..:: India Strategic ::. IAF: IAFS OP RAHAT: A Mammoth task well done
NEW DELHI: Much has been written (and said) about the combined armed forces and civilian disaster relief and rescue operations in the wake of the worst flash floods that hit northern portions of Uttarakhand better known as the Dev Bhoomi (Land of the Gods) with Indias major pilgrimage destinations such as Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, Yamnotri etc, located there which took a toll of over 10,000 dead, and a greater number missing. But, while the operations have been well chronicled there has been a gap in understanding the way these were conceptualised, planned and executed.
India Strategic covered the worst natural calamity to have hit Uttarakhand in mid-June and subsequent rescue and relief efforts as its front page story in the July Issue where it was noted that the entire air operations were led, controlled and coordinated by the Indian air Force (IAF) code-named Op Rahat(meaning Relief). The statistical figures of the rescue and relief operations were indeed awe-inspiring. Though published figures vary a bit from one another, sources told India Strategic that by the time Op Rahat was officially called off in July 1st week, the IAF alone had flown around 2,500 sorties, airlifting a total of 21,000 people mostly stranded pilgrims and displaced locals from their destroyed homes and villages and, air-dropping/landing about 400 tonnes of relief material and equipment; laying claim on it being the biggest peacetime rescue operation in the world by any air force using helicopters.
It was the IAFs Western Air Command under whose jurisdiction the calamity-struck areas fell that promptly responded to the requests of the states civilian authorities by creating a full-fledged Task Force on June 16 and hand-picked Air Commodore Rajesh Isser as the Task Force Commander to plan and conduct Op Rahat. Op Rahat may have been a peacetime operation but it was planned in a war like fashion and conducted with equal efficiency and in a highly professional manner.
Sarsawa Air Force Station near Saharanpur, a predominantly rotary wing base and its relative proximity to the affected areas in Uttarakhand made it a natural choice to be selected as the hub-centre for the conduct of Op Rahat, with helicopters converging from Bhatinda and Hindon air force bases. It also became the temporary HQ for the Task Force Commander. The relief operations started almost immediately and within three days i.e. by June 19, the number of aircraft deployed for the operations had risen to 20 which included eight Mi-17 variants, 10 ALHs (Advanced Light Helicopters), one An-32 transport aircraft and one Avro HS-748. However, keeping in view the enormity of the task, the number of aircraft deployed more than doubled peaking to 43 that included 23 Mi-17 variants (Mi-17, Mi-17 1V and Mi-17 V5), 11 HAL ALHs including helicopters of the famous Sarang display team, one Cheetah, one Mi-26 heavy-lift helicopter, two C-130J Super Hercules Special Operations aircraft plus three An-32, one HS-748 and one IL-76 transport aircraft.
The aim of the task force was well defined i.e., to get the job done as soon as possible and ensure evacuation of everybody who had survived the disaster. This was aptly reflected in the Air Chief NAK Brownes announcement on June 24, when he said, Our helicopter rotors will not stop churning till such time we get each one of you out. Do not lose hope and hang in there.
And, to do what was required, mantra of the Task Force Commander was innovative and daring leadership at all levels of the command chain. For example, Sarsawa though nearest established air force base from the scene of tragedy, was still pretty far and going there every time for refueling was hampering operations, cutting the number of sorties drastically. It was therefore decided to set up two FARPs (Forward Area Refueling Points) at Dharasu and Gauchar, respectively. How, it was done by employing the Mi-26 heavy-lift helicopter to airlift a bowser each to the two FARPs and using the C-130Js to land on the two difficult ALGs and decanting fuel from their own integral tanks into the bowsers for further refueling of the helicopters has been covered in detail in the earlier Issue. Suffice to say here that it was a glowing example of innovative thinking to boost operations.
How they had to come up with instant solutions and innovations for the rescue operations is best described in the words of Air Commodore Isser himself, for instance, weather was a major concern. We had to be sure about weather predictions.
So, apart from Met department reports, we also used our aircraft C-130J on daily sorties, utilising its Electro-Optic Infrared sensors to prepare reports. This allowed us to assess accurate weather conditions in all the valleys. We had to winch down specialists where helicopters couldnt even approach. We also saved people from such places by winching them up. For example, a Gujarati couple in a gorge would have died of dehydration in a few hours (but were rescue will time through winching). About 4,500 critical cases were rescued from Chatti and Gaurikund.
Air Commodore Isser is presently in command of the IAFs highest permanent air base at Leh to cover air operations in Ladakh including the Siachen Glacier. Being a helicopter pilot himself with an illustrious service record, he was the obvious choice to lead the Op Rahat
Task Force. And as he himself says, Past experiences of being involved with Tsunami rescue operations in 2004, the Andhra Pradesh flood disaster in 2009 and the Ladakh flash floods in 2010 came in handy now.
But, there is no substitute to daring leadership, innovative thinking and team work to successfully accomplish any task, as exemplified (see box).
Little wonder, the IAFs OP Rahat has won praises from all quarters including the highest echelons in the Central and concerned States governments with the air warriors of the Task Force including their leader deservedly earning high accolades.
India Strategic on its part salutes the IAF and the entire Op Rahat team for a job done brilliantly, no matter what the odds.
Editors Note: Even though the IAF has downgraded its helicopter operations in Uttarakhand after rescuing almost 21,000 people during Op Rahat, as many as 10 helicopters, including a Mi-26, Mi-17 V5, Mi-17 IV and Dhruv Advanced Lightweight Helicopters, are still deployed to carry bulky road-building equipment and relief material in support of the civil administration.
NEW DELHI: Much has been written (and said) about the combined armed forces and civilian disaster relief and rescue operations in the wake of the worst flash floods that hit northern portions of Uttarakhand better known as the Dev Bhoomi (Land of the Gods) with Indias major pilgrimage destinations such as Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, Yamnotri etc, located there which took a toll of over 10,000 dead, and a greater number missing. But, while the operations have been well chronicled there has been a gap in understanding the way these were conceptualised, planned and executed.
India Strategic covered the worst natural calamity to have hit Uttarakhand in mid-June and subsequent rescue and relief efforts as its front page story in the July Issue where it was noted that the entire air operations were led, controlled and coordinated by the Indian air Force (IAF) code-named Op Rahat(meaning Relief). The statistical figures of the rescue and relief operations were indeed awe-inspiring. Though published figures vary a bit from one another, sources told India Strategic that by the time Op Rahat was officially called off in July 1st week, the IAF alone had flown around 2,500 sorties, airlifting a total of 21,000 people mostly stranded pilgrims and displaced locals from their destroyed homes and villages and, air-dropping/landing about 400 tonnes of relief material and equipment; laying claim on it being the biggest peacetime rescue operation in the world by any air force using helicopters.
It was the IAFs Western Air Command under whose jurisdiction the calamity-struck areas fell that promptly responded to the requests of the states civilian authorities by creating a full-fledged Task Force on June 16 and hand-picked Air Commodore Rajesh Isser as the Task Force Commander to plan and conduct Op Rahat. Op Rahat may have been a peacetime operation but it was planned in a war like fashion and conducted with equal efficiency and in a highly professional manner.
Sarsawa Air Force Station near Saharanpur, a predominantly rotary wing base and its relative proximity to the affected areas in Uttarakhand made it a natural choice to be selected as the hub-centre for the conduct of Op Rahat, with helicopters converging from Bhatinda and Hindon air force bases. It also became the temporary HQ for the Task Force Commander. The relief operations started almost immediately and within three days i.e. by June 19, the number of aircraft deployed for the operations had risen to 20 which included eight Mi-17 variants, 10 ALHs (Advanced Light Helicopters), one An-32 transport aircraft and one Avro HS-748. However, keeping in view the enormity of the task, the number of aircraft deployed more than doubled peaking to 43 that included 23 Mi-17 variants (Mi-17, Mi-17 1V and Mi-17 V5), 11 HAL ALHs including helicopters of the famous Sarang display team, one Cheetah, one Mi-26 heavy-lift helicopter, two C-130J Super Hercules Special Operations aircraft plus three An-32, one HS-748 and one IL-76 transport aircraft.
The aim of the task force was well defined i.e., to get the job done as soon as possible and ensure evacuation of everybody who had survived the disaster. This was aptly reflected in the Air Chief NAK Brownes announcement on June 24, when he said, Our helicopter rotors will not stop churning till such time we get each one of you out. Do not lose hope and hang in there.
And, to do what was required, mantra of the Task Force Commander was innovative and daring leadership at all levels of the command chain. For example, Sarsawa though nearest established air force base from the scene of tragedy, was still pretty far and going there every time for refueling was hampering operations, cutting the number of sorties drastically. It was therefore decided to set up two FARPs (Forward Area Refueling Points) at Dharasu and Gauchar, respectively. How, it was done by employing the Mi-26 heavy-lift helicopter to airlift a bowser each to the two FARPs and using the C-130Js to land on the two difficult ALGs and decanting fuel from their own integral tanks into the bowsers for further refueling of the helicopters has been covered in detail in the earlier Issue. Suffice to say here that it was a glowing example of innovative thinking to boost operations.
How they had to come up with instant solutions and innovations for the rescue operations is best described in the words of Air Commodore Isser himself, for instance, weather was a major concern. We had to be sure about weather predictions.
So, apart from Met department reports, we also used our aircraft C-130J on daily sorties, utilising its Electro-Optic Infrared sensors to prepare reports. This allowed us to assess accurate weather conditions in all the valleys. We had to winch down specialists where helicopters couldnt even approach. We also saved people from such places by winching them up. For example, a Gujarati couple in a gorge would have died of dehydration in a few hours (but were rescue will time through winching). About 4,500 critical cases were rescued from Chatti and Gaurikund.
Air Commodore Isser is presently in command of the IAFs highest permanent air base at Leh to cover air operations in Ladakh including the Siachen Glacier. Being a helicopter pilot himself with an illustrious service record, he was the obvious choice to lead the Op Rahat
Task Force. And as he himself says, Past experiences of being involved with Tsunami rescue operations in 2004, the Andhra Pradesh flood disaster in 2009 and the Ladakh flash floods in 2010 came in handy now.
But, there is no substitute to daring leadership, innovative thinking and team work to successfully accomplish any task, as exemplified (see box).
Little wonder, the IAFs OP Rahat has won praises from all quarters including the highest echelons in the Central and concerned States governments with the air warriors of the Task Force including their leader deservedly earning high accolades.
India Strategic on its part salutes the IAF and the entire Op Rahat team for a job done brilliantly, no matter what the odds.
Editors Note: Even though the IAF has downgraded its helicopter operations in Uttarakhand after rescuing almost 21,000 people during Op Rahat, as many as 10 helicopters, including a Mi-26, Mi-17 V5, Mi-17 IV and Dhruv Advanced Lightweight Helicopters, are still deployed to carry bulky road-building equipment and relief material in support of the civil administration.
