Inter Squadron Armament Competition

Inter Squadron Armament Competition انٹر سکواڈرن ہتھیاری مقابلہ
Mirage-IIIEP drops M117 dumb bombs over Thal firing ranges during ISAC-1974.
Nickname	ISAC
Genre	Military sport Live fire exercise
Frequency	Random
Venue	Sonmiani Flight Test Range Jamrud Firing Ranges (formerly) Thal desert
Country	Pakistan
Inaugurated	1949
Most recent	2019
Previous event	2015
Next event	Unknown
Organised by	Pakistan Air Force
Website	www.paf.gov.pk

The Inter-Squadron Armament Competition (ISAC) is a military sports event hosted by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). It is an event designed to assess and celebrate the skill and operational readiness of its squadrons. This competition evaluates the training of aircrews and ground teams, focusing on their ability to perform under warlike conditions. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]}

History

Main article: History of the Pakistan Air Force

Following the independence of Pakistan and establishment of the Royal Pakistan Air Force, the RPAF had two primary combat squadrons, namely the 5 Squadron "Falcons" and 9 Squadron "Griffins". There was a sense of rivalry between these two pioneering units. Airmen and officers would face each other during military exercises trying to gain the advantage over the other. ^[8]

Eventually, this rivalry led to the first ever inter-squadron drill in May 1949 being organized under the leadership of RPAF's then British commander AVM Allan Perry-Keene. 9 Squadron later won the competition and bagged the Perry-Keene trophy for themselves. ^[9]

Evolution into ISAC

By the early 1960s, significant changes were introduced to the operational structure and traditions under Air Marshal Asghar Khan's major modernization program. As part of this revamping project he introduced the concept of a large-scale gunnery competition involving all of the PAF's combat aircraft squadrons. ^[9]

Competition

Whenever ISAC takes place (normally every four years), a team composed of the four best pilots along with maintenance staff from every PAF combat aircraft squadron is selected to compete against other squadrons in live weapons firing involving strafing runs, precision bombing and dropping dumb bombs via CCIP. ^[10]

Awards

Name	Introduced	Awarded to	Notes
Sher Afgan Trophy	1949	Top-performing pilot of the competition	Formerly known as Perry-Keene Trophy.
Armament Competition Trophy	Unknown	Squadron with highest score in the competition	[10]
Maintenance Trophy	Unknown	Squadron with the most well maintained equipment.	[11]
Best Armament Trophy	2019		Shared by 2 & 8 Squadrons in ISAC-2019. [11] [12]

Known events

Inter Squadron Armament Competition
Year	Venue	Champion	Notes
1949	Unknown	9 Squadron	First competition between RPAF's sole two fighter squadrons. [8]
1952	Unknown	5 Squadron	[9]
1960	Unknown	16 Squadron	[8]
1966	Mauripur	19 Squadron	[9]
1974	Thal desert	Unknown
1997	Unknown	9 Squadron
2007	Sonmiani	9 Squadron	[13] [14] [15]
2015	Karachi	11 Squadron	[16] [17]
2019	Sonmiani	11 Squadron

See also

• International Military Sports Council
• International Army Games
• Tank biathlon

References

1. "PAF Demonstrates Firepower Capability at Sonmiani Firing Range". Hilal English. 2019-12-01.
2. "PAF stands ever ready for aerial defence: Air Chief". Radio Pakistan. 2019-10-30.
3. "PAF pilots demonstrate fighting prowess in the sky". Arab News. 2019-11-06.
4. "PAF conducts live-fire demo at Sonmiani". ETribune. 2019-11-06.
5. "Regional environment demands vigilant PAF role: Air Chief". Dawn. 2015-12-01.
6. "PAF's No 11 Multirole Squadron wins Inter Squadron Armament Competition". The News. 2019-10-30.
7. "JF-17 retains PAF's top fighter slot at armament competition". Etribune. 2019-10-30.
8. Ali, Muhammad (2023-10-02). "Battle For Sher Afgan Continues". Second To None Magazine.
9. Qadri, Azam; Ali, Muhammad (2014). Sentinels in the Sky (A Sage of PAF's Gallant Air Warriors) (published 2014-01-01).
10. "PAF INTER SQUADRON ARMAMENT COMPETITION KICKS OFF" (PDF) (Press release). Karachi: DGPR Pakistan Air Force. 16 November 2015.
11. "No 11 Multirole Squadron wins PAF Inter Squadron Armament Competition". Geo News. 2019-10-30.
12. "PAF's JF – 17 Thunder Jet achieves yet another milestone in air warfare". Daily Times. 2019-10-31.
13. "F-16 sqn wins PAF Inter-Squadron Armament competition yet again". F-16.net.
14. "KARACHI: PAF competition ends". Dawn. 2007-11-08.
15. "Prime Minister witnesses PAF firepower demonstration at Sonmiani range". Business Recorder. 2007-11-10.
16. "NO-11 MULTIROLE SQUADRON WINS PAF INTER SQUADRON ARMAMENT COMPETITION" (PDF) (Press release). DGPR Pakistan Air Force. 30 November 2015.
17. "30 Inter Squadron Armament Compititon". PAF Official Website.