PAF Base Mushaf

PAF Base Mushaf
پی اے ایف بیس مصحف
Part of Central Air Command
Sargodha District, Punjab Province Near Sargodha in   Pakistan
Flight line of Mushaf airbase in 2024
PAF Base Mushaf Location of Mushaf airbase in Pakistan Show map of Punjab, Pakistan PAF Base Mushaf PAF Base Mushaf (Pakistan) Show map of Pakistan
Coordinates	32°02′55″N72°39′55″E / 32.04861°N 72.66528°E / 32.04861; 72.66528
Type	Air Force base
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defense
Operator	Pakistan Armed Forces
Controlled by	Pakistan Air Force
Condition	Operational
Other site facilities	Combat Commanders' School
Website	Pakistan Air Force
Site history
Built	1942
Built for	Royal Indian Air Force   Pakistan Air Force
Built by	British Raj (foundation)
Battles/wars	1965 Indo-Pakistani war 1971 Indo-Pakistani war Operation Sentinel Operation Swift Retort
Garrison information
Current commander	Air Commodore Hassan Faisal
Garrison	38 MR Wing Airpower Center of Excellence
Occupants	9 Squadron "Griffins" 23 Squadron "Talons" 24 Squadron "Blinders" 29 Aggressor Squadron CCS JF-17 "Fierce Dragons" CCS Mirage "Skybolts" 82 CS Squadron "Stallions"
Airfield information
Identifiers	IATA: MSF, ICAO: OPMH
Elevation	187 metres (614 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 14/32 3,120 metres (10,236 ft)  Asphalt 06/24 2,430 metres (7,972 ft)  Asphalt
Reference(s): [1] [2]

PAF Base Mushaf (formerly PAF Station Sargodha and 'PAF Base Sargodha), IATA : MSF, ICAO : OPMH), is a Pakistan Air Force airbase situated at Sargodha in Punjab, Pakistan. It is designated as a "Major Operational Base" (MOB) by the PAF. ^[3]

It was known as PAF Base Sargodha until 2003, when it was renamed in honour of the former Base Commander and Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir, whose aircraft crashed on a routine flight near Kohat in February 2003. ^{[4] [5]}

The PAF's Central Air Command (CAC), the Combat Commanders' School (CCS), and the PAF Airpower Centre of Excellence (PAF ACE) are based at PAF Base Mushaf, PAF Base Mushaf is the most elite and widely operational base in Pakistan, consisting of the highest equipped aircraft and squadrons and the best trained pilots and commanders.

History

PAF Base Mushaf was originally established as an airstrip by the Royal Air Force during the 1930s. After World War II, the airstrip was one of the Sargodha Satellite Fields, and was known as Sargodha (Main). In 1959, the airstrip was commissioned as PAF Base Sargodha. ^[6]

Incidents

On 1 November 2007, a suicide bomber struck the 50-seat bus carrying PAF officers to nearby Kirana Ammunition Depot, killing 11 people (including 7 officers) and injuring 28. The bombing took place on Faisalabad Road, where a motorcycle loaded with explosives rammed the bus and triggered the blast. All the officers were new recruits posted to PAFB Mushaf for training. ^[7]

This was the last major attack before the 2007 state of emergency was imposed on the country.

See also

• List of Pakistan Air Force Bases
• Sargodha Airfield Complex
• Sky Force (film), a 2025 Indian film about an attack on the base during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965

References

1. Khan, Farhat; Hashmi, Qadeer (2024). History of the Pakistan Air Force (2014-2023): The Next Generation Air Force (1st ed.). ISBN   978-969-7518-01-2.
2. "Mushaf Air Base (SGI)".
3. PAF Base Mushaf on Scramble (Dutch Aviation Society) website Retrieved 30 September 2021
4. Funeral held for Pakistan air chief (Mushaf Ali Mir) BBC News website, Published 21 February 2003, Retrieved 30 September 2021
5. Sargodha Air Base named after Mushaf Dawn (newspaper), Published 30 April 2003, Retrieved 30 September 2021
6. "Satellite Airfields and Kirana Hill near Mushaf Airbase". Pakistan Defence. Forum. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
7. "Seven PAF officers among 11 dead in suicide attack". Dawn (newspaper). 2 November 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2021.