Indian Army Aviation Executes Extraordinary One-Skid Casualty Evacuation at 18,600 Feet Near Nun-Kun

Indian Army Aviation pilots carried out a highly demanding casualty evacuation at approximately 18,600 feet near the Nun-Kun massif in Ladakh on 29 August 2026, using a precision one-skid manoeuvre on a steep mountainside where no conventional landing area was available.

The Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps said the mission was conducted amid strong mountain winds and rapidly fading daylight during the last available landing window of the day. With no suitable helipad at the casualty site, the pilots brought the helicopter into a controlled hover and placed only one skid against the slope, allowing the injured person to be loaded before the aircraft lifted away.

The helicopter was deliberately lightened before the mission by removing non-essential equipment and carrying only the fuel required to complete the evacuation safely. At 18,600 feet, the thin atmosphere significantly reduces available rotor lift and engine performance, making aircraft weight a critical factor.

Officials cited in subsequent reports identified the helicopter as an Army Cheetal, a high-altitude light helicopter developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited from the Cheetah platform. The Cheetal uses the more powerful TM333-2M2 turboshaft engine and was specifically developed to improve performance, payload capability and reliability in demanding Himalayan conditions.

The casualty was reported to be an injured Junior Commissioned Officer participating in a mountaineering expedition near Nun-Kun. He was successfully evacuated from the inaccessible location and transported for medical treatment, although officials later said he succumbed to his injuries at an Army hospital in Kargil.

The operation was far more demanding than a routine high-altitude landing. By maintaining the helicopter with only one skid touching the mountainside while the rotor system continued supporting much of the aircraft’s weight, the pilots had to constantly control the aircraft against changes in wind, balance and terrain clearance.

The mission demonstrates the specialised flying capability developed by Indian Army Aviation through decades of operations in Ladakh, Siachen and other high-altitude regions. In such terrain, light helicopters frequently serve as the only practical means of moving personnel, supplies and casualties from isolated positions.

The Nun-Kun evacuation combined extreme altitude, minimal aircraft performance margins, difficult terrain, strong winds and fading daylight. The successful one-skid extraction at 18,600 feet therefore stands as an exceptional example of precision high-altitude flying by Indian Army Aviation.