ThePakistan Air Force (PAF) (Urdu:پاک فِضائیہ,romanized: Pāk Fìzāʾiyah;pronounced[pɑːkfɪzɑːɪjəɦ])[Note 1] is theaerial warfare branch of thePakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence ofPakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to thePakistan Army andPakistan Navy when required, and a tertiary role of providing strategicairlift capability to Pakistan. As of 2024[update], per theInternational Institute for Strategic Studies, the PAF has more than 70,000active-duty personnel.[2] Its primary mandate and mission is "to provide, in synergy with other inter-services, the most efficient, assured and cost effective aerial defence of Pakistan." Since its establishment in1947, the PAF has been involved invarious combat operations, providing aerial support to the operations and relief efforts of the Pakistani military.[7] Under Article 243, theConstitution of Pakistan appoints thepresident of Pakistan as the civiliancommander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces. TheChief of the Air Staff (CAS), by statute afour-starair officer, is appointed by the president with the consultation and confirmation needed from theprime minister of Pakistan.[8]
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The Royal Pakistan Air Force (RPAF) was established on 15 August 1947 with the independence of Pakistan from British India. The RPAF began with a paper share allotment of 2,332 personnel, a fleet of 24Tempest II fighter-bombers, 16Hawker Typhoon fighters, twoH.P.57 Halifax bombers, twoAuster aircraft, twelveNorth American Harvard trainers and tende Havilland Tiger Mothbiplanes. Very few were available to the RPAF on the ground as they were scattered throughout the British India to be given and collected later on. Of these very few were in flyable condition so that they could be used. Subsequently, it also got eightC-47 Dakota cargo planes which it used to transport supplies to soldiers fighting in the1947 War inKashmir against India. First twoH.P.57 Halifax bombers were delivered in 1948 and were used during1947 War for night-time supply drop missions atSkardu and other northern areas of Pakistan. All received against allotted at the time of independence of Pakistan from British India. It started with seven airbases scattered all over the provinces.
After thepartition of British India,Faqir of Ipi, a Pashtun separatist leader rejected the creation of the newly created Pakistan.
In 1948, theFaqir of Ipi took control ofNorth Waziristan'sDatta Khel area and declared the establishment of an independentPashtunistan, with support from neighbouringKingdom of Afghanistan.
In response to the Faqir's rebellion, Pakistan Air Force in June 1949 inadvertentlybombed the Afghan village of Mughalgai on theWaziristan border with Afghanistan while chasing thePashtunistan separatists who had attacked Pakistani border posts from Afghanistan, this attack came to known asMughalgai raid which left 23 separatists dead and further fuelled Afghan support for Pashtunistan. Faqir establishedGurwek as headquarters for his activities. Faqir also established a rifle factory in Gurwek with the material support provided by the government ofAfghanistan.
In 1953–1954, the PAF'sNo. 14 Squadron led an operation fromMiranshah airbase and heavily bombarded theFaqir of Ipi's compound inGurwek which ultimately forced Faqir to detach from an armed campaign against Pakistan.
On 10 April 1959, on the occasion of theEid ul-Fitr festival holiday inPakistan, anIndian Air Force (IAF)English Electric Canberra B(I)58 of No. 106 Squadron entered Pakistani airspace on aphoto reconnaissance mission. Two PAFF-86F Sabres (Flt. Lt. M. N. Butt (leader) and Flt. Lt. M. Yunis) of No. 15 Squadron on Air Defence Alert (ADA) were scrambled fromPAF Base Peshawar to intercept the IAF aircraft. Butt attempted to bring down the Canberra by firing his Sabre's machine guns, but the Canberra was flying at an altitude of more than 50,000 feet—beyond the operational ceiling of the F-86F. When Yunis took over from his leader, the Canberra suddenly lost height while executing a turn overRawalpindi. Yunis fired a burst that struck the Canberra at an altitude of 47,500 feet and brought it down overRawat, marking the first direct aerial victory of the PAF. Both crew members of the IAF Canberra ejected and were captured by Pakistani authorities. They were subsequently released after remaining in detention for some time.[9][10][11]
Between 1960 and 1961,Royal Afghan Army troops along with thousands of Pashtun tribesmen from Afghanistan crossed the extremely porous Pakistan–Afghanistan border and entered the semi-autonomous Bajaur Agency of Pakistan in an effort to annex the region.
The Pakistan Air Force sentF-86 Sabre jets in order to support thePakistani forces and local Pashtun tribesmen of Pakistan who were fighting the Afghan infiltrators. The F-86 Sabre jets also executed bombing runs onRoyal Afghan Army positions inKunar, Afghanistan, thus leading Afghan forces to fall back to theinternational border. Although theRoyal Afghan Air Force had sevenMiG-17 squadrons and anotherMiG-21 squadron being operationalized, no known dogfight has been recorded between the two sides.
The PAF fleet at the time consisted of 12F-104 Starfighters, some 120 F-86 Sabres and around 20B-57 Canberra bombers.[12] The PAF claims to have had completeair superiority over the battle area from the second day of operations.[13] However, IAFAir Chief MarshalArjan Singh claimed that, despite having been qualitatively inferior to the PAF, the IAF allegedly achieved total air superiority in three days.[14]
Many publications have credited the PAF's successes in combat with the IAF to itsU.S.-quality equipment, claiming it to be superior to the aircraft operated by the IAF and giving the PAF a "qualitative advantage". This statement has been refuted by some officials in Pakistan, who say that the IAF'sMiG-21,Hawker Hunter andFolland Gnat aircraft had better performance than the PAF's F-86 fighters, without accounting for the obvious quantitative advantage that the IAF possessed.[15] According to retired PAF Air CommodoreSajad Haider, the F-86 Sabre was inferior in terms of both power and speed to the IAF'sHawker Hunter.[15][16][17][18]
Air Commodore Sajad Haider, who flew withNo. 19 squadron also stated that the F-104 Starfighter did not deserve its reputation as "the pride of the PAF" because it "was unsuited to the tactical environment of the region. It was a high-level interceptor designed to neutraliseSoviet strategic bombers in altitudes above 40,000 feet." Nevertheless, the IAF is believed to have feared facing the Starfighter in combat[16] despite its lack of effectiveness in comparison to the IAF's fleet ofFolland Gnats.[19] According toIndian sources, the F-86F performed reasonably well against the IAF's Hunters but not as well against the Gnat, which was nicknamed theSabre Slayer by the IAF.[20][21]
PerIndia, most of the aircraft losses of the IAF were allegedly on the ground while the PAF suffered most of their losses in aerial combat,[22] a claim that has widely been accepted by most international sources as "a stretch".[22] The IAF ran a larger offensive air campaign by devoting 40% of its air effort tooffensive air support alone.[22]
The two countries have made contradictory claims of combat losses during the war and few neutral sources have verified the claims of either country, as is the case with most India-Pakistan conflicts. The PAF claims that it shot down 104 IAF aircraft and lost 19 of its own, while the IAF claimed it shot down 73 PAF aircraft while losing 60 of its own.[23] According to most independent and neutral sources, the PAF lost some 20 aircraft while the IAF lost somewhere between 60 and 75.[24]
Despite the intense fighting throughout the course of the war, the conflict was effectively a stalemate and inconclusive in its result.[25]
By late 1971, the intensification of the independence movement in erstwhileEast Pakistan led to theBangladesh Liberation War (later joined by India).[26] On 22 November 1971, 10 days before the start of a full-scale war, four PAF F-86 Sabre jets attacked Indian andMukti Bahini positions atGaribpur, near the international border. Two of the four PAF Sabreswere shot down and one damaged by the IAF's Gnats.[27] On 3 December, India formally declared war against Pakistan following massivepreemptive strikes by the PAF against IAF installations inSrinagar,Ambala,Sirsa,Halwara andJodhpur. However, the IAF did not suffer any significant losses because the leadership had anticipated such a move and consequently, precautions were taken.[28] The IAF was quick to respond to Pakistani airstrikes, following which the PAF carried out mostly defensive sorties.[29]
Hostilities officially ended at 14:30 GMT on 17 December, after the fall ofDacca on 15 December. The PAF flew about 2,840 sorties and destroyed 71 IAF aircraft while losing 43 of its own.[30]
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In 1979, the PAF'sChief of the Air Staff,Air Chief MarshalAnwar Shamim, was told by then-President andChief of the Army StaffGeneralZia-ul-Haq, that Pakistan had reliable intelligence on Indian plans to attack and destroy Pakistan's nuclear research facilities inKahuta. ACM Shamim told General Zia-ul-Haq that, in the PAF's current state, "Indian aircraft could reach the area in three minutes whereas the PAF would take eight minutes, allowing the Indians to attack the facility and return before the PAF could defend or retaliate". Because Kahuta was close to the Indian border, a consensus was reached acknowledging that the best way to deter a possible Indian attack would be to procure new advanced fighters and weaponry. These could be used to mount a retaliatory attack on India's nuclear research facilities inTrombay in the event of an Indian attack on Kahuta. It was decided the most suitable aircraft would be theF-16 Fighting Falcon, which the United States eventually agreed to supply after the PAF refused to purchase theF-5. In 1983, when the first batch of F-16s reached Pakistan, ACM Shamim informed Zia of the PAF's increasing capability to effectively respond to an attack on the nuclear research facilities at Kahuta.[31][32]
Due to rising tensions with the Soviet Union due to itsinvasion of Afghanistan, Pakistan'sISIsystematically coordinated with theCIA,MI6 andMossad to secure American resources and armaments for theAfghan mujahideen who were combating the invadingSoviet forces. Various reports during this period widely indicated that the PAF had in fact covertly engaged in aerial combat against theSoviet Air Force in support of theAfghan Air Force during the course of the conflict;[33] one of which belonged toAlexander Rutskoy.[33]
A letter of agreement for up to 28 F-16A and 12 F-16B was signed in December 1981. The contracts,Peace Gate I andPeace Gate II were for 6 and 34 Block 15 models respectively, which would be powered by theF100-PW-200 engine. The firstPeace Gate I aircraft was accepted atFort Worth in October 1982. Two F-16A and four F-16B were subsequently delivered to Pakistan in 1983, with the first F-16 arriving at PAF Base Sargodha (now known as PAF Base Mushaf) on 15 January 1983 flown bySquadron Leader Shahid Javed. The 34 remaining aircraft as part ofPeace Gate II were delivered between 1983 and 1987.[34]
Between May 1986 and November 1988,[35] the PAF's newly acquired F-16s had shot down at least eight intruding aircraft fromAfghanistan. The first three of these (oneSu-22, one probable Su-22, and oneAn-26) were shot down by two pilots from No. 9 Squadron. Pilots of No. 14 Squadron destroyed the remaining five intruders (two Su-22s, twoMiG-23s, and oneSu-25).[36] Most of these kills were by theAIM-9 Sidewinder, but at least one (a Su-22) was destroyed by cannon fire. Pakistani Flight Lieutenant Khalid Mahmoud is credited with three of these kills.[37][38]
The PAF is believed to have evaluated theFrenchDassault Mirage 2000 in early 1981 and was planning to evaluate theF-16 Fighting Falcon afterwards.[39]
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After thePressler amendment was passed, the United States placedsanctions and anarms embargo on Pakistan starting on 6 October 1990 due to the continuance of the country's nuclear weapons research programme. All elevenPeace Gate III F-16s, along with seven F-16A and ten F-16B of the 60Peace Gate IV F-16s, which had been built by the end of 1994 were embargoed and put into storage on U.S. soil.[34][40]
Desperate for a new high-tech combat aircraft, between late 1990 and 1993 the PAF evaluated the EuropeanPanavia Tornado MRCA (multi-role combat aircraft), and ultimately rejected it. France's Dassault Mirage 2000E and an offer fromPoland for the supply ofMiG-29s andSu-27s were also considered, but no deal materialized. In 1992, the PAF once again looked towards the French Mirage 2000, reviving a proposal from the early 1980s to procure around 20–40 aircraft, but a sale did not occur because France did not want to sell a fully capable version due to pressure from the United States. In August 1994, the PAF was offered theSaab JAS-39 Gripen bySweden, but the sale did not occur because 20% of the Gripen's components were sourced from the U.S., which was still maintaining sanctions on Pakistan.[41]
In mid-1992, Pakistan was close to signing a contract for the supply of 40 Dassault Mirage 2000s, equipped with Thomson-CSF RDM/7 radars from France, although U.S. sanctions also prevented this deal from finalizing.[42]
In mid-1994, it was reported thatRussian manufacturersSukhoi andMikoyan were offering the Su-27 and MiG-29,[43] but Pakistan was reported to be negotiating for supply of the Mirage 2000–5.[44] French and Russian teams visited Pakistan on 27 November 1994 and it was speculated that the interest in Russian aircraft was to pressure France into reducing the price of the Mirage 2000. The stated requirement was for up to 40 aircraft.[45]
The Pakistan Air Force is believed to have had a primary role in thealleged evacuation ofTaliban personnel by thePakistani military fromAfghanistan. However, Pakistani and American officials have denied any such airlift taking place.[46][47]
After the2008 Mumbai attacks, the Pakistan Air Force was put on high alert in anticipation of any potential Indian accusations and offensives. It deployed to all its wartime locations and started routine combat air patrols. The speed and intensity of the deployment and PAF's readiness took theIndian Army High Command by surprise and later reports suggest that was the main factor to influence the Indians' decision of not going for cross border raids inside Pakistan.[48][49] The PAF was issued a standing order to launch an immediate counter-attack in case of an air attack from India, after a call from theIndian Foreign MinisterPranab Mukherjee to thePakistani PresidentAsif Ali Zardari (the call later turned out to be a hoax).[48][49][50][51][52]
An initial investigation report revealed that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) reported the movement of some half-a-dozen planes near theJalalabadborder at 23:00 beforeAmerican helicopters enteredAbbottabad to killOsama bin Laden. "One aircraft was identified as a US AWACS and the remaining five were recognized asF/A-18 jets of the US. These planes flew near the Pakistani border, but did not cross into the airspace of Pakistan,"[53]
On the detection of an intrusion, PAF jets on air defence alert were scrambled and the PAF immediately took adequate operational measures as per standard operating procedure. The PAF aircraft continued their presence in theAbbottabad area until early morning and later returned to their air bases.[54]
However, the operation was conducted with stealthy modified versions of the Black Hawk helicopter which used special technology to avoid detection to entered Pakistani airspace, stayed for three hours to carry out a major operation. PAF jets only arrived at the location 24 minutes after the American helicopters had left. It was one of the most asymmetric capability incidents in PAF history.[55][56]
ThePakistan Army faced several problems during its2009 offensive against the Taliban inNorth-West Pakistan. Hundreds of thousands ofPakistanis vacated the area when the offensive was announced and, eventually, over two million had to be accommodated inrefugee camps. The offensive was to be completed as quickly as possible to allow the refugees to return to their homes but thearmy's fleet attack helicopters were insufficient to provide adequate support to infantry on the ground. The PAF was sent into action against theTaliban to make up for the lack of helicopter gunships. Because the PAF was trained and equipped to fight aconventional war, a new "counter-terrorist doctrine" had to be improvised.[57]
The PAF'sSaffron Bandit exercise focused on extensive training of combat personnel to undertakeCOIN operations. New equipment was inducted to improve the PAF's joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. AC-130 transport aircraft was indigenously modified for day/night ISR operations.[57][58]
Use of laser-guided bombs was increased to 80% of munitions used, as compared to 40% in the previous 1960sBajaur campaign. A small corps of ground spotters were trained and used by the PAF, in addition to Pakistan Army spotters, to identify high-value targets.[59]
Prior to the Pakistan Army's offensive intoSouth Waziristan, the PAF attacked militant infrastructure with 500 lb and 2000 lb bombs.[59]
A number of civilian casualties occurred during PAF airstrikes on 10 April 2010 in theFATA tribal region. According to sources from the Pakistani military, the first bombing was targeted at a gathering of militants in a compound. Locals who had quickly moved onto the scene of the first airstrike to recover the dead and wounded were then killed by a second airstrike. While there is no confirmed death toll, it is widely believed that at least 30 civilian deaths had occurred according to the military approximations, whereas a local official stated that at least 73 locals, including women and children, were killed.[60] A six-member committee of tribal elders from the area tasked with finding the exact number of civilian casualties reported that 61 civilians were killed and 21 were wounded. This was not confirmed bygovernment figures but Pakistan's then-Chief of the Army Staff, GeneralAshfaq Kayani, gave a public apology on 17 April.[61][62] It is reported thatBBC News and several other media correspondences were not allowed to take interviews from the injured.[63]
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Following thePulwama attack inJammu and Kashmir, India accused Pakistan of involvement in this incident. In response, India carried outairstrikes in the vicinity of the town ofBalakot inKhyber Pakhtunkhwa province,[64] several miles inside the province's boundary withPakistan-administered Kashmir.[65] Pakistan's military claimed that the Indian planes dropped their payload in an uninhabited wooded hilltop area near Balakot after being intercepted by PAF fighter jets.[66]
On 27 February 2019, when a standoff between India and Pakistan had begun, Pakistan claimed to have struck six open spaces nearIndian military installations inside Indian Controlled Kashmir, in what was codenamed "Operation Swift Retort".[67]
Indian Air Force jets were scrambled to intercept the PAF jets inside Jammu and Kashmir. Following the interception, a fiercedogfight ensued and Pakistani aircraft shot down an IndianMiG-21.[67][68]
Ten minutes before the 27 February airstrikes, an IAFMi-17 helicopter was shot down by an IndianSpyder missile, having been mistaken for a PAF drone. This resulted in total loss of the aircraft and death of all on board: two pilots (squadron leaders Siddarth Vashista and Ninad Mandavgane), flight engineer Vishal Kumar Pandey, sergeant Vikrant Sehrawat, and corporals Deepak Pandey and Pankaj Kumars, and one civilian on the ground (Kifayat Hussain Gani).[69][70][71] In April 2023 IAF court martialled Group Captain Sumon Roy Chaudhry, second in command[72] ofSrinagar Air Force Station at the time of the PAF strikes for negligence, and he was to be dismissed,[73] however the dismissal was ruledultra vires by theHigh Court of Punjab and Haryana, who set a date of 12 September 2023 for their hearing[74][needs update] The pilots were posthumously awarded theVayu Sena gallantry medal.[69]
India stated that it had only lost a single aircraft (a MiG-21) while claiming to have shot down a Pakistani F-16.[75] Pakistan rejected India's statement, stating that no F-16s were deployed.[76] India also accepted loss of its Mi-17 helicopter in a friendly fire terming it as "a big mistake".[77][78] Pakistan would later go on to accept that F-16s had been used, but maintained that none of them were shot down.[79] Pakistan also claimed to have shot down aSukhoi Su-30 MKI, a claim rejected by Indian authorities.Wing CommanderAbhinandan Varthaman, who was piloting the MiG-21 Bison, was captured and arrested by the Pakistani military upon being shot down. He was held for two days before being released at theWagah-Attari border crossing on 1 March.[80]
Initially, Pakistani military officials claimed to have had two pilots in custody, one of whom died while undergoing treatment, a claim which was later changed to having only Abhinandan in custody. This was taken to be evidence of a Pakistani pilot being shot down by some Indian sources.[81] A US count of the PAFs F-16 fleet and several international military observers, did not support the Indian claim of shooting down a PAF F-16.[82]
At least 47 people were killed and 22 injured in two airstrikes by Pakistani forces along the border with Afghanistan on 16 April 2022. The Taliban summoned Pakistan's ambassador in Kabul and registered their protest against the military airstrikes inside Afghanistan.[83] These airstrikes mark the first known instance of a foreign country launching attack on Afghan soil since the establishment ofIslamic Emirate in Afghanistan.[84]
At least nine people were killed when Pakistan Air Force conducted retaliatory strikes, codenamed asOperation Marg Bar Sarmachar on seven targets within Iran'sSistan and Baluchestan province. The attack came two days after a similar Iranianmissile strike inside Pakistani territory. According to Iran, nine foreign nationals were killed in the attack.Baloch Liberation Army, one of the group targeted in the strikes, said that the strikes had targeted and killed its people. It was first strike on Iranian soil by any foreign power since the time of end ofIran–Iraq War in 1988.[85]
On 18 March 2024, in response to the attack from Afghanistan, Pakistan Air Force carried out two intelligence based airstrikes on Afghanistan's eastern border provinces ofKhost andPaktika. The Afghan government claim that Pakistan killed five women and three children.[86] Pakistan denies this, claiming that it killed terrorists instead while targeting theHafiz Gul Bahadur militant group, a splinter organization of thePakistani Taliban, and that it had successfully killed Sehra alias Janan, a high-value target (HVT) commander. Another commander, Abdullah Mehsud, was claimed to have been killed, but later released a video refuting the claim.[87] It was also reported that Mehsud's house was targeted in which his wife and a minor son was killed. Pakistan went on to blame the Pakistani Taliban and its splinter militias for the deaths of hundreds of Pakistani civilians, and claimed that they used Afghanistan as a base and that they had support from within the Taliban.[88] These airstrikes mark the second instance of attack by Pakistan on the sovereign soil of Afghanistan in a period less than two years. The first similar Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan soil came in 2022.[84]
On 25 December 2024, the Pakistan Air Force launched precision airstrikes located across seven villages ofBarmal District ofAfghanistanPaktika province killing 20-25 terrorists. Afghan Taliban claim that Pakistani strikes had killed 46 people, including women and children, while Pakistan denies this claim and maintains terrorist camps operated byTehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan(TTP) were gutted.[89] The villages targeted by PAF included Laman, Margha, and Murg Bazaar and four other villages ofBarmal district. Reports indicate that the Murg Bazaar village in Barmal was completely destroyed. According to Pakistani sources, the Pakistani airstrikes took four High Value Targets (HVTs) that included terrorists camps and hideouts of key commanders ofTTP. The targets included the compound of senior ranking Commander ofTTP Sher Zaman alias Mukhlis Yar's hideout, the Commander Abu Hamza's recruitment camp and Akhtar Muhammad alias Khalil's suicide bomber camp. All of these commanders were using camps for recruitment and training young child suicide bombers and terrorists. The fourth target struck by PAF was "Umar Media" cell of TTP, being headed by the TTP's commander Shoaib Iqbal Cheema alias Muneeb Jatt, from where the TTP propagated its digital propaganda to recruit suicide bombers. Afghan Taliban's Defence Ministry and theAfghan Taliban regime official spokespersonZabiullah Mujahid confirmed reports of the strike carried out by Pakistani forces, but claimed that the dead and injured included a number of children and other civilians. The PAF's strikes mark third instance of Pakistan launching attack on Afghan soil since thefall of Kabul. The Pakistan airstrikes coincided the birthday ofPakistan's founder and followed the PAF's2022 Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan and2024 Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan.[90][91][92][93]
The PAF has 27 airbases of which 19 are flying bases and 8 are non-flying bases. Flying bases are operational bases from which aircraft operate during both peacetime and wartime; whereas non-flying bases conduct either training, administration, maintenance, air defence operations, or mission support.[94]
Flying bases
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The rank insignia ofcommissioned officers.
| Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 Pakistan Air Force |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
| Marshal of the Pakistan Air Force | Air chief marshal | Air marshal | Air vice marshal | Air commodore | Group captain | Wing commander | Squadron leader | Flight lieutenant | Flying officer | Pilot officer | ||||||||||||||
| سالار فضائیہ | امیرسالار فضائیہ | سالار فضائیہ | سالار فضائیہ مقابل | عَمِيد الفضاء | سردار جماعت | شارف الجناح | قائدِ دستہ | نقیبِ پرواز | منصبِ طیار | منصبِ پائلٹ | ||||||||||||||
The rank insignia ofnon-commissioned officers andenlisted personnel.
Civilian occupations
The Pakistan Air Force'sSpecial Services Wing (SSW) is the branch's elitespecial operations fighting force. Originally coming into existence following theIndo-Pakistani War of 1965, the SSW is heavily modelled off of theUnited States Air Force'sSpecial Tactics Squadrons with some elements inspired by theUnited States Army Rangers. The unit remained active but saw little prioritization by thePakistani military until after theKargil War. In late 1999, the SSW was largely revived and restructured for active service and is currently fielding around 1,200 troops.[citation needed]
Since its inception, religious minorities have been free to pursue careers within the Pakistan Armed Forces, with the exception ofHindus until 2001. Following its involvement in the globalU.S.-ledWar on Terror, Pakistan released the Hindu minority in the country from the discriminatory law and granted them the same freedoms that were already present for theirChristian,Sikh and other variouscounterparts.[95] Some notable religious minority figures in the Pakistan Air Force include: Air Vice MarshalEric Gordon Hall, a Christian who served as theBase Commander ofChaklala Air Base during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Air CommodoreNazir Latif and Group CaptainCecil Chaudhry (both Christians) fought in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and later helped establish theCombat Commanders School (CCS).Wing CommanderMelvin Leslie Middlecoat was the Commanding Officer of No. 9 Squadron during the 1965 war, he and Squadron LeaderPeter Christy fought and were KIA in theIndo-Pakistani War of 1971.Patrick Desmond Callaghan was another Christian officer who rose to the rank of Air Vice Marshal.[96] Wing Commander Ronald Felix has been a notable Christian pilot known for being the first to fly the jointly-builtChinese and PakistaniJF-17 Thunder fighter jet since 2010 and was one of two PAF pilots flying the JF-17 at the2011 Izmir Air Show inTurkey.
In 2020, the Pakistan Air Force recruited Rahul Dev, a Hindu fromTharparkar,Sindh in a major breakthrough for theHindu minority from this remote distant area ofSindh.[95][97][98] He was commissioned as ageneral duty pilot officer on 6 May 2020.[99]
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On 7 September 2015, Pakistan became the fifth nation globally to develop and use an armedunmanned combat aerial vehicle (drone), theNESCOM Burraq. Pakistan first started exploring drone technology when it acquired Falco drones fromSelex Galileo for approximately $40 million in 2008. Since then, Pakistan has been developing variants of the original Falco drone in thePakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) in collaboration with theItalian firm. The Burraq was developed which was based on the Falco's technology. By March 2015, Pakistan was able to test-fire Burraq armed with an air-to-surface missile namedBarq with pin-point precision. Burraq drones were used extensively to provide support to thePakistan Army duringOperation Zarb-e-Azb.[132]
Pakistan has already talked withTurkey to manufacture parts forAnka UAV and possibly to produce the combat drones locally. Also theCAIG Wing Loong II UCAVs will be produced in Pakistan with collaboration withChina.[133][134][135]
For a brief period, the Pakistan Air Force experienced a stall in modernization efforts, however this ended in April 2006 when thePakistani cabinet approved the PAF's proposals to procure new aircraft and systems from several sources, including modern combat aircraft from the United States and China. The AFFDP 2019 (Armed Forces Development Programme 2019) would oversee the extensive modernization of the PAF from 2006 to 2019.[136]
On 24 July 2008, theBush administration informed theU.S. Congress that it planned to shift nearly $230 million of $300 million in aid fromcounter-terrorism programs to upgrading Pakistan's ageing F-16s.[137] The administration had previously announced on 27 June 2008 that it was proposing to sellITT Corporation's electronic warfare gear valued at up to $75 million to enhance Pakistan's existing inventory of F-16s.[138] Pakistan has asked about buying as many as 21 AN/ALQ-211(V)9 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suite Pods (AIDEWS) as well as other related equipment.[139] The proposed sale will ensure that the existing fleet is "compatible" with new F-16 Block 50/52 fighters being purchased byIslamabad.
After9/11, the U.S. and Pakistan began discussing the release of theembargoed F-16s and Pakistan's ability to purchase new aircraft. Of the 28 F-16A/B built under thePeace Gate III/IV contracts and embargoed in 1990, 14 were delivered as EDA (Excess Defense Articles) from 2005 to 2008,[140] two of which were delivered on 10 July 2007.[141]
Between 2005 and 2008, 14 F-16A/B Block 15 OCU fighters were delivered to the PAF under renewed post-9/11 ties between the U.S. and Pakistan. These had originally been built for Pakistan under the Peace Gate III/IV contracts but were never delivered due to the subsequent U.S. arms embargo imposed on Pakistan in 1990.[142]
To upgrade the F-16A/B fleet, 32 Falcon STAR kits were purchased for the originalPeace Gate I aircraft and 35Mid-Life Update (MLU) kits were ordered, with 11 more MLU kits optional. Four F-16A/B being upgraded in the U.S. to F-16AM/BM had an expected delivery date of December 2011.[140] F-16A/B in the PAF's service were to be upgraded starting in October 2010 byTurkish Aerospace Industries, at a rate of one per month.[143][144]
ThePeace Drive I contract for 12 F-16C and six F-16D Block 52+ (Advanced Block 52) aircraft, powered byF100-PW-229 engines was signed on 30 September 2006.[145][146] The first F-16 to be completed, an F-16D, was rolled out on 13 October 2009 and began flight testing immediately.[147][148][149][150][151] The first batch of F-16C/D Block 52+, two F-16D and one F-16C landed atPAF Base Shahbaz,Jacobabad, on 26 June 2010.[152][153][154] One more F-16C was received by 5 July 2010.[155]
On 13 December 2008, theGovernment of Pakistan stated that twoIndian Air Force aircraft were intercepted by the Pakistan Air Force a few kilometers inside Pakistani airspace. This charge is denied by the Indian government.[156]
During talks with a delegation from theFrench Senate on 28 September 2009, Prime MinisterYousaf Raza Gillani stated that the PAF had used most of its stockpile oflaser-guided munitions againstmilitants in theMalakand andFATA regions and that replacements for such types of equipment were urgently required.[157]
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In December 2009, Pakistan saw the delivery of the PAF's first Saab 2000 Erieye AEW&C fromSweden and an Il-78MPaerial refueling tanker/military transport aircraft fromUkraine.[158][159][160]
The PAF was reported to be considering purchasing the Chinese Hongdu L-15 advanced jet trainer to train pilots for high-tech fighters such as theChengdu J-10. Extensive evaluations of the aircraft took place in Pakistan in December 2009.[161][162]
According toAir Chief Marshal (ACM)Rao Qamar Suleman (thenChief of the Air Staff), the new fighters would eliminate the PAF's limitations in conducting precision night-time strike operations,[163] as the existing capability was based on around 34 Dassault Mirage 5 fighters upgraded with new avionics for night-time precision strike missions under the Retrofit of Strike Element (ROSE) programme during 1999–2004.[164][165][166] The SABIR (Special Airborne Mission Installation & Response System), aFLIR system that has Brite Star II and Star Safire III EO/IR sensors installed on a C-130 saw extensive usage during the Pakistani military's operations against militants in theFATA region.
In 2021, Pakistan agreed to buy 36Chengdu J-10CP multirole fighter aircraft from China to counter theDassault Rafale which India bought fromFrance.[167]
On 11 March 2022, PAF inducted modernJ-10C fighter aircraft in its fleet, the formal ceremony was conducted at theMinhas Airbase Kamra.[168][169]
At a ceremony in January 2024, Pakistan announced its intent to acquire theJ-35 aircraft.[170]
Mass production of the PAC JF-17 Thunder A Block-3, a4.5 generation aircraft, is underway to replace the F-16 as the "backbone" of the Pakistan Air Force's arsenal. After every 3–5 years, newer blocks of the aircraft are expected to be produced. Pakistan has been in extensive talks with China to acquire between 40 and 60 upgradedfifth-generationShenyang J-35stealth fighter aircraft. TheTAI TF Kaan, another fifth-generation aircraft under development by Turkey (intended to operate with critical assets such as the AmericanF-35 Lightning II) has also been a viable offer for Pakistan, as these fighters can greatly strengthen the PAF's fleet before the country's own fifth-generation fighter is developed underProject Azm. Pakistan is also reportedly working on developing a strong arsenal ofUAVs alongside China'sCAIG GJ-2 MALE-UCAV.[171]
On 7 July 2017, the Pakistan Air Force announced the development of a fifth-generation fighter aircraft, amedium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (MALE UAV) and munitions under the banner ofProjectAzm (Urdu for resolve/determination).[172][173][174][175][176] Air Chief Marshal (ACM)Sohail Aman stated that the design phase for the MALE UAV was in its final stages.[172][176]
The Pakistan Air Force sent a contingent of sixF-16A/B fighters to the 2004 internationalAnatolian Eagle exercise inTurkey.[177][178] In 2005, after around one year of planning, the PAF held the High Mark 2005military exercise which lasted for one month and also involved thePakistan Army andPakistan Navy. The scenario saw two opposing forces, Blueland and Foxland, engaging in simulated combat which involved both offensive and defensive operations. It was stated that the exercise would consist of three stages and PAF aircraft would fly around 8200 sorties. The involvement of units from the Pakistan Army and Navy was aimed at providing more realistic operational scenarios. High Mark 2005 followed the Tempest-1 military exercise which was focused purely onair power but differed in terms of the duration, intensity and complexity of all air operations being conducted.[179]
In 2008, theTurkish Air Force sent five F-16C/D fighters and 50 personnel from 191Cobras Squadron toPakistan to take part in the joint Indus Viper exercise atPAF Base Mushaf.[178]
In the summer of 2005, a PAF team of 20airmen, includingpilots,navigators,engineers,maintenance technicians and aC-130E was sent to theUnited States to take part in the AMC (Air Mobility Command) Rodeo.[180] The PAF again took part in the AMC Rodeo two years later, in July 2007.[181][182]
In 2009, while undertaking combat operations againstmilitants in theFATA andSwat regions, the PAF initiated theSaffron Bandit exercise with the aim of training the PAF's entire combat force to undertake suchanti-terrorist operations.[183][184]
In December 2009, the PAF sent sixChengdu F-7PG fighters of No. 31 Wing based atPAF Base Samungli to theUnited Arab Emirates to take part in the Air Tactics Leadership Course (ATLC)—also known asExercise Iron Falcon—atAl Dhafra Air Base.[185][186][187]
The PAF's High Mark 2010 exercise was launched on 15 March 2010, the first time a High Mark exercise had been conducted since 2005, after all PAF received theirAir Tasking Orders (ATO). The country-wide exercise involved units based all over Pakistan, fromSkardu to theArabian Sea, at allMain Operating Bases andForward Operating Bases. Joint operations involving the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy were also conducted, aiming to test and improve integration and co-operation between the three branches of thePakistan Armed Forces. Operations emphasized a near-realistic simulation of a wartime environment, exposure of PAF aircrews to contemporary concepts ofair combat, new employment concepts and joint operations between the Pakistan Air Force, Army and Navy. New inductions such as theJF-17 Thunder,Saab 2000 Erieye AEW&C andIl-78 MRTT also saw service in this exercise.[188] On 6 April 2010, the end of the first phase of exercise High Mark 2010 was celebrated with a 90-minute firepower demonstration at the PAF's firing range facility in the deserts ofThal. TheH-2 SOW was also shown to the public for the first time, being launched from around 60 km away before hitting its target, and a mockcounter-insurgency operation was performed by participating forces. The demo heralded the beginning of High Mark 2010's second phase, where the PAF would practice joint operations with the Pakistan Army during its own exerciseAzm-e-Nau-3 (New Resolve 3).[189] During High Mark 2010, a Chengdu F-7 andMirage 5 fighter practiced landing, refueling and take-off operations from a motorway. It was reported that the PAF is in negotiations with theMinistry of Communications to set up any required facilities for PAF operations on various motorways in Pakistan.[190][191]
In July 2010, the PAF sent six F-16B fighters ofNo. 9Griffins Squadron and 100 PAF personnel toNellis Air Force Base in the U.S. to participate in the internationalRed Flag exercise for the first time. During the exercise, the PAF pilots practicedin-flight refuelling with their F-16s using theBoeing KC-135 Stratotanker.[192][193][194][195][196]
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 Mirage III ROSE fighters of the PAF's No. 7Bandits Squadron take part in the Falcon Air Meet 2010 exercise. |
In October 2010, the PAF's No. 7Bandits Squadron sent a team of itsDassault Mirage IIIROSE fighters toJordan to participate in the Falcon Air Meet 2010 exercise at theAzraqRoyal Jordanian Air Base.[197][198] January 2011 saw a PAF contingent of F-16A/B and Dassault Mirage fighters take part in the Al-Saqoor II exercise inSaudi Arabia with theRoyal Saudi Air Force.[199][200][201][unreliable source?]
In March 2011, a jointSino-Pakistani exercise, codenamedShaheen-1, was conducted involving a contingent ofChinese aircraft and personnel from thePLAAF.[202] Information on which aircraft were used by each side in the exercise remained classified, but photos of Pakistani pilots inspecting what appeared to be ChineseShenyang J-11B fighters were released on theinternet. The exercise lasted for around four weeks and was the first time the PLAAF had deployed to Pakistan and conducted "operational" aerial maneuvers with the PAF.[203]
The Pakistan Air Force, alongside other branches of thearmed forces has played an integral part in thecivil society of Pakistan since its inception.[204] In 1996,GeneralJehangir Karamat described the Pakistani military's relations withPakistan's populace:
In my opinion, if we have to repeat of past events then we must understand that military leaders can pressure only up to a point. Beyond that their own position starts getting undermined because the military is after all is a mirror image of the civil society from which it is drawn.
— General Jehangir Karamat on civil society–military relations,[204]
In times of natural disaster such as thechaotic floods of 1992 or theOctober 2005 earthquake, PAF engineers, medical and logistics personnel alongside the rest of the armed forces played a major role in bringing relief aid and supplies to those who were affected.[205]
In addition to the PAF's involvement in relief activities at home, it has also helped the Pakistani military's responses to natural disasters in many other countries globally.[205] The PAF was involved in the dispatching of relief toIndonesia,Bangladesh andSri Lanka after they were hit by the2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. Coordinating a synergized response, the Pakistan Armed Forces sent ships and helicopters with aid and personnel to assist in the international relief operation.[205]
InPakistani literature, theshaheen falcon has a special association with the poetry of the country's national poet,Allama Muhammad Iqbal.[206] The bird also appears on the official representative badge of the Pakistan Air Force.
VariousUrdu-language drama serials on the PAF have been written, produced, directed, and televised nationwide. NotableUrdu drama serials and films involving the PAF areShahpar andSherdil, which were televised onPTV andARY Digital, respectively.[207]
TheNishan-e-Haider (Urdu:نشان حیدر,lit. 'Mark ofAli'), is the highest military award ofPakistan, and is roughly equivalent in value to theUnited States'Medal of Honor.Pilot OfficerRashid Minhas (1951 – 20 August 1971) is the only officer of the PAF to have been awarded theNishan-e-Haider for sacrificing his life to save an aircraft from being hijacked toIndia.[208]
Other notable recipients of major military awards include:
{{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help){{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help)Trying to catch the Indian Air Force napping, Yahya Khan, launched a Pakistani version of Israel's 1967 air blitz in hopes that one quick blow would cripple India's far superior air power. But India was alert and Yahya's strategy of scattering his thin air force over a dozen air fields failed!
Pakistan, ... said the war planes made it up to five miles inside its territory
A spokesman for Pakistan's armed forces, Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor, on Tuesday posted on Twitter four images of a forested area pockmarked with small craters and debris, which he said was the site of Indian airstrikes.
'before we had completed more than of about 270-degree of the turn, at around 12-degree per second, all four hunters had been shot down.'
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