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 2024, as per the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the PAF has more than 70,000 active-duty personnel. 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.
Platelet-activating factor, also known as PAF, PAF-acether or AGEPC (acetyl-glyceryl-ether-phosphorylcholine), is a potent phospholipid activator and mediator of many leukocyte functions, platelet aggregation and degranulation, inflammation, and anaphylaxis. It is also involved in changes to vascular permeability, the oxidative burst, chemotaxis of leukocytes, as well as augmentation of arachidonic acid metabolism in phagocytes.
The CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder, or FC-1 Xiaolong, is a fourth-generation, 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 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".
Etizolam is a thienodiazepine derivative which is a benzodiazepine analog. The etizolam molecule differs from a benzodiazepine in that the benzene ring has been replaced by a thiophene ring and triazole ring has been fused, making the drug a thienotriazolodiazepine.
The CF postcode area, also known as the Cardiff postcode area, is a group of 35 postcode districts for post towns: Cardiff, Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Aberdare, Bargoed, Barry, Cowbridge, Dinas Powys, Ferndale, Hengoed, Llantwit Major, Maesteg, Mountain Ash, Penarth, Pentre, Pontyclun, Pontypridd, Porth, Porthcawl, Rhoose, Sully, Tonypandy, Treharris and Treorchy in south Wales. The CF postcode area is one of six with a population above 1 million.
AM-855 (part of the AM cannabinoid series) is an analgesic drug which is a cannabinoid agonist. It is a derivative of Δ8Tetrahydrocannabinol with a conformationally restricted side chain which has been bound into a fourth ring fused to the aromatic A-ring of the cannabinoid skeleton. AM-855 is an agonist at both CB1 and CB2 with moderate selectivity for CB1, with a Ki of 22.3 nM at CB1 and 58.6 nM at CB2.
Ciclotizolam (WE-973) is a drug which is a thienotriazolodiazepine derivative. It is a partial agonist for the benzodiazepine site of the GABAA receptor, with similar binding affinity to related compounds like brotizolam, but a low efficacy.
Project Sabre II was the Pakistan Air Force's program to develop a feasible and low-cost multirole combat jet based on an existing design—the Chengdu F-7 Skybolt, a Chinese variant of the MiG–21. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) initiated Project Sabre II in 1987, hiring the American aerospace firm Grumman, to provide crucial expertise to refine the baseline aircraft design along with specialists from the PAF and the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Initially formed as part of the Philippine Army as the Philippine Army Air Corps (PAAC) in 1935, the PAAC eventually saw combat during World War 2 and was formally separated from the Army in 1947 as a separate service branch of the AFP under Executive Order No. 94. At present, the PAF is responsible for both defending Philippine airspace, and conducting aerial operations throughout the Philippines, such as close air support operations, combat air patrols, aerial reconnaissance missions, airlift operations, helicopter tactical operations, special operations, and aerial humanitarian operations, which includes search and rescue operations. The PAF has also carried out various missions within the country and abroad.
Women in the Pakistan Armed Forces are the female officers who serve in the Pakistan Armed Forces. In 2006, the first women fighter pilot batch joined the combat aerial mission command of PAF. The Pakistan Navy prohibits women from serving in the combat branch. Rather, they are appointed and serve in operations involving military logistics, staff and senior administrative offices, particularly in the regional and central headquarters. There was a rise in the number of women applying for the combat branch of PAF in 2013.
Israpafant (Y-24180) is a drug which acts as a selective antagonist for the platelet-activating factor receptor, and was originally developed for the treatment of asthma. Its chemical structure is a thienotriazolodiazepine, closely related to the sedative benzodiazepine derivative etizolam. However israpafant binds far more tightly to the platelet-activating factor receptor, with an IC50 of 0.84nM for inhibiting PAF-induced human platelet aggregation (compared to etizolam's IC50 of 998nM at this target), while it binds only weakly to benzodiazepine receptors, with a Ki of 3680nM. Israpafant has been found to inhibit the activation of eosinophil cells, and consequently delays the development of immune responses. It has also been shown to have anti-nephrotoxic properties, and to mobilize calcium transport.
Deschloroetizolam is a thienotriazolodiazepine that is the dechlorinated analog of the closely related etizolam. The compound has been sold as a designer drug.
Metizolam is a thienotriazolodiazepine that is the demethylated analogue of the closely related etizolam.
A thienotriazolodiazepine is a heterocyclic compound containing a diazepine ring fused to thiophene and triazole rings. Thienotriazolodiazepine forms the central core of several pharmaceutical drugs including:
Fluclotizolam is a thienotriazolodiazepine derivative which was first synthesised in 1979, but was never marketed. It has subsequently been sold as a designer drug, first being definitively identified in 2017.
Ro09-9212 is a thienodiazepine derivative with sedative and anxiolytic effects, which has been sold as a designer drug.
Flubrotizolam is a thienotriazolodiazepine derivative with potent sedative and anxiolytic effects, which has been sold as a designer drug.
Fluetizolam is a thienotriazolodiazepine derivative with potent sedative and anxiolytic effects, which has been sold as a designer drug.
Deschloroclotizolam is a thienotriazolodiazepine derivative which has been sold as a designer drug, first being identified in Sweden in 2021.
Apafant is a drug which acts as a potent and selective inhibitor of the phospholipid mediator platelet-activating factor (PAF). It was developed by structural modification of the thienotriazolodiazepine sedative drug brotizolam and demonstrated that PAF inhibitory actions could be separated from activity at the benzodiazepine receptor. Apafant was investigated for several applications involving inflammatory responses such as asthma and conjunctivitis but was never adopted for medical use, however it continues to be used in pharmacology research.
