Executing a critical medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) Mission, the Indian Air Force transport aircraft airlifted five critically ill persons from Ladakh to Chandigarh for advanced life-saving treatment.
“Despite the challenging high-altitude terrain and inclement climatic conditions, IAF C-17 and AN-32 aircraft ensured their swift, safe and timely evacuation,” Headquarters Western Air Command said on Monday.
The evacuated persons included three Army soldiers, one dependent of defence personnel and a Ladakhi civilian. They had been placed on the Dangerous Ill Listed (DIL), implying they urgently required specialist medicare.
According to the IAF, 143 lives have been saved through casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) operations in the Ladakh Sector alone during 2026 so far.
IAF transport aircraft, including the C-17, Il-76, C-130 and AN-32, as well as helicopters such as the Mi-17, ALH Dhruv and Cheetah undertake dozens of CASEVAC sorties every year, airlifting sick or injured soldiers as well as civilians from remote areas in the northern as well as north-eastern theatres.
There have been instances where emergency CASEVAC operations have also been carried out from Ladakh by aircraft in the dark by using night vision goggles, requiring high-level skills to navigate in the mountainous terrain.
At times, civilians requiring medical assistance have also been evacuated by helicopters from habitats located in the hinterland to towns in Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir where required medical facilities are available. These are generally patients of cardiac or respiratory issues or cases of serious injuries requiring immediate trauma management.
