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 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.
Mianwali city in Mianwali Tehsil, is the capital city of Mianwali District in Punjab, Pakistan. The 81st largest city of Pakistan, it is known for its diverse population of Punjabi, Pashtun and Saraiki ethnicities.
Sargodha is a city and capital of Sargodha Division, located in Punjab province, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's 12th largest city by population and one of the fastest-growing cities of the country. Sargodha is also known as the City of Eagles on account of hosting the headquarters of the Pakistan Air Force.
Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali MirNI(M), HI(M), SI(M), SBt was a Pakistani four-star air officer who served as the Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), appointed on 20 November 2000 until his accidental death in a plane crash on 20 February 2003.
PAF College Sargodha is a Pakistan Air Force operated boarding school located in Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan. It was established in 1953. Founded as a feeding school for Pakistan Air Force Academy, it is now a public school since 1990 funded by the Pakistan Air Force.
PAF Base Kohat is an airbase of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) located in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. While it currently serves as a training base for PAF airmen, the facility was also used as a major operational base of the Royal Air Force during British colonial rule.
Pakistan Air Force Base, M.M. Alam is a Pakistan Air Force airbase located at Mianwali, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The base is named after Muhammad Mahmood Alam. Earlier it was called PAF Base Mianwali, its name was changed in 2014.
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.
Sargodha Cantonment is a cantonment adjacent to the Sargodha Airbase in Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan.
No. 9 Squadron, named the Griffins, is a Pakistan Air Force fighter squadron assigned to the No. 38 Multi-Role Wing of the PAF Central Air Command. The squadron is stationed at PAF Base Mushaf, Sargodha. It was the PAF's first fighter squadron and has been commanded by seven Chiefs of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force. The squadron crest is a red griffin which symbolises strength, aggressiveness, and vigilance. Scrolls around the squadron crest display the battle honours Sargodha 65 and Karachi 71.The Griffins are considered as the PAF's most elite unit as well as its most senior.
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.
Air Commodore Imtiaz BhattiSJ SI(M) SBt in Gujrat, British India, was a cyclist and a former Air Force pilot of Pakistan. He was the Pakistan cycling champion during his student days at Punjab Agriculture College, Lyallpur in late 1940s and early 1950s. He set national cycling records and represented Pakistan in the individual and team road race events at the 1952 Summer Olympics where he was placed 1st among the Asian cyclists and 25th in the world in the 1000 m time trial. Bhatti a veteran of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 flew 34 combat missions, the maximum from Pakistan during the war and is credited with confirmed downing of two Indian planes and damaging a third, in addition to participating in raids that destroyed the Amritsar radar and various other air defence and ground support missions.
Air Chief Marshal Sohail AmanNI(M) HI(M) SI(M) TI(M) LoM is a retired four star air officer who served as the Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force. He took charge from Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt on 19 March 2015. He retired on 18 March 2018, on completion of the three-year term as Air Chief.
The Combat Commanders' School or CCS is the advanced air combat tactics development and training school of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) based at PAF Base Mushaf, Sargodha, Pakistan.
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.
Air Commodore Raja Rizwan Ullah KhanMRAeSM-PECSbt, known as Razi to his family and colleagues, was a one-star rank officer of the PAF, author, and aeronautical engineer who held the position of Personal Staff Officer to Chief of Air Staff Mushaf Ali Mir. In the TV series Shahpar, he played the role of the Officer Commanding No. 11 Squadron PAF, mirroring his real-life position at the time.
Air Vice Marshal Abdul Razzaq Anjum SI(M) TI(M) Sbt was a two-star rank officer of the Pakistan Air Force who held the position of Deputy Chief of the Air Staff. He died in an air crash, along with CAS of the PAF Mushaf Ali Mir, his wife Begum Bilquis Mir, Air Vice Marshal Saleem Akhtar Nawaz, Rizwan Ullah Khan, and 13 other senior air force officials and aircrew. Had he lived, he would have been considered for the position of Chief of Air Staff.
The No. 12 VIP Squadron nicknamed Burraqs is a VIP transport unit from the No. 35 Composite Air Transport Wing of the Pakistan Air Force based at Nur Khan Airbase. It is the Air Force One of Pakistan which transports the President, the Prime Minister and the Chief of Air Staff during official visits. The squadron currently flies a Gulfstream G450, a Gulfstream IV, a Global 2000 and a Cessna Citation Excel. Formed as a bomber squadron at Mauripur in 1953, it eventually became a VIP transport squadron, a role which it performs to this day.
PAF Base Qadri, is a main operating base of the Pakistan Air Force's Northern Air Command which located near the city of Skardu in the Baltistan region of Pakistan. It is named after Air Commodore Qadri.
The Sargodha Airfield Complex is a complex of four airstrips – Sargodha, Chota Sargodha, Wagowal and Bhagatanwala. The complex was originally built by the Royal Air Force and is located in Sargodha, Punjab Province, Pakistan.
Air Commodore Hassan Faisal
