Operation ‘SafedSagar’ was the code name assigned to the Indian Air Force's strike to support the Ground troops during Operation Vijay that was aimed to flush out Regular and Irregular troops of the Pakistani Army from Indian Positions in the Kargil sector along the Line of Control. It was the first large scale use of air power in the Jammu and Kashmir region since the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971.
Initial infiltrations were noticed in Kargil in early May, 1999. The Indian Air Force (IAF) was first approached to provide air support on 11 May. On 21 May a Canberra on a reconnaissance mission was hit by ground fire. The flight returned to base on one engine. On 25 May, the Cabinet Committee on Security authorized the IAF to mount attacks on the infiltrators without crossing the LoC On 26 May, the go-ahead was given and the IAF started its strike role tasks. Flying from the Indian airfields of Srinagar, Avantipur and Adampur, ground attack aircraft MiG-21s, MiG-23s, MiG-27s, Jaguars and the Mirage 2000 struck insurgent positions.
The first strikes were launched on the 26 May, when the Indian Air Force struck infiltrator positions with fighter aircraft and helicopter gunships. The initial strikes saw MiG-27s carrying out offensive sorties, with MiG-21s and (later) MiG-29s providing fighter cover. Mi-17 gunships were also deployed in the Tololing sector. On 30 May, the Indian Air Force called into operation the Mirage 2000 which was deemed the best aircraft capable of optimum performance under the conditions of high altitude in the zone of conflict. Armed with Laser Guided Bombs (LGB) the Mirages repeatedly struck enemy positions, destroying Logistics and resupply capability of the infiltrators.
