The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (Urdu: ??? ?????? (Pak Faza'ya) is the Aviation branch of the Pakistan armed forces.
History
Origin (1947 - 1951)
The Royal Pakistan Air Force (RPAF) was formed in 1947 following the Partition of India. The RPAF began with 2,332 personnel, a fleet of 24 Tempest II fighter-bombers, 16 Hawker Typhoon fighters (also called Tempest I), two H.P.57 Halifax bombers, 2 Auster aircraft, twelve T-6G Harvard trainers and ten Tiger Moth biplanes. It also got eight C-47 Dakota cargo planes which it used to transport supplies to soldiers fighting in the 1947 War in Kashmir against India. It started with 7 operational airbases scattered all over the provinces. The prefix Royal was removed when Pakistan became an Islamic Republic on 23 March 1956. It has since been called Pakistan Air Force (PAF).
Operating these inherited aircraft was far from ideal in Pakistan's diverse terrains, deserts and mountains; frequent attrition and injuries did not make the situation any better. However, by 1948 the air force acquired better aircraft such as the Hawker Fury fighter-bomber and the Bristol Freighter. These new aircraft gave a much-needed boost to the morale and combat capability of the Pakistan Air Force; 93 Hawker Fury and roughly 50-70 Bristol Freighter aircraft were inducted into the PAF by 1950.
The jet age (1951 - 1961)
Although the Pakistan Air Force had little funds to use and markets to choose from, it entered the jet age quite early. Initially it had planned to acquire American built F-94Cs, F-86s or F-84s and produce its order in Pakistan. However, lack of funds and strong British pressure persuaded the PAF to acquire the British Supermarine Attacker. The first squadron equipped with these aircraft was the Number-11 "Arrow". The Supermarine Attacker had a rather unsatisfactory service in the Pakistan Air Force with frequent attrition and maintenance problems.
In 1957 the Pakistan Air Force received 100 American-built F-86 Sabres under the U.S. aid program. Squadron after squadron in the PAF retired its Hawker Furys and Supermarine Attackers, and replaced them with F-86 jet fighters. In 1957 thirty-six year old Air Marshal Asghar Khan became the Pakistan Air Force's first commander-in-chief; his tenure saw a change of PAF discipline, professionalism and quality which even today leaves its positive mark on the PAF. During his eight-year command the PAF saw modernization and re-equipment programs, as well as stricter and better training.
The supersonic era (1961 - 1979)
To help deter a possible nuclear attack on Pakistan, the American government provided 12 F-104 Starfighters to the Pakistan Air Force, making the PAF the first Asian air force to operate supersonic fighters. Operated by Number 9 "Griffin" squadron, the F-104 served the PAF extremely well in the 1965 war but had become outclassed in the 1971 war with India when up to 8 Starfighters were lost [1] while accounting for 2 kills [2]. These were retired in 1972 partly due to a U.S embargo and lack of spare parts.
After the 1965 war with India, the Pakistan Air Force could not procure new combat aircraft from the United States to replace its older F-86; originally the PAF was going to acquire more F-104s and new F-5 "Tiger" aircraft. However a U.S imposed arms embargo forced the PAF to seek French and Chinese alternatives. In 1967 twenty-four state-of-the-art Dassault Mirage III fighter aircraft were introduced, a French supersonic fighter with more advanced technology than the Starfighter. In the 1971 war, the PAF's Mirages shot down 2 or 3 Indian Air Force aircraft, mainly bomber aircraft [3] [4] and took part in crucial ground attack missions without any losses. Throughout the 1970s the PAF operated a fleet of 96 Mirage III and Mirage-V aircraft; even today, Mirages form the mainstay of the Pakistan Air Force's high-altitude interceptor/air-superiority and surface-strike forces.
As part of the post-1965 replacement and expansion program the PAF bought 90 ex-Luftwaffe, Canadian-built F-86 Mk.6 aircraft to replace lost Sabres and expand the fleet. In addition to the Sabres, 60 Chinese F-6s were acquired, the Chinese-produced version of the MiG-19. The F-6s proved their worth during the 1971 war, shooting down newer and more advanced enemy like the MiG-21s. However, the performance of the F-86, the mainstay of the Air Force, was poorer than expected and up to 30 were lost in the war [5] while accounting for just 10 confirmed kills. [6] Up to 180 F-6s and 96 Mirage III/Vs would be bought to replace the F-86 and F-104 during the 1970s.
In the late 1960s and 1970s the Pakistan Air Force attempted to acquire a "core" fighter aircraft meant to entirely replace Korean-War era F-86 and F-6 (Chinese MiG-19) aircraft; although deals were close to being signed, they usually failed due to Pakistani politics. In 1970 the PAF was in the final stages of negotiations for Saab Draken and Saab Viggen aircraft, as well as a production line for the latter in Pakistan. However due to Sweden's concerns over the East Pakistan issue the deal failed to finalize. In the mid-1970s, attempts were once again made to acquire F-5 "Tiger" and even A-4 attack aircraft; however U.S concerns over Pakistan's nuclear weapons program did not let a deal finalize. In the late 1970s the Pakistan Air Force attempted to acquire a large number of new Mirage F-1 fighter jets from France; a production line for Mirage F-1s was to have been built in the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex in Kamra. However the Zia-ul-Haq administration did not approve of the purchase - and the PAF was eventually pushed to acquire more Mirage Vs.
The new generation (1983 - 1989)
In 1979 the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to crush opposition and rebellion in its allied neighbour. The violent Soviet invasion brought hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees to Pakistan. With the war being critical to Pakistan's national sovereignty and integrity, the PAF once again sought out modernization, including the procurement of new generation fighter aircraft. France offered its new Mirage 2000, while the PAF's senior officers were interested in procuring American F-16 or F-18L fighters. Initially the Americans refused to sell the F-16 or F-18L and instead offered F-20, F-5E/F or A-10 aircraft. Eventually the new Republican administration of Ronald Reagan approved the sale of F-16s to Pakistan, and in 1981 an agreement was made to supply 28 General Dynamics F-16A and 12 F-16B "Fighting Falcon" aircraft to the Pakistan Air Force.
The F-16s would be supplied under the "Peace Gate" Foreign Military Sales Program; the first six were delivered in 1983 under "Peace Gate-I" while the remaining 34 arrived by 1986, under the "Peace Gate-II" program. Between 1986 and 1988 Pakistani F-16s took part in frequent skirmishes with Soviet and Afghan aircraft.
Pakistani F-16s typically carry two all-aspect AIM-9Ls on the wingtip rails, along with a pair of AIM-9Ps on the outermost underwing racks. The F-16s also have an important strike role for which they are fitted with the French-built Thomson-CSF ATLIS laser designation pod and have the capability to deliver Paveway laser-guided bombs[citation needed]. The ATLIS was first fitted to Pakistani F-16s in January 1986, which became the first non-European aircraft to be qualified for the ATLIS pod
During the late 1980s, the Pakistan Air Force's Air Defence system also underwent modernization, including the induction and integration of new land-based AN/TPS-47 radars and new Crotale Surface-to-air missiles. Attempts to acquire a new AWACS aircraft were also made - with the E-3 Sentinel being desired, but the U.S would not sell it and instead offered the E-2 Hawkeye.
In 1988 the Pakistan Air Force sought to replace its F-6s and Mirages by 1997 with the procurement of new aircraft; initially a mix of Mirage 2000 and F-16A/B Block-15OCU were to be acquired alongside 90 or so F-7 (Chinese MiG-21). However in 1988 the death of Zia-ul-Haq and the new government's desire to reduce spending on defence resulted in 71 F-16A/B Block-15OCUs instead. These aircraft were to be delivered by 1997 and a follow-on order of F-16C/D Block-30s was thought likely.
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The "lost" decade (1991 - 2001)
From 1990 Pakistan was hit by American military embargoes in response to Pakistan's nuclear weapons development; these embargoes prevented the Pakistan Air Force from acquiring the 71 new-built F-16s from the U.S. After the 1998 nuclear tests and 1999 military coup, Pakistan was hit by further sanctions not only from the U.S but other Western nations as well; it would not be until 2002 when the U.S finally lifted most of the embargoes. During the 1990s the Pakistan Air Force strived for alternative sources for its new generation fighter requirement; the French Dassault Mirage 2000-5 was chosen but was too expensive to obtain.
This forced Pakistan to rely heavily on China for military aircraft. Pakistan and China worked together to develop the K-8 trainer, and continue to cooperate on the JF-17 project which aims to provide both nations with a new-generation fighter. This project is a major joint venture between Pakistan Air Force and China Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation along with Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (CAC). The research and development cost of this project is between 450 to 500 million US dollars. It is financed up to 50%-59% by the government of Pakistan. Estimated cost per aircraft will be around 20 million US dollars. As of 2005, Pakistan had started manufacturing JF-17s in Kamra and the first delivery of planes is expected to take place in 2007.
Present
The Pakistan Air Force is a force in transition. It is striving hard to make up for the lack of induction of new advanced fighters during the 90s. It is fighting to keep from becoming obsolete and ineffective in the face of the threat posed by its much larger neighbour, India. Today the PAF operates F-16s, F-7PGs, F-7MPs, Mirage-IIIs, and Mirage-Vs. It operates around 350 to 400 fighters in 22 front-line squadrons. The PAF is upgrading obsolete fighter aircraft, such as the Mirage ROSE-I which can utilize BVR or Mirage ROSE-III which can carry out surgical strike missions using long-range glide bombs.
However, with the help of China as well as a growing defence industry in Pakistan, the Pakistan Air Force is standing back up on its feet. In 1947 the air force started out as a force with third-rate equipment - today it is a force that still poses an adequate threat to the enemy.
Pakistan has started manufacturing 150 JF-17 Thunder fighters at Pakistan Aeronautical Complex at Kamra, Punjab, and the first squadron will join PAF in early 2007.
Pakistan’s cabinet gave clearance to the purchase of up to 77 F-16 fighter planes from the US, costing $3-3.5 billion on April 12, 2006. Pakistan’s cabinet had also given approval for the purchase of upto 36 Chinese fighter aircraft J-10. [7] The F-16 will include the new C and D versions in addition to old A and B versions. [8] According to the Business Recorder, a leading financial newspaper in Pakistan, [9] Pakistan will be initially buying:
36 J-10 fighters from China.
8 JF-17 pre-production fighters from China.
26 F-16 A/B Block-15OCU (ex-Peace Gate III/IV aircraft) from United States.
18 F-16 C/D Block-52 also from United States, with an option for ordering another 18 Block-52 F-16s later (likely to be executed)
Pakistan will also be buying
300 SD-10 BVR air to air missiles.
500 AIM-120 AMRAAMs.
18 targeting pods.
500 joint direct attack munitions.
