No Light on Sudan Airstrip, IAF Pilots Use Night Vision Goggles For Landing; Rescue 121 People

In a daring operation, Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots landed their aircraft on a small airstrip in war-torn Sudan to rescue 121 people. The feat was incredible as pilots flew into darkness, literally, with no landing lights on the airstrip using their night vision goggles.

The C-130J aircraft of the IAF rescued 121 personnel from a small airstrip at Wadi Sayyidna, which is about 40 km North of Khartoum on the intervening night of April 27-28.  The passengers included medical cases, including a pregnant lady, and those who had no means to reach Port Sudan.

The convoy was led by the Indian Defence Attaché, who was in continuous touch with IAF authorities all along, till they reached the airstrip at Wadi Sayyidna.

The airstrip had a degraded surface, with no navigational approach aids or fuel, and most critically or landing lights (that are required to guide an aircraft 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 that 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.

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.

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