Balakot airstrikes: How Indian Air Force carried out a successful retaliation four years back

Balakot airstrikes: Indian Air Force’s Balakot airstrikes in retaliation to the Pulwama attack took place on February 26, 2019. Today marks the four-year anniversary of these successful airstrikes by the Air Force under the name of ‘Operation Bandar’. In the wee hours of February 26, 2019, India carried out these airstrikes 12 days after a convoy of vehicles carrying CRPF personnel was attacked by a suicide bomber in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir. This was the first time since the Indo-Pak war of 1971 that an Indian aircraft carried out such an airstrike across the border. 

On February 14, 2019, 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in an attack plotted by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Pulwama. In retaliation, Indian Air Force destroyed the biggest terror training camp of JeM at Balakot. An entire fleet of IAF Mirage 2000 fighter jets crossed the India-Pakistan border for the retaliatory strike. 

Why was it named ‘Operation Bandar’? 

The entire operation of launching the airstrikes and coming back to Indian soil safely was codenamed 'Operation Bandar' (monkey). The name was given to maintain secrecy and ensure that the plans of the airstrikes don’t leak out. Though there is no specific reason behind the name, many sources said that monkeys have always held a special place in India’s war culture.

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We have seen them in the epic Ramayana, where Lord Rama’s lieutenant Lord Hanuman quietly sneaked into Lanka and destroyed the entire capital city of the demon king Ravana. The operation drew parallels to this epic tale, where IAF aircraft sneaked onto Pakistani soil and wreaked havoc on the terror camps. 

How Balakot airstrikes were carried out?

The location: Balakot is a town in the Manshera district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province of Pakistan. It is about 50km from the Line of Control (LoC) and known among intelligence agencies as the “epicentre of terrorism”. It has been on the radar of American forces for a long time and is 50km from Abbottabad where al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden was killed by US forces.

The operation: On February 26, 12 Mirages took off from multiple air bases, crossed over into the Pakistani air space and carried out attacks on the JeM terror camp. IAF pilots dropped five Spice 2000 bombs, out of which four penetrated the rooftops of the building in which the terrorists were sleeping. The attacks were carried out at 3:30 am and within a few minutes after dropping bombs on their targets, the IAF jets returned to their bases. 

The aircraft used in the attack belonged to the No 7 and No 9 squadrons of the Indian Air Force and included the non-upgraded planes as the upgraded Mirages of the No 1 squadron did not have the air-to-ground strike capability at that time. 

The weapons: Apart from IAF’s highly-skilled pilots and the Research & Analysis Wing’s (RAW) accurate intel, India spread out a line of weaponry and aircraft from its arsenal. While Mirage 2000 were used to drop bombs on targeted sites, a set of other Mirages with Su-30MKI combat aircraft kept the Pakistan air force planes away from causing any hindrance or launching any counter-offensive.

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The entire operation was supported by the indigenous Airborne Early Warning and Control systems (AEW&C) plane Netra. Five Israeli-origin Spice 2000 bombs were used to strike the targeted sites with penetrator warheads that allowed them to pierce through the rooftops before exploding inside to cause maximum damage. A team of IAF’s commando unit, Garud, was also kept on standby for any kind of operations that may have been required due to any kind of an emergency there. 

What followed after the strikes?

The Pakistani Air Force (PAF) responded the next day with a retaliatory strike in Jammu's Rajouri sector. During the subsequent aerial battle, India claimed to have shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter plane while losing a MIG-21 Bison whose pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured after being forced to eject over Pakistani territory.

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman pursued the Pakistani fighter jet, F-16 and shot it down. In the heroic process, his plane was taken down too, and Pakistan imprisoned him. Later, Pakistan was forced to release Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman on March 1. He was awarded the wartime gallantry award, Vir Chakra. 

Impact and outcomes of the Balakot airstrikes 

One of the major takeaways from these strikes was calling out of Pakistan’s nuclear bluff that it uses from time to time to sort of blackmail India with a conventional method of warfare. India conveyed its strategic intent that it will no longer be held hostage to these kinds of threats. Since the IAF carried out these high-precision airstrikes, India hasn’t reported any high-profile or high-visibility terror attack in the country. India demonstrated that it is no longer willing to be passive or carry out operations only on its side of the border when it comes to tackling terrorism and Pakistan’s proxy wars. 

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