Operation Safed Sagar: Story behind why Mirage 2000 was late to Kargil War

Operation Safed Sagar, a Netflix series on Indian Air Force's role in the Kargil war fought between India and Pakistan in the summer of 1999, is being priased for its details, storyline, and picturatisation of the actual events. The series explores the role of Indian Air Force's Golden Arrows unit in identifying the enemy-captured areas as well as making it feasible for the Indian Army to recapture them by assessing and destroying the enemy bunkers.

Apart from the Golden Aarows, which were based in Bhatinda, another unit of Indian Air Force, which was based in Gwalior, Madhya Pardesh, was working overtime. The Gwalior base had French-made Mirage fighter jets were under modification of using laser-guided bombs, crucial for the war. With time of essence, the Indian Air Force completed the task in 12 days which helped the Indian defence forces with their missions.

How Indian Air Force ovecame Mirage 2000 challenge?

WION recently spoke to Wing Commander (retired) Harvinder Jeet Singh, who was posted at Gwalior base during the Kargil war, and he spoke about how Indian Air Force achieved the modification of Mirage 2000s.

"The challenge of integrating the litening pod and laser-guided bombs was going on at the time already. Using the modifications, we would have been able to pinpoint those (enemy) locations and eliminate them from those locations," remembers Singh.

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"The whole challenge was how to integrate bombs with the pods. They were being modified to become a laser box. The Air Force had been working on last the two years but the challenge to integrating a fuse with a cable remained. America was not willing to help us with it but Israel rose to the occasion. The Israelis had developed the Litening Fuse to illuminate the lasers and they were also to help us in creating the litening pod with the Mirage."

"The integration of targeting pods and laser-guided bomb system for the Mirage 2000 in the Kargil war was done in a record time of 12 days," Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa said during the 20-year anniversary of the Kargil Victory. "Modification to the Mirage 2000 was in process and expedited, and system was brought in place for the Kargil War," he added.

Why did Pakistan attack in 1999?

Talking about the situation at the time and why Pakistan started the war, the retired officer also said: "Kashmir was a point which they wanted to prove it to their audience, to the world audience and their intentions were very bad. Immediately when they signed a peace contract where the then Indian PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pak PM Nawaz Sharif had signed the contract, so we were expecting a better result and better outcome. This was I would say, was a stab behind the back."

What was Pakistan's plan?

Singh revealed that the planning was very detailed on Pakistan's part during their misdavnture and "adversaries had occupied the highest peaks which were overlooking our highway, which is connecting between Srinagar and Delhi."

"They were looking to capture this highway so that they can cut off the valley, they can cut off a big chunk of our physical area and maybe take a revenge of the desire which is already there in the adversary that Kashmir belongs to them."

The Indian Defence Forcesm, however, forced Pakistan to retreat and recapture the peaks occupied by them. Today, India celebrates the victor in Kargil War as Vijay Diwas each year on July 26.