IAF aircraft makes maiden night landing at Kargil strip

A C-130J 'Super Hercules' aircraft of the IAF, with a detachment of Garud commandos, recently carried out a night landing at the high-altitude Kargil airfield near the LoC with Pakistan. The C-130J employed terrain masking en route and landed with the help of onboard avionics and night-vision devices. This landing establishes the IAF capability to conduct operations in the strategically-located area by day and night, marking the first time a fixed-wing aircraft has landed at the Kargil airstrip at night.