No. 81 Squadron PAF

Last updated

No. 81 Squadron
ActiveSince 1963 (60–61)
CountryFlag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan
AllegianceAir Force Ensign of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan Air Force
BranchGD(P)/Flying
TypeSquadron
Role SAR & OCU
Airbase PAF Base Peshawar
Nickname(s)Kangaroos
Mascot(s)A Kangaroo
Helicopters Alouette-III
Engagements
Aircraft flown
Helicopter Alouette-III

The No. 81 Search & Rescue Squadron nicknamed Kangaroos is a helicopter unit of the Pakistan Air Force. It operates French Alouette-III helicopters providing SAR coverage from PAF Base Peshawar. It also runs the Helicopter Flying Training School (HFTS) where PAF helicopter pilots receive basic training on rotorcrafts. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

History

The squadron was raised at its home base at Peshawar in 1963 as a Search and Rescue flight equipped with a few Alouette-IIIs. Its fleet was expanded over the years after which its status was raised to a squadron. Its main role was to maintain SAR coverage to PAF flying operations in and around Peshawar while operating from PAF Camp Badaber and PAF Base Peshawar. [3] [4]

In 1995, the squadron was upgraded to a Helicopter Flying Training School (HFTS) to carry out helicopter conversion courses for PAF pilots while also carrying on with its SAR role. It has since carried out 34 conversion courses which also included special courses for pilots from Saudi Arabia and UAE. [3] [4]

Operational history

After TTP terrorists launched an attack on PAF Camp Badaber in 2015, the squadron's helicopters took active part in supporting roles. It provided vital aerial reconnaissance and rescue support to ground troops engaged in heavy fighting with the terrorists. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matiur Rahman (military pilot)</span> Bengali PAF pilot defector and recipient of Bir Shreshto

Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman BS was a Bengali fighter pilot in the Pakistan Air Force from East Pakistan and a recipient of Bir Sreshtho, Bangladesh's highest military award for his actions during the Bangladesh Liberation War.

The Pakistan Air Force Academy Asghar Khan is an accredited four-year military academy which provides undergraduate education to officer candidates for the Pakistan Air Force.

East Pakistan Air Operations covers the activity of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and Pakistan Army Aviation units in former East Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War. The operations involved the interdiction, air defense, ground support, and logistics missions flown by the Bangladesh Air Force, Indian Air Force, and the Indian Navy Aviation wing in support of the Mukti Bahini and later Indian Army in Bengal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">771 Naval Air Squadron</span> Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Squadron

771 Naval Air Squadron of the Fleet Air Arm was formed on 24 May 1939 at HMS Daedalus, Lee-on-Solent as a Fleet Requirements Unit with 14 Fairey Swordfish TSR biplanes. The squadron carried out various exercises with ships and provided towed targets for naval air gunners, and was decommissioned on 22 March 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Search and Rescue Force</span> Royal Air Force helicopter search and rescue unit, 1941-2016

The Royal Air Force Search and Rescue Force was an official unit of the Royal Air Force (RAF) which provided around-the-clock aeronautical search and rescue cover in the United Kingdom, Cyprus, and the Falkland Islands, from 1986 until 2016.

PAF Camp Badaber, formerly known as Peshawar Air Station, is a non-flying air force base of the Pakistan Air Force and a former United States Air Force–Central Intelligence Agency listening post, used by the 6937th Communications Group from July 17, 1959 until being evacuated on 7 January 1970, when the facility was formally closed. It was located in Badaber, a remote area about 4 miles (6.4 km) south of the city of Peshawar, Pakistan. However, since 2021, sixty-five U.S. Air Force personnel have been stationed at Camp Badaber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PNS Mehran</span> Airport in Sindh Province, Pakistan

The PNS Mehran is the naval station and the premier air–to-air/air–to–ground training naval air station located in the joint vicinity of the Faisal Air Force Base in Karachi, Sindh, in Pakistan. Established in 1975 with the cooperation of the Pakistan Air Force, the PNS Mehran serves in the capacity as the headquarter of the Naval Aviation Branch of the Pakistan Navy, and grown to its present inventory of 41 multi role aircraft. The latest addition in the Air Arm is the ATR-72.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 27 Squadron PAF</span> Military unit

The No. 27 Squadron, nicknamed Zarrars, is a tactical attack squadron from the No. 34 Wing of the Pakistan Air Force's Northern Air Command. It is currently deployed at Rafiqui Airbase and operates the Dassault Mirage-VEF ROSE-III aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 24 Squadron PAF</span> Military unit

The No. 24 Electronic Warfare Squadron, nicknamed the Blinders, is an electronic warfare unit of the Pakistan Air Force equipped with DA 20EW Faclons. It is the PAF's only Electronic Warfare squadron and undertakes EW, ECM and ESM missions while also training Pilots, Air Defense controllers and engineering officers in EW environments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 7 Squadron PAF</span> Military unit

No. 7 Squadron, nicknamed the Bandits, is a tactical attack squadron of the Pakistan Air Force. Which is under the No. 38 Tactical Attack wing.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Kilo Flight</span> Military operation taken by the Mukti Bahini

Kilo Flight was the code name for the Mukti Bahini combat aviation formation during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. It consisted of one DHC-3 Otter plane and one Alouette III helicopter, both carrying rocket pods and machine guns for launching hit-and-run attacks on Pakistani targets, and one DC-3 Dakota for logistical missions. 9 Bengali pilots and 58 former PAF personnel formed the unit under the command of Group Captain A. K. Khandker in September 1971. The aircraft were supplied by Indian Authorities and the formation was led by Squadron Leader Sultan Mahmud under the operational control of IAF base Jorhat. The unit started training in October 1971 at Dimapur in Nagaland, and this unit was the first to launch airstrikes on Pakistani targets in East Pakistan on December 4, 1971, by attacking oil depots at Narayanganj and Chittagong. In total the unit flew 90 sorties and 40 combat missions between December 4 and 16, 1971. After the war, this unit formed the core of the nascent Bangladesh Air Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Air Command (Pakistan)</span> Pakistan Air Force Regional Command

The Central Air Command (CAC) is one of six Major Commands in the Pakistan Air Force, reporting to the Air Headquarters at Islamabad. It is the forefront command of the PAF which handles operational activities near the Indian borders in Pakistan's Punjab province. Central Air Command is headquartered at PAF Base Lahore in the provincial capital of Lahore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 25 Squadron PAF</span> Flying squadron of the Pakistan Air Force

The No. 25 Squadron, nicknamed Eagles, is a tactical attack squadron from the No. 34 Wing of the Pakistan Air Force's Central Air Command. It is currently deployed at Rafiqui Airbase and operates ROSE upgraded Dassault Mirage-5EF aircraft.

88 Combat Support Squadron & Advanced Helo Training School nicknamed Rams is a helicopter squadron of the Pakistan Air Force consisting of AW-139 and Mi-171 helicopters. The squadron is based at Shahbaz airbase in Jacobabad and undertakes Operational conversion on the AW-139 along with providing SAR coverage to the airbase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 20 Squadron PAF</span> Military unit

No. 20 Air Superiority Squadron nicknamed Cheetahs is a unit of the Pakistan Air Force established in 1956. It flies the Chengdu F-7PG Airguard jets and is based at PAF Base MM Alam. Initially formed as a photo reconnaissance flight at PAF Base Mauripur, the squadron has evolved over the decades, participating in significant missions and conflicts. It currently operates Chengdu F-7PG Airguard jets and is based at PAF Base MM Alam. The squadron has a rich history, including contributions to the demarcation of the China–Pakistan border, the World Bank's Indus Basin Project, and active roles in the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistani wars. After being disbanded in 1972 and reactivated in 1977, the squadron transitioned through various aircraft, including the Dassault Mirage IIIRP and Shenyang F-6, before adopting the Chengdu F-7P Skybolts and later the F-7PGs. The squadron celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 2008 and continues to play a vital role in PAF's operational activities and exercises.

No. 41 VIP Communication Squadron nicknamed Albatross is a military communications unit of the Pakistan Air Force. It is part of the 35th Air Mobility Wing, Federal Air Command and is located at PAF Base Nur Khan.

The No. 1 Fighter Conversion Unit (FCU) nicknamed Rahbars is a training unit of the Pakistan Air Force stationed at PAF Base MM Alam in Mianwali. It carries out Fighter Jet Conversion on newly qualified pilots of Basic Flying Training (BFT) and Advanced Jet Training (AJT) Wings from PAF Academy with Karakorum-8 advanced trainers.

The No. 22 OCU also known by their nickname Ghazis is an Operational conversion unit of the Pakistan Air Force. Based at PAF Base Masroor, the squadron converts crews onto Dassault Mirage III and Mirage V jets.

References

  1. "Search & Rescue squadrons". GlobalSecurity.org.
  2. Warnes, Alan (2009). The Pakistan Air Force (1998-2008): A New Dawn.
  3. 1 2 3 Hashmi, Qadeer (2014). History of the Pakistan Air Force 1999-2013 (1st ed.).
  4. 1 2 3 4 Khan, Farhat; Hashmi, Qadeer (2024). History of the Pakistan Air Force (2014-2023): The Next Generation Air Force (1st ed.). p. 288. ISBN   978-969-7518-01-2.
  5. "Orbats".