), the pilots would be
    reporting at their flight offices about two hours before Time On
    Target (TOT). After a short medical examination by the unit doctor,
    they would be briefed on the weather at the base and in the target
    area and the latest intelligence reports. The Flight Commander would
    then tell them about the specific target, composition of the force and
    pilots, weapons to be carried and TOT. The Ground Liaison Officer
    (GLO) - generally an army officer - would give the latest Sitrep
    (Situation Report), details of the strike demand from the Army, radio
    call signs of the FAC in the target area and detailed target
    description. If the mission is accepted, the GLO would inform the army
    formation demanding the strike. The pilots then mark the route on
    their maps, calculate the transit time to target and hence the time of
    take-off. The take-off time is conveyed to the ATC and to the GLO. The
    formation leader then briefs the other pilots in the strike mission on
    the relative positions to be kept by the aircraft and the tactics to
    be adopted. The pilots grab a quick cup of coffee and a biscuit or a
    sandwich and walk to the airplanes. 
    
    In the meantime, the technicians also come early to work. They carry
    out detailed checks on the planes being launched, refuel, charge
    oxygen, load the gun ammunition, rockets or the other ordnance as
    instructed, the infra-red decoy flares and get the aircraft ready for
    the missions. When the pilots arrive at the flight line, the ground
    crew helps them strap up in the cockpit. In the technology intensive
    world of military aviation, there has to be close teamwork among all
    involved, be they the pilots, the technicians, the ATC controller and
    the administrative and logistic personnel. This close teamwork and
    interdependence create visible camaraderie among them all.
    
    Regardless of how brave a pilot is, before a mission he tends to lose
    his appetite and sense of humour and no amount of water quenches his
    thirst. However, once he gets busy with the pre- flight cockpit
    checks, the fear of the unknown is forgotten and total professionalism
    and peer pride take over. Returning from a trip, the appetite and
    humour return. 
    
    
    (The writer is a former Air Vice-Marshal)
    



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