The Indian Air Force (IAF) on 20 August 2013 landed its C-130J Super
Hercules Transport Plane at the recently-activated airstrip of Daulat
Beg Oldie Sector in Ladakh. Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) airstrip located at
16614 feet in the Aksai Chin area is the World’s highest airstrip and
lies in the area across the Line of Actual Control (LAC), where Indian
and Chinese army troops faced a stand-off of about 21 days in April
2013.
Commanding Officer for the C-130J Super Hercules that
landed at Daulat Beg Oldie airstrip was Group Captain Tejbir Singh. The
team also included a crew of the Veiled Vipers. This achievement of the
Indian Air Force has qualified for the world record for the highest
landing by an aircraft of this class.
With this landing of the
C-130J Super Hercules Transport Plane, the IAF has demonstrated its
abilities of using a heavy heavy-lift aircraft at such heights in Ladakh
region. This action will help the Air Force in inducting troops and
supplies by improving communication network and maintenance of troops at
such heights.
C-130J Super Hercules Transport Aircraft
C-130J
Super Hercules Transport aircraft is capable of undertaking quick
deployment of troops at great heights under all weather conditions
including airdrops. It can also fit for landing on unprepared and
semi-prepared surfaces and lift load up to 20 tonnes. Earlier, the
aircraft was used in Dharasu region at the time of Uttarakhand Flood
relief in Operation Rahat.
About the Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) Air field
Daulat
Beg Oldie (DBO) Air field was reactivated by the Indian Air Force in
2008, when Antonov-32 was landed over there after a gap of 43 years from
Chandigarh. Before 2008 landing, the airstrip was last used in 1965,
during the war with Pakistan. With this operationalisation of the
airstrip, the strategic base of the Northern Himalayas got reactivated
and gained importance.
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