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.
The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) is the aerial warfare branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The air force is primarily responsible for air defence of Bangladesh's sovereign territory as well as providing air support to the Bangladesh Army and Bangladesh Navy. Furthermore, the BAF has a territorial role in providing tactical and strategic air transport and logistics capability for the country.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 October 1932 as an auxiliary air force of the British Empire which honoured India's aviation service during World War II with the prefix Royal. After India gained independence from United Kingdom in 1947, the name Royal Indian Air Force was kept and served in the name of the Dominion of India. With the transition to a republic in 1950, the prefix Royal was removed.
The Indian Defence services have established numerous academies and staff colleges across India for the purpose of training professional soldiers in military sciences, warfare command and strategy, and associated technologies.
Risalpur is a city in Nowshera District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on the Nowshera-Mardan Road. It is nearly 45 km from Peshawar and 18 km from Mardan and is located at 34°4'52N 71°58'21E. In a basin some 316 meters above sea level, it is bounded on the south and west by the Kabul and Kalpani rivers, respectively. The famous Khyber Pass lies 90 kilometers to the north.
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.
Air Marshal Mohammad Asghar KhanNT HPk HQA PM (GCCT) MA recognized as the Father of the Pakistan Air Force and known as Shaheen-e-Pakistan and Night Flyer, held the distinction of being the first native and second Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Air Force. He became the world's youngest Air Vice Marshal at 36 and Air Marshal at 37 years old. Additionally, he was an airline executive, sports administrator, prominent politician, Member of the 6th National Assembly of Pakistan, author, and the first pilot from the Indian subcontinent to fly a fighter jet, the Gloster Meteor III. As chief, Asghar Khan significantly dismissed the notion held by the leadership of West Pakistan, that Bengalis were physically unfit for army recruitment. He abolished this standard in the PAF, arguing that height and chest measurements were irrelevant to combat effectiveness.
Pakistan Air Force Base, Nur Khan is an active Pakistan Air Force airbase located in Chaklala, Rawalpindi, Punjab province, Pakistan. The former Benazir Bhutto International Airport forms part of this airbase.PAF College, Chaklala, an institute for Aviation Cadets of the college, and Fazaia Inter College Nur Khan are also located on the base.
Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Mohammad Anwar ShamimNI(M) HI(M) SJ SI(M) OI LoM ; was a senior air officer of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and was the Chief of Air Staff, appointed to the post in 1978 until retiring in 1985.
Air Chief Marshal Mohammad Abbas KhattakNI(M) HI(M) SI(M) SBt is a four-star rank air force general in the Pakistan Air Force who served as the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) from 8 November 1994 until 7 November 1997.
Air Chief Marshal Zulfiqar Ali KhanNI(M), was the first four-star air officer in the Pakistan Air Force and later a diplomat. He was the Air Force's Chief of Air Staff from 15 April 1974 to 22 July 1978. Upon retirement, he served on a diplomatic assignment, and headed the diplomatic mission to the United States as Pakistan's ambassador from 1989 to 1990.
Air Chief Marshal Farooq Feroze KhanNI(M) HI(M) SI(M) SBt LoM, best known as Feroze Khan, was a Pakistani military officer who served as the 6th four-star air officer in the Pakistan Air Force and also served as the 8th Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, appointed in 1994 and retiring in 1997.
Air Commodore Władysław Józef Marian Turowicz, usually referred to as W. J. M. Turowicz, was a Polish-Pakistani aviator, military scientist and aeronautical engineer.
PAF Air War College Institute is the Pakistan Air Forces academic establishment located at PAF Base Faisal providing training and education primarily to mid-career officers of the air force as well as a limited number of officers from Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Army and allied forces. The college was affiliated with University of Karachi from 1980 to 2005, Air University Pakistan from 2005 to 2007, since then affiliated with the National Defence University, Islamabad along with other staff and war colleges of the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy.
The PAF Base Korangi Creek is a Pakistani Air Force base located in Korangi, Karachi. The PAF Base Korangi Creek is a State-of-the-art facility involved in the development of the Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the Pakistan Air Force.
The history of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) began when it was established in 1947 following the independence of Pakistan.
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.
Pakistan Armed Forces deployments include all Pakistani military deployments that are stationed outside Pakistan and serving in other countries. The sixth largest military power in terms of active troops, Pakistan has an extensive history of overseas military presence, especially in the Middle East, where it has maintained military contingents, missions and battalions in several states. As part of its foreign policy efforts to expand its military relations and influence in the region, Pakistan signed defence protocols during the 1970s with several Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, Libya, Jordan, Iraq, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, under which members of the armed forces of these countries were imparted professional training by Pakistani advisers and military trainers. Saudi Arabia signed a bilateral agreement with Pakistan on defense cooperation; during that time, there were 50,000 to 60,000 Pakistani military personnel serving abroad with the largest number of these, about 20,000, deployed in Saudi Arabia.
The Pakistan military services have established number of training schools, academies, universities and command & staff colleges across the Pakistan for the purpose of training soldiers and officers in military science, warfare command and strategy and associated technologies.
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.
