Lalit Khambhayata August, 2024 The Air Force's Gujarat-based command received information that people were trapped in the floods. Somewhere people's lives were trapped in the middle of the river, somewhere they had to climb onto the roof, somewhere the bridges were broken… The situation was serious, extremely serious. For the Air Force, however, there was no concern. As soon as the government's notification was received, Air Force helicopters like Cheetah, Chetak, Kadavaar Mi-17 were activated. Reached the scene in no time. Somewhere people had to be rescued by lowering ropes, and somewhere else food packets, relief materials and other medical supplies had to be delivered. With helicopters flying non-stop, Air Force pilots rescued 18 people in a matter of hours amid heavy rain, strong winds, and particularly low visibility. As many as 3500 packets were distributed. Those helicopters, pilots, officers of the Air Force felt like God to many. This incident is still recent. Memory does not have to be bothered too much. Such operations are not unusual for the Air Force (as well as the Army or Navy), however. Because an Air Force with a core identity like fighter jets does not have to fight anything round the clock. There is no round-the-clock fighter jets to be flown or missiles to be fired. The war which is considered as the main work of the Air Force comes once in a decade, two decades or three decades. The rest of the Air Force (and other forces as well) spends most of its time practicing and conducting support operations when needed. * * * Somewhere there is a flood, landslide, earthquake, any other natural or man-made calamity or citizens are trapped in a foreign country. At that time one of the three wings of the army should be informed by the government. That wing will come and save the trapped people in its wing. October 8th is celebrated as Air Force Day. The Indian Air Force was established in 1932 during the British era. We know the Air Force by its aircrafts like Tejas, MiG, Rafale, Mirage… but the Air Force is mostly used in operations called 'Humpatian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)'. * * * In March 2015, the situation in Yemen deteriorated. As the civil war escalated, the situation had slipped out of the government's hands. The rebels, including the Houthis, were ruling. At that time, 4000 Indians trapped there were to be rescued. Both the Air Force and the Navy were employed for this, as there was no place for planes to land in Yemen. Navy ships ran aground off the coast of Yemen. The Indians were boarded and taken to the nearest port of Djibouti. The Air Force has an army of helicopters as well as gigantic transport planes. C-17 Globemaster planes among them started one shipment after another and brought the stranded Indians home. * * * The turn to rescue Indians stranded abroad keeps coming. The last major event occurred at the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war. Mostly, people who reach any country to study or earn have no idea about the political situation there. Often, even if they have an idea, they take risks to earn. When it gets stuck, no one can work except the Ministry of Defense and External Affairs of the Government of India and the Government of India. In 2016, civil war broke out in South Sudan. Indians were trapped there. The Air Force flew in and rescued them. Indians were again trapped in Sudan and again the government helped them by launching Operation Kaveri. It is not only those Indians who are stuck abroad who are being helped. Helping foreign nationals is also humanitarian. After a devastating earthquake along the Turkey-Syria border in 2023, the government sent air force planes to help. India has provided help even in situations where it is laughable at first sight. A strange problem occurred in September 2014 in the Maldives, which is currently fighting India. The RO plant supplying water to the country was damaged. Drinking water stopped! now? Maldives sought India's help. India transported goods from Delhi by filling water tanks in gigantic transport planes including C-17, IL-76. In 3 days from 5th to 7th September, India reached a total of 374 tonnes of water. * * * Be it a flood in Uttarakhand, a cloudburst event, rains or landslides in Kerala, travelers trapped between icy mountains… all of them can be saved by the armed forces. So there is no limit to such operations. People may enjoy the sight of helicopters arriving to rescue stranded people, but not everyone knows the toil and hardship of the Air Force team that rescues people in a matter of minutes. Usually when a government department gets a call for help, preparations start and then help arrives. It takes hours and sometimes even days. That doesn't happen in the Air Force. Within five-fifteen minutes of receiving the call, the helicopter or transport plane will be in the air. The main reason why the Air Force can respond quickly is its exceptional preparation and practice. In all three wings of defence, a phrase is often said: 'The more you sweat in practice, the less blood you shed in battle.' Even when there is no war situation, the Air Force planes continue to practice. So when the situation really comes to help, the helicopter has no engine, the pilot's duty is over, it is dark where to help, it is not visible even during the day due to rain, the helicopter will not fly in strong winds, the aircraft will not fly in the short runway. There are no reasons like… Because all three wings of defense are accustomed to work in such adverse circumstances. Not only that, they don't have to think about whatever they have to do for the rescue operation. There is no greater target than saving people. In September 2018, two youths got trapped while trekking in the Kolhai glacier in Kashmir. Also injured. Western Air Command received a request for help. Two Cheetah helicopters from Udhampur Airbase were dispatched to help. It was as stormy as on a glacier, there was no flat land anywhere for a helicopter to land. Also, the place where they were trapped was also deserted. Even so, the helicopter reached there. The two trapped youths were to be pulled up with a rope, tied to it. But after reaching there, a new problem appeared. Among the two, a young man named Haziq was so injured that he could not be dragged with a rope. It has to be taken on a stretcher. The problem is that the Cheetah helicopter does not have a stretcher. Wing Commander Vishal Mehta, the helicopter operator, immediately took a new decision. Reached Avantipur Airbase by helicopter. The ground staff had already given instructions, so the helicopter landed and removed both the side doors. The helicopter took off again without side doors. The place where the youths were trapped was not a well-known place, so arrangements were made to ensure that the road was not forgotten. The helicopter reached there again. Find some flat space. Landed there and took in the wounded Hazik. The place where the rescue operation was carried out was 12 thousand feet high. * * * Air Force helicopters are not only used to lift trapped people to safety. It also has first aid facilities. Kam Rapid Action Medical Team set up a makeshift hospital there. It is the job of the Air Force personnel to set up a hospital in moments of reckoning. We may think that all the personnel or officers wearing Air Force uniforms are working only to fly fighter jets or launch missiles, but Air Force also has various departments and one department is medical. It has a team of doctors who are capable of handling any situation. That is why the President is always treated in a military hospital and whenever the Prime Minister goes anywhere, his plane is flown by Air Force pilots and not by commercial pilots! }
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
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