As India prepares to celebrate 27 years of Kargil Vijay Diwas on July 26, the architect of the 1999 air campaign sat down with CNN-News18 to reveal how the Indian Air Force neutralised Pakistani surface-to-air
missiles using entirely untested tactics. In a candid conversation, former Western Air Command Chief Air Marshal Vinod Patney, who led Operation Safed Sagar, detailed how low-level night strikes and GPS-guided bombing caught both the enemy and global military observers off guard.
When asked about the circumstances surrounding the initial launch, Air Marshal Patney explained that the IAF operated under strict government orders not to cross the Line of Control. The unpredictable, winding geography of the mountainous border made this a major operational challenge. Yet, despite dropping bombs dangerously close to Indian troops, the mission maintained a flawless safety record.
“In the history of armed conflict where air power has been used in close proximity, this is the only time not one soldier was injured,” Patney remarked.
Air Marshal Patney told CNN-News18 that commanders initially kept the Mirage 2000 aircraft in reserve because the trajectory of the war was still unclear. Once it became evident that Pakistani forces were halting their advance, the IAF deployed the fighters equipped with Israeli Litening pods. Elaborating on their impact, he noted that a single Mirage 2000 dropping a 250 kg bomb decimated a major Pakistani logistics depot at Muntho Dhalo. Radio intercepts later confirmed these precision strikes triggered mass panic among enemy ranks.
Responding to queries about the specific challenges of the terrain and enemy fire, the Air Marshal recalled how Pakistan’s early use of Stinger missiles forced a swift tactical pivot. After an IAF Canberra took a direct engine hit and a helicopter was shot down, resulting in the death of Squadron Leader Ahuja and the capture of Group Captain Nachiketa, commanders halted rotary-wing operations entirely.
To protect his pilots, the then Western Air Command Chief, Air Marshal Patney, ordered all aircraft to operate at least 8,000 feet above their targets. This altitude kept them out of missile range, but it required the IAF to pioneer GPS-assisted medium-level bombing on the fly.
Perhaps the most surprising revelation in the interview was Patney’s subsequent strategy to bypass the daytime missile threat entirely. He proposed low-level bombing at night, using nothing but moonlight for navigation in the treacherous mountains. He estimated the moon would provide a crucial two kilometres of visibility.
Recalling the initial reaction of his squadron commanders, Patney said, “They were aghast. Sir, what are you saying? By night, low level, in the hills, they shook their heads.”
He simply asked the pilots to conduct a trial flight to test their comfort levels. After successfully verifying their bombing calculations over the Pokhran and Tosha Maidan ranges, the pilots confirmed they could pull it off. The IAF then executed these unconventional, low-level night strikes over Kargil for four consecutive nights.
Touching upon his role and the political climate of the time, the officer emphatically dismissed any notion of outside interference. “No political leader ever contacted me,” he confirmed, adding that Air Headquarters also left all final tactical decisions squarely with the Western Air Command.
As the interview concluded, Patney reflected on the broader legacy of the IAF. Pointing out that India has won every conflict where air power was actively deployed, he noted that the 1962 war remains the sole exception, and it happens to be the only conflict where combat aircraft were deliberately kept grounded.
