The airstrip had no landing lights and the IAF crew had to carry out a tactical approach using night vision goggles.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully rescued 121 personnel from a small airstrip at Wadi Sayyidna, about 40 km North of Khartoum in Sudan. The passengers, which included a pregnant woman, had no means to reach Port Sudan.
Led by the Indian Defence Attaché, the convoy reached the airstrip. However, the airstrip had a degraded surface, with no navigational approach aids, fuel, or landing lights (which are required to guide an aircraft landing at night).
Group Captain Ravi Nanda was captain of the Indian Air Force C-130J Special Ops aircraft which carried out the daring operation to rescue 121 Indian nationals from a small airstrip in Wadi Sayidna near Khartoum, Sudan during the ongoing conflict.
The crew of the C-130J aircraft used their Electro-Optical/Infra Red sensors to ensure the runway was clear and no inimical forces were present. The aircrew then carried out a tactical approach using night vision goggles (NVG), in near darkness.
After landing, the aircraft engines were kept running while eight IAF Garud Commandos secured the passengers and their luggage into the aircraft. The takeoff from the unlit runway was also carried out using NVGs.
The operation lasted approximately two and a half hours.
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