In a daring rescue mission at 18,600 feet near the Nun-Kun mountains in the Kargil region, Indian Army Aviation pilots evacuated a casualty from an extremely challenging slope with no landing space and strong winds.The Army employed Cheetah helicopters for the rescue mission.With the helicopter lightened by removing non-essential equipment and carrying limited fuel, the aviators executed the evacuation with exceptional precision, courage and determination, including a critical landing with one skid touching the slope, according to the Army.“The mission, undertaken at the last available landing window of the day, stands as a testament to the skill, courage and compassion of Indian Army Aviation,” the Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps said.Located above the Suru Valley, roughly 250 km east of Srinagar along the Jammu and Kashmir-Ladakh border, the twin peaks of Nun and Kun rise over 23,000 feet above sea level. At 23,409 feet, Nun is the highest peak in this part of the Himalayan range west of the Zanskar region.Rescue missions are regularly undertaken in the mountains by the Army Aviation Corps, equipped with Cheetah and Dhruv helicopters, as well as the IAF. The helicopters often operate at the outer limits of their flight parameters while dealing with extreme altitude, rugged terrain, adverse weather and rarefied air.Besides military personnel, the Army and IAF are often called upon to rescue civilians travelling in remote areas of Ladakh. Many civilians get stranded due to natural calamities such as landslides and avalanches, or require evacuation because of medical emergencies arising from low oxygen levels and inclement weather conditions characteristic of the region.Evacuated casualties are brought to bases such as Leh and Kargil. In serious cases, patients are airlifted by fixed-wing aircraft to larger cities such as Chandigarh, Srinagar or Jammu, where advanced medical facilities are available.