The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when required, and a tertiary role of providing strategic airlift capability to Pakistan. As of 2021, as per the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the PAF has more than 70,000 active-duty personnel. PAF stands as the eight largest Air Force in the world. PAF is the largest Air Force of the Muslim world in terms of aircraft fleet. 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 in 1947, the PAF has been involved in various combat operations, providing aerial support to the operations and relief efforts of the Pakistani military. Under Article 243, the Constitution of Pakistan appoints the President of Pakistan as the civilian Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), by statute a four-star air officer, is appointed by the President with the consultation and confirmation needed from the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Pilot Officer Rashid MinhasNH was a Pakistani pilot in the Pakistan Air Force. Minhas was the only PAF officer to receive the highest valour award, the Nishan-e-Haider. He was also the youngest person and the shortest-serving officer to have received this award. During the routine training mission in August 1971, Minhas attempted to gain control of his jet trainer when his superior officer Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman hijacked his plane and was trying to defect to India to join the Liberation war of Bangladesh which then crashed near the Thatta District, Sindh in Pakistan.
The Chengdu J-10 Vigorous Dragon, is a medium-weight, single-engine, multirole combat aircraft capable of all-weather operations, configured with a delta wing and canard design, with fly-by-wire flight controls, and produced by the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) for the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLANAF). The J-10 is mainly designed for air-to-air combat, but can also perform strike missions.
The CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder, or FC-1 Xiaolong, is a lightweight, single-engine, multirole combat aircraft developed jointly by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) of China. It was designed and developed as a fourth-generation replacement for the third-generation A-5C, F-7P/PG, Mirage III, and Mirage V combat aircraft in the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). The JF-17 can be used for multiple roles, including interception, ground attack, anti-ship, and aerial reconnaissance. The Pakistani designation "JF-17" stands for "Joint Fighter-17", with the "Joint Fighter" denoting the joint Pakistani-Chinese development of the aircraft and the "-17" denoting that, in the PAF's vision, it is the successor to the F-16. The Chinese designation "FC-1" stands for "Fighter China-1".
Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman BS was a Bengali officer of the Pakistan Air Force from East Pakistan and a recipient of Bir Sreshtho, Bangladesh's highest military gallantry award for his actions during the Liberation War of Bangladesh.
The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) is a major defense contractor and an aerospace manufacturer that is headquartered in Kamra, Punjab, Pakistan.
Air Chief Marshal Kaleem SaadatNI(M) HI(M) SI(M) TI(M) LoH is a retired four-star air officer in the Pakistan Air Force who served as the Chief of Air Staff from 18 March 2003 until retiring on 20 March 2006. His appointment came after an air crash that killed Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir, the air chief, along with several other high-ranking Air Force officers on 19 February 2003. He is the President of the Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies.
Rao Qamar SulemanNI(M) HI(M) SI(M) SBt TI(M) LoM was the 12th Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force. The four-star ranked general commanded the PAF from 2009 to 2012. Earlier, Suleman served as Deputy Chief of Air Staff of Operations. He was succeeded by Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt as Chief of Air Staff on 7 March 2012. He briefly served as the chairman of the Pakistan International Airlines in 2012.
The No. 26 Squadron, nicknamed the Black Spiders, is a multi-role squadron of the Pakistan Air Force's Northern Air Command. It is currently based at Peshawar Airbase and operates the PAC JF-17 Thunder multirole fighter jets.
No. 16 Squadron, nicknamed the Black Panthers, is a multi-role squadron of the Pakistan Air Force's Northern Air Command. It is currently based at Minhas Airbase and operates the PAC JF-17 Thunder multi-role jets.
Air Headquarters (AHQ) is the Headquarters of Pakistan Air Force, located in Islamabad. Initially it was established at Peshawar on 15 August 1947. Later it was moved to Karachi on 1 June 1948 and back to Peshawar in 1960. In 1983 construction of Air headquarters was started at Islamabad after it was decided to have all the armed forces headquarters in the capital city. On 1 August 2005 the headquarters was moved from Chaklala, Rawalpindi to Islamabad. During the construction of the headquarter's building at Islamabad the headquarters directorates were housed at PAF base Chaklala.
Adnan Rashid is a Pakistani cricket umpire and militant commander of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and former junior technician of the Pakistan Air Force. He is the chief of Ansar Al-Aseer, the TTP's unit tasked to free militant prisoners.
The 2014 Quetta airbase attack occurred on 15 August 2014, when approximately 13 Tehrik-i-Taliban militants attempted to storm two airbases of the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Air Force; PAF Base Samungli and Khalid Airbase, both located in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan. The attack was largely unsuccessful as Pakistani security forces foiled the attempt following a major armed engagement between the two sides which resulted in the deaths of 12 militants, while 12 people were injured, including one attacker and 11 security personnel.
The 2015 Camp Badaber attack occurred on 18 September 2015, when 14 Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants attempted to storm Camp Badaber, a Pakistan Air Force base located in Badaber, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The attack killed 25–29 security personnel, including Captain Asfandyar Bukhari of the Pakistan Army, who was responding to the attack as part of a quick-reaction force. All 14 militants were killed in combat with Pakistani forces, according to claims by security officials. The attack, claimed by the TTP to be in retaliation for the Pakistan Armed Forces' Operation Zarb-e-Azb, was the first of its kind in its intensity, and the well-armed TTP militants engaged Pakistani forces at Camp Badaber in a protracted battle that resulted in heavier losses than those inflicted in previous attacks on military installations. PAF Camp Badaber is located about 48 kilometres (30 mi) east of the Afghanistan–Pakistan border.
No. 2 Squadron, nicknamed the Minhasians, is a Multi-role, fighter squadron of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). It is named after Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas, the youngest & PAF's sole recipient of the Nishan-e-Haider Gallantry medal.
The No. 14 Squadron, nicknamed Tail Choppers, is an air superiority squadron of the Pakistan Air Force's Central Air Command. It is one of PAF's most decorated squadrons which earned its nickname after a daring strike mission on the Kalaikunda Air Force Station during the 1965 War. Currently, the Squadron is deployed at PAF Base Rafiqui and operates the PAC JF-17 Thunder multirole aircraft.
The Mianwali air base attack occurred on November 4th, 2023, Pakistan Air Force's PAF Base M.M. Alam, in Mianwali, Punjab, Pakistan, which was the target of an attack by the jihadist group Tehreek-e-Jihad. The Pakistani Armed Forces repelled the attack, killing all nine attackers during the security operation. However the attack did cause damage to 3 grounded aircraft, but the rest of the aircraft were unharmed. This event heightened national security concerns, as it targeted a critical military installation.
Agha Mehr Gul
