The Indian Air Force is prepared for a skirmish like the Kargil conflict, retaliation to a terrorist attack or an all-out war, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa said on Tuesday, PTI reported. He was addressing a seminar on “20 years of Operation Safed Sagar”, referring to an operation during the Kargil war carried out by the IAF.

“The IAF is prepared to fight across the entire spectrum of warfare, be it an all-out war, a skirmish like Kargil conflict or retaliation to a terrorist attack,” Dhanoa said. He spoke about IAF’s operational limitations during the war and the innovative ways it adopted to overcome the difficulties.

During the Kargil conflict, precision bombing capabilities which existed only on the Mirage-2000 plane are now also available on Su-30, Jaguar, MiG-29 and MiG-27 upgraded aircraft, Dhanoa said.

The IAF has transformed in its capabilities following the war, Dhanoa said. The air force now has the Airborne Warning and Control System to monitor the airspace deep inside enemy territory, he added.

The IAF had launched air strikes in Balakot area of Pakistan on February 26, 12 days after the terrorist attack in Pulwama in Kashmir, which killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force jawans.