‘Sheer audacity’: IAF pilots use night vision goggles to land on Sudan airstrip

A C-130J heavy-lift aircraft of IAF rescued 121 people from an airstrip at Wadi Sayyidna in Sudan on the intervening night of April 27 and 28.

In a daring operation, an Indian Air Force's C-130J heavy-lift aircraft rescued 121 people from a small airstrip at Wadi Sayyidna which is about 40 km north of the violence-hit Sudan capital of Khartoum on the intervening night of April 27 and 28.

Indian Air Force pilots used night vision goggles (NVGs) to carry out the landing at night.(ANI)

The airstrip had a degraded surface with no navigational aid or fuel, and most critically no landing lights which are required to guide an aircraft landing at night. The pilots used night vision goggles (NVGs) to carry out the landing at night.

“Approaching the airstrip, the aircrew used their Electro-Optical/Infra-Red sensors to ensure that the runway was free from any obstructions and no inimical forces were in the vicinity. Having made sure of the same, the aircrew carried out a tactical approach on Night Vision Goggles, on a practically dark night,” the IAF said.

Among those rescued in the operation was a pregnant woman and the people who had no means to reach Port Sudan - the key transit point from where the Indian government is rescuing its citizens using military aircraft and naval ships.

“Upon landing, the aircraft engines were kept running while eight IAF Garud Commandos secured the passengers and their luggage into the aircraft. As with the landing, the take-off from the unlit runway was also carried out using NVGs. This approximately two-and-a-half-hour operation between Wadi Sayyidna and Jeddah will go down in the annals of IAF history for its sheer audacity and flawless execution - akin to that carried out in Kabul,” the IAF added.

Notably, the IAF had carried out similar operations to evacuate Indians from Kabul after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021.

India launched 'Operation Kaveri' earlier this week to bring back the stranded Indians from Sudan. Sudan has been witnessing fighting between the country's army and a paramilitary group that has reportedly left around 400 people dead.

12th batch of 135 passengers leaves Sudan

Meanwhile, another batch of the C-130J flight with 135 stranded Indians took off from the crisis-hit country on Friday. This was the 12th batch of stranded citizens heading to Jeddah.

"An IAF C-130J takes off from Port Sudan with 135 passengers for Jeddah. This marks the 12th batch of stranded Indians evacuated under #OperationKaveri," ministry of external affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

Along with this development, INS Sumedha, which is stationed at Port Sudan, had also left the crisis-hit country with 300 passengers onboard for Jeddah.

As many as 2,400 Indians have evacuated from Sudan, where the country is experiencing bloodshed as a result of clashes between the army and paramilitary forces.

(With inputs from PTI, ANI)