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Orientation programme for pilots in Kargil

After suspension of air strikes in Kargil sector following Pakistan's offer of troops pullout, the Indian Air Force is now orienting new pilots to the terrain through reconnaissance sorties by the day and night and ground visits to the various sub-sectors.

''While no evidence of the intruders was noticed, IAF continues to keep the ground as well as air space in the sector under close watch. These sorties will also serve to remind the enemy that IAF is maintaining its traditional high level of preparedness and vigilance,'' IAF spokesman said at a media briefing today.

''The opportunity is also being taken to familiarise new pilots with the terrain, in sorties flown both by day and night,'' the spokesman said.

He said all missions continue to be escorted by armed air defence escorts. ''At night, the surrounding airspace is sanitised during the specified times by dedicated air defence interceptors,'' he said.

He said that in coordination with the army (15 Corps), the pilots were also being sent for ground familiarisation visits to Tololing and other places to experience the terrain for themselves as well as to spend some time with the ground troops.

After suspending the air strikes following the offer of pullout by Pakistan on July 11, the IAF had made it clear that its fighter aircraft would carry out reconnaissance sorties on the Indian side of LoC to monitor the withdrawal process on the ground.

Air Marshal Vinod Patney, air officer commanding-in-chief of the Western Air Command, which guided the air strikes during 'Operation Vijay' in Kargil, had earlier pointed out that the terrain acted as a major constraint during the air operations.

After the air strikes by IAF began over the enemy positions in Kargil on May 26, it took the pilots three to four days to get oriented to the terrain.

Sighting small targets like enemy bunkers, perched on the hilly terrain, and that too from very high altitudes was a difficult task for the pilots. During the course of the missions, the pilots had to do a lot of aerial search before engaging a target and it also required more tonnage of ammunition, Air Marshal Patney had pointed out while briefing the media about the air campaign in Kargil.

The Kargil Crisis

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