In A First, IAF C-130J Carries Out Succesful Night Landing At Kargil Airstrip: Watch

The IAF successfully carried out a night landing of the C-130J aircraft at Kargil airstrip.

Screengrab of the video shared by IAF of successful night landing of the C-130J aircraft

Source : X/@IAF_MCC

New Delhi: In a first, a C-130J aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) recently carried out a night landing on the Kargil airstrip in a landmark feat.

Sharing the video of the night landing on X, formerly Twitter, the Indian Air Force said, "In a first, an IAF C-130 J aircraft recently carried out a night landing at the Kargil airstrip. Employing terrain masking enroute, the exercise also dovetailed a training mission of the Garuds." 

No other details were provided by the IAF about the training mission. 

Last month, the IAF successfully test-fired its in-house designed and developed Surface to Air Missile for Assured Retaliation (SAMAR) air defence missile system. SAMAR was developed by the IAF using its old Russian-origin air-to-air missile systems.

In a first, an IAF C-130 J aircraft recently carried out a night landing at the Kargil airstrip. Employing terrain masking enroute, the exercise also dovetailed a training mission of the Garuds.#SakshamSashaktAtmanirbhar pic.twitter.com/MNwLzaQDz7

— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) January 7, 2024

The missile system was part of the AstraShakti-2023 for the first time to test its surface-to-air weapon systems and carry out its operational field trials. 

"The Indian Air Force has carried out the successful firing trials of its in-house designed and developed SAMAR air defence missile system during exercise AstraShakti-2023 at Air Force Station Suryalanka held recently. The air defence system 'SAMAR' (surface-to-air missile for assured retaliation) has been developed by a unit under the IAF's Maintenance Command," the IAF officials said on December 17. 

As per the officials, the missile system successfully achieved firing trial objectives in different engagement scenarios.

Earlier in Decemeber, the Indian Air ForceC-130J 'Super Hercules' aircraft carried out a precision airdrop of combat troops as well as specialised warfighting equipment in the northeastern sector. 

The IAF carried out the operation during the Indo-US joint exercise Vajra Prahar 2023.