Currrency notes of Pakistan

Currency Notes of Pakistan








Postage Stamps of Pakistan

Some Stamps of pakistan

A slide show of pakistan post stamps



Pakistan Postage Stamps

City with Postal codes

Abbottabad 22010 Attock 43600

Badin 72220 Bagh 12500

Bahawalnagar 62300 Bahawalpur 63100

Bannu 28100 Balakot 21230

Bhakkar 30000 Chaklala 46200

Chakwal 48800 Charsadda 24420

Chitral 17200 D.G. Khan 29200

D.I. Khan 29050 Dir 18000

Faisalabad 38000 Fateh Jang 43350

Gilgit 15100 Gujar Khan 47850

Gujranwala 52250 Gujrat 50700

Gwadar 91200 Haripur 22620

Hasan Abdal 43730 Hyderabad G.P.O 71000

Islamabad G.P.O 44000 Jacobabad 79000

Jhang 35200 Jang Shahi 73110

Jhelum 49600 Kalat 88300

Karachi Al Haidry 74700 Karachi Defence 75500

Karachi G.P.O 74200 Karachi F.B.Area 75950

Karachi City G.P.O 74000 Karachi Gulshan-e-Iqbal 75300

Karachi Korangi 74900 Karachi New Town 74800

Karachi PECHS 75400 Karachi Nazimabad 74600

Karachi Saddar 74400 Karachi Cantt 75530

Karachi Clifton 75600 Karak 27200

Kasur 55050 Khanewal 58150

Kalar Kahar 48530 Khairpur 66020

Khushab 41000 Khuzdar 89100

Kohat 26000 Kotri 76000

Kamo Ke 52470
Lahore G.P.O 54000 Lahore Gulberg 54660

Lahore Cantt 54810 Lahore Model Town 54700

Lahore Ferozepure Road 54600 Lahore Awan Colony 54780

Lahore Iqbal Town 54570 Lahore Chah Miran 54900

Lahore Walton 54750 Lahore Ismail Nagar 54760

Lahore Baghban- Pura 54920 Lahore Town Ship 54770

Lahore Shahdara- Bagh 54950 Lahore Mughal Pura 54840

Lahore Multan Road 54500 Lahore Punjab University 54590

Larkana 77150 Liah 31200

Mandi Bahauddin 50400 Mansehra 21300

Mardan 23200 Mianwali 42200

Mirpur 10250 Mirpur Khas 69000

Multan 60000 Murree 47150

Muzaffarabad 13100 Narowal 51800

NawabShah 67450 Nowshera 24100

Okara 56300 Parachinar 26300

Peshawar 25000 Quetta 87300

Risalpur 24080 Rahim Yar Khan 64200

Rawalkot 12350 Rawalpindi 46000

Sanghar 68100 Sahiwal 57000

Saidu Sharif 19200 Sialkot 51310

Sargodha 40100 Sibi 82000

Sujawal 37050 Sawabi 23430

Sukkur 65200 Talagang 48100

Taxila 47080 Toba Tek Singh 36000

Turbat 92600 Vehari 61100

Wah 47000 Wah Cantt 47040

Wazirabad 52000

PAKISTAN NAVY

History

The birth of the Royal Pakistan Navy came with the creation of Pakistan on 14 August 1947. The Armed Forces Reconstitution Committee (AFRC) divided the Royal Indian Navy between both India and Pakistan. The Royal Pakistan Navy secured two sloops, two frigates, four minesweepers, two naval trawlers, four harbour launches and some 358 personnel (180 officers and 34 ratings), and given the high percentage of delta areas on the Pakistan coast the Navy was given a number of Harbour Defence Motor Launches.

“ “ Today is a historic day for Pakistan, doubly so for those of us in the Navy. The Dominion of Pakistan has come into being and with it a new Navy – the Royal Pakistan Navy – has been born. I am proud to have been appointed to command it and serve with you at this time. In the coming months, it will be my duty and yours to build up our Navy into a happy and efficient force.” Quaid-E-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. ”

The beginning

The Royal Pakistan Navy saw no action during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 as all the fighting was restricted to land warfare. In 1956 the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was proclaimed under the 1956 constitution. The prefix Royal was dropped and the service was re-designated as the Pakistan Navy, or "PN" for short. The PN Jack and Pakistan flag replaced the Queen's colour and the white ensign respectively. The order of precedence of the three services changed from Navy, Army, Air force to Army, Navy, Air Force. In February 1956, the British government announced supplying of several major surface combatants to Pakistan. These Warships, a cruiser and four destroyers were purchased with funds made available under the US Military Assistance Program. The acquisition of a few additional warships that is two destroyers, eight coastal minesweepers and an oiler (between 1956-63) was the direct result of Pakistan's participation in the anti-Communist defence pacts of SEATO and CENTO.

Indo-Pakistan war of 1965

During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 the navy was involved in a conflict for the first time. Apart from carrying out a limited bombardment of the coastal town of Dwaraka - codenamed Operation Dwarka, the navy's submarine PNS Ghazi which was Pakistan's first submarine and remained the flagship submarine for Pakistan Navy till deployed against Indian Navy's western fleet at Bombay (Mumbai) port.

Indo-Pakistan war of 1971

Karachi housed the headquarters of the Pakistani Navy and almost the entire fleet was based at Karachi Harbour. Karachi was also the hub of Pakistan's maritime trade, meaning that a blockade would be disastrous for Pakistan’s economy. The defence of Karachi harbour was therefore paramount to the Pakistani High Command and it was heavily defended against any airstrikes or naval strike. Karachi received some of the best defence Pakistan had to offer as well as cover from strike aircraft based at two airfields in the area. On December 4 the Indian Navy launched a fast naval strike Operation Trident on the port. The task group for the operation consisted of 3 OSA class Missile boats, escorted by two Anti-submarine patrol vessels. Nearing the Karachi port, they detected Pakistani presence and launched missiles, hitting PNS Muhafiz and PNS Khyber, which both sank. PNS Shahjahan was also severely damaged.

The success of this operation prompted another attack on Pakistan coast named Operation Python on the night of December 8, 1971. In rough seas a small strike group, consisting of missile boat Vinash and two multipurpose frigates, approached Karachi. In the ensuing battle, the Indian ships sank the Panamian vessel Gulf Star, while the Pakistan Navy's Dacca and the British ship SS Harmattan were badly damaged. The Pakistani fuel reserves for the sector were destroyed. The same day (8 December 1971), PNS Hangor, a Pakistani Daphné class submarine, sank an Indian frigate INS Khukri off the coast of Gujarat, India. This was the first sinkings by a submarine since World War II. 18 officers and 176 sailors of the Indian navy were killed in this operation. The same submarine also damaged another warship, INS Kirpan.[4] Pakistan also attempted to counter the Indian missile boat threat by carrying out bombing raids over Okha harbour—the forward base of the missile boats.

With East Pakistan having been surrounded on all three sides by the Indian Army, the Navy was under immense pressure to protect the coast. The major threat from the PNS Ghazi—the only long range submarine—was nullified when it was sunk in the Bay of Bengal, directly or indirectly through the depth charges dropped by the Indian Navy's destroyer INS Rajput or by its own antiship mine that came back due to the rough sea.This enabled an easy blockade on East Pakistan by the Indian Navy.

The damage inflicted by both Indian Navy and Indian Air Force on Pakistan Navy stood at seven gunboats, one minesweeper, two destroyers, three patrol crafts belonging to the coast guard, 18 cargo, supply and communication vessels, with some more crafts damaged, and large scale destruction inflicted on the naval base and Docks in the coastal town of Karachi. Three merchant navy ships—Anwar Baksh, Pasni, Madhumathi and ten smaller vessels were captured.The total number of personnel losses came to about 1900 and 1413 servicemen were captured by Indian forces in Dhaka(Official Pakistan losses).[9] In contrast the Indian Navy lost 212 personnel, a frigate (another frigate damaged) and a naval plane Breguet Alizé to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).According to one Pakistan scholar, Tariq Ali, Pakistan Navy lost a third of its force in the war.[10] The primary reason for this loss has been attributed to the central command's failure in defining a role for the Navy—or the military in general, in East Pakistan. Since then the Navy has sought to improve the structure and fleet by putting special emphasis on sub-surface warfare capability as it allows for the most efficient way to deny the control of Pakistani sea lanes to the adversary.

Post war

The Navy sought to diversify its purchases instead of depending solely on the United States, which had placed an arms embargo on both India and Pakistan. It sought more vessels from France and China. The Pakistan Navy thus became the first navy in South Asia to acquire land based missile capable long range reconnaissance aircraft. During the 1980s the Pakistan Navy enjoyed un-preceded growth. It doubled its surface fleet from 8 to 16 surface combatants in 1989. In 1982, the Reagan administration approved US$3.2 billion military and economic aid to Pakistan. Pakistan acquired eight Brooke and Garcia-class frigates from US Navy on a five year lease in 1988. A depot for repairs, ex-USS Hector followed the lease of these ships in April 1989. However after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989 US President George Bush was advised to no longer certify that Pakistan was not involved in the development of nuclear weapons and the Pressler’s Amendment was invoked on 1 October 1990. The lease of the first Brooke class frigate expired in March 1993, the remaining in early 1994. This seriously impaired the Pakistan Navy, which was composed almost entirely of former US origin ships. Pakistan began to concentrate on self-reliance for its defense production.

Atlantique incident

The Atlantique Incident was a major international incident on 10 August 1999 where a Pakistan Navy plane (Breguet Atlantic) with 16 on board was shot down in the border area of the Kutch region with Pakistan and India both claiming the aircraft to be in their respective airspace by Indian Air Force jets. The wreckage however, fell well within Pakistani territory, giving credence to the Pakistani claim. The Indian Air Force stated that the Atlantique was trying to return to Pakistani airspace after intruding more than 10 nautical miles and as such was headed towards Pakistan. At the speed of 400 knots at which the shootdown occurred most of the wreckage was expected to land at least 25 miles from the shootdown so Pakistani Army claims that the wreckage was found in Pakistan can be true even though the shootdown occurred in Indian Airspace. It resulted in escalated tensions between the two neighboring countries.[citation needed] However International Court of Justice did not decide in favour of Pakistan.

Tsunami relief activities

The Navy has been involved in some peacetime operations, most notably during the tsunami tragedy that struck on December 26, 2004. Pakistan sent vessels to Sri Lanka and the Maldives to help in rescue and relief work

Personnel

The Pakistan Navy has around 24,000 active personnel and 5,000 in reserve.The force includes a small Naval Air Arm and the approximately 2,000 member paramilitary Maritime Security Agency, charged primarily with protecting Pakistan's exclusive economic zone(EEZ).The Navy also comprises the Special Services Group Navy, a marine commando unit as well as a Marine unit, both stationed at Karachi. The SSG(N) and Marines are believed to number around 1,000 in troop strength each. Pakistan Navy recently began inducting women for combat positions apart from the existing administrative posts, becoming one of the few Islamic Republics to do so.

Naval Headquarters

Admiral Noman Bashir — Chief of Naval Staff (CNS)
Vice Admiral Asaf Humayun — Vice Chief of Naval Staff (VCNS)
Rear Admiral Mushtaq Ahmed — Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Material)
Rear Admiral Shahid Iqbal — Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Training and Personnel)
Rear Admiral Tanveer Faiz — Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Operations)
Rear Admiral Abbas Raza — Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Projects-2)
Rear Admiral Waqar Siddiq — Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Supply)
Rear Admiral Saleem Akhtar — Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Projects)
Rear Admiral Khawaja Ghazanfar Hussain — Naval Secretary

Commands

Vice Admiral Saleem Ahmed Meenai — Commander Karachi (COMKAR)
Vice Admiral Mohammed Shafi — Commander Coast (COMCOAST)
Vice Admiral Azhar Shamim Anwer — Commander Logistics (COMLOG)
Rear Admiral M Asif Sandila — Commander Pakistan Fleet (COMPAK)
Rear Admiral Tayyab Ali Dogar — Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST)
Commodore Syed Hasan Mustafa — Commander North (COMNOR)

External billets

Rear Admiral Mohammad Shafiq — Deputy DG ISI
Rear Admiral Khalid Amin — Director General, Maritime Technologies Complex (MTC)
Rear Admiral Shafqat Javed — Additional Secretary-III (Navy) at Ministry of Defence
Rear Admiral Azhar Hayat — General Manager (Operations) Karachi Port Trust (KPT)
Rear Admiral Sayyid Khawar Ali — DG Training at Joint Staff HQ
Rear Admiral Tehseen Ullah Khan — DG Maritime Security Agency (MSA)
Rear Admiral Khan Hasham Bin Saddique — Commandant National Security College at NDU Islamabad
Rear Admiral Mohammad Zakaullah — Commander Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, Manama, Bahrain

List of Naval Chiefs

1.Rear Admiral James Wilfred Jefford (August 15, 1947 - January 30, 1953)[15]
2.Vice Admiral Haji Mohammad Siddiq Choudri (January 31, 1953 - 28 February 1959)[15]
3.Vice Admiral Afzal Rahman Khan (March 1, 1959 - October 20, 1966)[15]
4.Vice Admiral Syed Mohammad Ahsan (October 20, 1966 - August 31, 1969)[15]
5.Vice Admiral Muzaffar Hassan (September 1, 1969 - December 22, 1971)[15]
6.Vice Admiral Hasan Hafeez Ahmed (March 3, 1972 - March 9, 1975)[15]
7.Admiral Mohammad Shariff (March 23, 1975 - March 21, 1979)[15]
8.Admiral Karamat Rahman Niazi (March 22, 1979 - March 23, 1983)[15]
9.Admiral Tariq Kamal Khan (March 23, 1983 - April 9, 1986)[15]
10.Admiral Iftikhar Ahmed Sirohey (April 9, 1986 - November 9, 1988)[15]
11.Admiral Yastur-ul-Haq Malik (November 10, 1988 - November 8, 1991)[15]
12.Admiral Saeed Mohammad Khan (November 9, 1991 - November 9, 1994)[15]
13.Admiral Mansurul Haq (November 10, 1994 - May 1, 1997)[15]
14.Admiral Fasih Bokhari (May 2, 1997 - October 2, 1999)[15]
15.Admiral Abdul Aziz Mirza (October 2, 1999 - October 2, 2002)[15]
16.Admiral Shahid Karimullah (October 3, 2002 - October 6, 2005)
17.Admiral Afzal Tahir (October 7, 2005 - October 7, 2008)
18.Admiral Noman Bashir (October 7, 2008 - present)

Organization

The supreme commander of the Navy is the Chief of the Naval Staff. Admiral Noman Bashir is the current Chief of the Navy.

The navy has six commands:

COMKAR(Commander Karachi) - Looks after the shore establishments of the Navy which provide services and training facilities for the PN. He also looks after the protocol at Karachi. His responsibilities also include harbour defence.
COMPAK(Commander Pakistan Fleet) - The command heads the surface, sub surface and aviation commands. In fact, this command is the war fighting machine having 4 dimensional components.
COMCOAST(Commander COAST) - The special command of SSG(N), Marines and Coastal stations.
COMLOG(Commander Logistics) - This command looks after the repair, maintenance and logistic infrastructure of PN.
FOST(FLAG OFFICER SEA TRAINING) Conducts all types of operational training at Sea
COMNOR(Commander North) - Looks after the Naval installations in the north of Pakistan;
COMWEST(Commander WEST) - Looks after the Naval installations in the west of Pakistan. The naval bases are Ormara, Pasni, Gwadar and Jiwani.

Special Forces

Special Services Group (N)

Special Service Group Navy (SSGN) is an independent commando division of the Pakistan Navy. It is an elite special operations force similar to the Royal Navy's Special Boat Service and United States Navy SEALS. Official numbers place the strength between 700 to 1,000, in 1 Company; however the actual strength is classified.

Marines

Pakistan Navy Marines division was re-established on April 14, 1990 with about 2000 men and plans to expand the force significantly by 2015. The naval marines are based at Port Qasim naval base.

The fleet

1 USS McInerney (FFG-8) (2010)[21]
4 Zulfiqar class Frigates
251 PNS Zulfiqar (Commissioned)
252 PNS Saif (launched)
253 PNS Shamsheer (launched)
254 PNS (under construction)

6 Tariq class Frigates
F181 PNS Tariq
F182 PNS Babur
F183 PNS Khaibar
F184 PNS Badr
F185 PNS Shah Jahan
F186 PNS Tippu Sultan

Mine Hunters
3 Eridan class Mine Hunter vessels
M166 Munsif
M167 Muhafiz
M168 Mahmood

Missile Boats
6 Jalalat class
P1023 PNS Jurrat
P1028 PNS Quwwat
P1022 PNS Jalalat
P1024 PNS Shujat
P1029 ?
P1030 ?

1 Larkana class
PNS Larkana

3 Sabqat class (huangefeng)
P1025 PNS Azmat
P1026 PNS Deshmat
P1027 PNS Himmat

1 Hegu class
P1021 PNS Haibat

1
PNS Rajshahi

Multi Role Tactical Platform
2 MRTP-33
PNS Zarrar
PNS Karrar

2 MRTP-15
P01 PNS ?
P02 PNS ?

Auxiliary
1 Fuqing class
A47 PNS Nasr

1 Poolster class
A20 PNS Moawin

2 Coastal tankers
PNS Kalmat
PNS Gawadar

1 Hydrographic Survey Vessel
PNS Behr Paima

1 Dredging Vessel
PNS Behr Khusha

2 Small tanker cum utility ship (STUS)
PNS ? (launched)
PNS ? (underconstruction)

Training vessel
1 Leander class frigate
F262 PNS Zulfiqar

Hover Crafts
4 Griffon class
Patrol boats

Submarines

total of five active diesel electric submarines plus 3 midget submarines, MG110 are in the Naval inventory.These include:

Agosta 90B class submarine
PNS/M Khalid
PNS/M Saad
PNS/M Hamza

2 Agosta 70
PNS/M Hasmat
PNS/M Hurmat

4 Daphne class submarine (Decommissioned)
PNS/M Hangor
PNS/M Ghazi 2
PNS/M Mangro
PNS/M Shushuk

3 MG110 class midget submarine
All of the Pakistani SSKs have been equipped with AshMs which can be fired while submerged. The three Khalid class boats are capable of firing Exocet AshM, while the older Agostas and Daphnes have been equipped with US Harpoon AshMs. PNS/M Hamza (third Agosta-90B) is equipped with the MESMA Air Independent Propulsion system, PNS/M Khalid and PNS/M Saad will be upgraded with the same MESMA AIP system in the near future. The Pakistan Navy also plans to integrate the Boeing Harpoon Block II on to its Agosta-90Bs; and currently the Agosta-90Bs are capable of firing Blackshark torpedoes.

In mid-2006 the Pakistan Navy announced its requirement of three new SSK attack submarines to replace the two Agosta-70 submarines and rebuild its fleet - after retiring the four Daphne Class. The French naval firm DCN had offered its latest export design - the Marlin SSK - which is based on the Scorpene SSK, but also uses technology from the Barracuda nuclear attack submarine. However, the Pakistan Navy is said to have chosen the Type 214 submarine. During the IDEAS 2008 exhibition, the HDW chief Walter Freitag told “The commercial contract has been finalised up to 95 per cent,” he said. The first submarine would be delivered to the Pakistan Navy in 64 months after signing of the contract while the rest would be completed successively in 12 months.

Pakistan is also seeking to enhance its strategic strike capability by developing naval variants of the Babur land attack cruise missile (LACM). The Babur LACM has a range of 700 km and is capable of using both conventional and nuclear warheads. Future developments of LACM include capability of being launched from submarines, surface combatants and aircraft.

Frigates

The Navy's six frigates include six ex-British Amazon class (PNS Babur) ships. These are expected to retire between 2010 and 2020.In 2005 Pakistan ordered four F-22P light frigates from China in a deal worth $750 million.The first has been commissioned and the remainder by 2013.One of the F-22Ps will be built in the Karachi Shipyard. The F-22Ps also have the ability to embark Harbin Z-9 helicopters on deck.The F-22P is an improved version of the Type 053H3 Jiangwei II class light frigate, it has a displacement of at least 2500 tons.[27] The first F-22P is called PNS Zulfiqar, and thus the F-22Ps will be called Zulfiqar Class. According to Janes the Pakistan Navy is expected to place a formal request to the U.S. for six Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates to augment its surface fleet. These may replace the Type-21s and act as stop-gaps until new-built frigates and corvettes are commissioned. The weapons and systems on the PN FFG-7 have not yet been disclosed, but they could include the Mk 41 Vertical Launch System for the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) as well as Mk 32 torpedo tubes for Mk 46 Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) torpedoes. The frigate USS McInerney (FFG-8) with considerable anti-submarine warfare capability will be handed over in August 2010.According to Janes' IDEAS2004 interview with former Pakistan Navy Chief ex-Admiral Karimullah at least four additional new-built frigates will be acquired by the navy. The new frigate will be larger and superior to the F-22P; it will likely have a better air defence system and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability; and use more advanced sensors, radar and electronics. Kanwa recently reported that the Pakistan Navy has shown recent interest in the Chinese Type 054A frigate. Another potential option could be the TKMS MEKO A-200 frigate.

Corvettes & missile boats

The Pakistan Navy operates four Jalalat class 200 ton missile boats each armed with four Chinese C-802 anti-ship missiles. The Jalalat II Class were locally produced using a German design. In November 2006 the Pakistan Navy ordered two MRTP-33 missile boats from Yonca-Onuk shipyards of Turkey.[29] The first will be delivered in 2008. The Navy has an overall requirement of eight MRTP-33s.

Aviation

Pakistan Naval Aviation is an important arm of the Pakistan Navy and assists in the surface and submarine flights to guarantee the safety of Pakistan sea borders. Currently the PN Aviation Force consists of:

3 Westland Lynx - anti-ship/anti-submarine/transport helicopters
6 Westland Sea King Mk45 - transport helicopters[30]
8 Aérospatiale SA-319B Alouette III - transport/anti-ship helicopters[31]
4 Lockheed P-3C Orion - maritime surveillance/anti-submarine warfare aircraft/airborne early warning. Future supply of 6 more.[32]
5 Fokker F27-200 Friendship - maritime surveillance aircraft[25]
2-3 Breguet Atlantique I - maritime surveillance/anti-submarine warfare aircraft.[25]
12+ Dassault Mirage V - anti-ship attack aircraft[25] (operated by the Pakistan Air Force)
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Z-9 helicopters
Future acquisitions include:

At least two second hand helicopters but in flying condition, to replace the Westland Sea King Mk45.
At least two brand new helicopters to replace the Aerospatiale SA-319B Alouette III
Induction of one fighter squadron by 2009.

Others

The Pakistan Navy has one Poolster Class AOR and one Fuqing Class AOR auxiliary tankers as well as two Gwadar class coastal tankers. Three Eridan Class mine hunters are also in service with the PN; plans for additional mine hunters are underway
The Navy plans to procure a single replenishment tanker as well as up to two mine countermeasure vessels.

PN Role in War on Terror

The Pakistani Navy plays an active role in the multinational Combined Task Force 150.[33] The command of the force was give to Pakistan from March 24, 2006 till February 25, 2008. Under Pakistan's leadership, CTF 150 coordinated patrols throughout their area of operations to help commercial shipping and fishing operate safely and freely in the region. Additionally, CTF 150 Coalition ships made 11 successful at-sea rescues and made the largest drug bust in the CTF 150 AOO since 2005.[34] Pakistan has contributed 13 different ships to CTF 150 and the current one being PNS Tariq.

PAKISTAN AIR FORCE (PAF)

Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (Urdu: پاک فضائیہ, Pak Fiza'ya) is the air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role to provide air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role to provide strategic air transport and logistics capability to Pakistan. The PAF has 65,000 full-time personnel (including approximately 3,000 pilots) and operates approximately 700 aircraft, including 470+ combat aircraft.

Mission statement

The primary mission statement of the PAF was given by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, during his address to the passing out cadets of the Pakistan Air Force Academy Risalpur on 13 April, 1948, and has been taken as an article of faith by all coming generations of PAF personnel:

“ A country without a strong air force is at the mercy of any aggressor, Pakistan must build up its own Air Force as quickly as possible, it must be an efficient Air Force, second to none.”

But the present scenario has required and enabled the Force to come up with an improved and up-to-date Mission Statement: "To provide, in synergy with other Armed Forces, an efficient, assured and cost-effective aerial defense of Pakistan."

History

1947–1951: The Formative Years

The Royal Pakistan Air Force (RPAF) was established on 14 August 1947 with the independence of Pakistan from British India. The RPAF began with 2,332 personnel, a fleet of 24 Tempest II fighter-bombers, 16 Hawker Typhoon fighters (also called Tempest I), two H.P.57 Halifax bombers, 2 Auster aircraft, twelve North American Harvard trainers and ten de Havilland Tiger Moth biplanes. It also got eight C-47 Dakota cargo planes which it used to transport supplies to soldiers fighting in the 1947 War in Kashmir against India. However, it allegedly never received all the planes it was alloted at the time of independence of South Asia.[2] It started with 7 operational airbases scattered all over the provinces. The prefix Royal was removed when Pakistan gained the status of Republic on 23 March 1956. It has since been called Pakistan Air Force (PAF).

Operating these inherited aircraft was far from ideal in Pakistan's diverse terrains, deserts and mountains; frequent attrition and injuries did not make the situation any better. However, by 1948 the air force acquired better aircraft such as the Hawker Sea Fury fighter-bomber and the Bristol Freighter. These new aircraft gave a much-needed boost to the morale and combat capability of the Pakistan Air Force; 93 Hawker Fury and roughly 50-70 Bristol Freighter aircraft were inducted into the PAF by 1950

1951–1961: PAF enters the Jet Age

Although the Pakistan Air Force had little funds to use and markets to choose from, it entered the jet age quite early. Initially it had planned to acquire US-built F-94Cs, F-86s, or F-84s and produce its order in Pakistan. However, lack of funds and strong British pressure persuaded the PAF to acquire the British Supermarine Attacker. The first squadron equipped with these aircraft was the Number-11 "Arrow". The Supermarine Attacker had a rather unsatisfactory service in the Pakistan Air Force with frequent attrition and maintenance problems. In 1957 the Pakistan Air Force received 100 American-built F-86 Sabres under the U.S. aid program. Squadron after squadron in the PAF retired its Hawker Furys and Supermarine Attackers, and replaced them with F-86 jet fighters. In 1957 thirty-six year old Air Marshal Asghar Khan became the Pakistan Air Force's first commander-in-chief.

1959: IAF Crosses International Boundary

On 10 April 1959, on the occasion of the Islamic Eid festival holiday in Pakistan, an Indian Air Force (IAF) English Electric Canberra B(I)58 intruded into Pakistani airspace on a photo reconnaissance mission. Two PAF F-86F Sabres from No. 15 Squadron on Air Defence Alert (ADA) were scrambled from Peshawar Air Base to intercept the IAF intruder. The Sabre pilots were Flt. Lt. M. N. Butt (leader) and Flt. Lt. M. Yunus (wingman) whereas Pilot Officer Rab Nawaz was the on-duty Air Defence Controller for this mission. Nawaz successfully vectored both Sabres to the location of the high-flying Canberra. Butt attempted to bring down the Canberra by firing his Sabre's machine guns but the Canberra was flying at an altitude of more than 50,000 feet - beyond the operational ceiling of the F-86F. When Yunus took over from his leader, the Canberra suddenly lost height while executing a turn over Rawalpindi. Yunus grabbed this opportunity and fired a burst from his 12.7 mm guns that struck the Canberra at an altitude of 47,500 feet and brought it down over Rawat, near Rawalpindi. Thus, PAF drew 'first blood' against the IAF. '55-5005' was the serial number of the F-86F Sabre that was flown by Flt. Lt. Yunus that day. Both the occupants of the IAF Canberra, namely Sqn. Ldr. J.C. Sen Gupta (pilot) and Flt. Lt. S.N. Rampal (navigator) from the IAF's No. 106 Sqn., ejected and were taken prisoner by Pakistani authorities and were subsequently released after remaining in detention for some time

1965 India-Pakistan Rann of Kutch Border Skirmish

In June 1965, prior to the outbreak of the 1965 India-Pakistan War, India and Pakistan had a border skirmish in the Rann of Kutch region near the south-eastern coastline of Pakistan. The PAF was tasked with providing point-defence to the Rann of Kutch region to prevent the Indian Air Force (IAF) from intruding into Pakistani airspace and attacking Pakistan Army positions. On 24 June 1965, an IAF Gnat fighter (Serial No. IC 698), flown by Flt. Lt. Rana Lal Chand Sikka of No. 51 Auxiliary Squadron from the IAF's Jamnagar Air Station,who rose up to be an air marshall, intruded into Pakistani airspace. A PAF F-104A Starfighter from No. 9 Squadron which was retreating from an aborted mission saw the Gnat flying in Pakistani airspace and intercepted the IAF Gnat near Badin in Sindh, Pakistan. Just as the PAF pilot locked on to the Indian fighter and was about to release his AIM-9B Sidewinder Air-to-Air Missile (AAM), much to the surprise and amusement of the PAF pilot, the Indian pilot lowered his aircraft's landing gear (an internationally-recognized sign of aerial surrender). The IAF pilot landed at an open field near Jangshahi village near Badin. The IAF pilot was taken prisoner and released on 14 August 1965 - as a goodwill gesture on the 18th Anniversary of Pakistan's Independence Day - minus the IAF Gnat fighter, which was retained by the PAF as a trophy and flown by a PAF pilot to an airbase in Karachi. Today, the IAF Ouragaon is on display at the PAF Museum in karachi

1965 India-Pakistan War

In spite of the acquisition of a number of modern fighter jets from the United States, such as F-86 and F-104, the PAF, could not establish qualitative superiority over the Indian Air Force (IAF). Some Western observers noted that PAF pilots found the F-104 extremely difficult to handle because of which they weren't as effective as IAF's Folland Gnat.[8] The F-86F performed reasonably well over IAF's Hawker Hunters but had trouble in dealing with the Gnats, which earned the nickname Sabre Slayers.[9][10] The PAF, however, was able to inflict heavy losses on the Indians when it launched a preemptive strike and caught IAF's air bases by surprise.[11]

By the time the conflict ended, the PAF lost about 18-43 aircraft while the IAF

Muhammad Mahmood Alam downed
5 Indian aircraft
in less than a minute

1967 Arab-Israeli 'Six-Day' War

After the 1965 India-Pakistan War, some Arab countries requested Pakistan to depute some its pilots to their air forces.[citation needed]. Consequently, a small batch of PAF pilots were deputed to the air forces of Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Egypt. When the Arab-Israeli 'Six-Day' War broke out in 1967, these PAF pilots on deputation were requested by their host countries to participate in defensive combat operations.[citation needed]

On 5 June 1967, PAF pilot Flt. Lt. Saiful Azam, on deputation to the joint command of the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) and the Iraqi Air Force, was flying a defensive combat air patrol (CAP) over Jordan in an RJAF Hawker Hunter from Mafrak Air Base in Jordan. He was accompanied by 3 other RJAF Hunters. Their formation was informed by the ground controller of the presence of 6 Israeli Air Force IDF/AF Super Mysteres B-2s, which had crossed into Jordanian airspace. The 4 RJAF Hunters engaged the 6 IDF/AF Super Mysteres and Flt. Lt. Saiful Azam shot down an IDF/AF Super Mystere using the Hunter's 30 mm guns.[citation needed] With this kill, PAF pilots drew first blood against the IDF/AF. In this engagement, the Jordanians suffered no losses.

Two days later, in the morning of 7 June 1967, Flt. Lt. Saiful Azam. this time on deputation to the Iraqi Air Force (IrAF) was flying a defensive CAP in an IrAF Hawker Hunter (S. No. 702) over western Iraq from H3 Air Base in a formation of 4 IrAF Hunters. Ground controllers notified their formation of a formation of 8 Israeli aircraft - 4 IDF/AF Mirage IIICJs and IDF/AF 4 Vatour IIN Bombers - that had crossed into Iraqi airspace. The IrAF formation immediately engaged the Israeli aircraft and in the ensuing dogfight Flt. Lt. Saiful Azam shot down one IDF/AF Mirage IIICJ (Serial No. 6660) and one IDF/AF Vatour IIN Bomber with his Hunter's 30 mm guns. The M.IIICJ pilot was Gideon Dror, IAF, who ejected and was taken POW, while Vatour IIN bomber was the IDF/AF Vatour flight leader. In this engagement, the Iraqi Air Force suffered no loss.[citation needed]

RJAF and IrAF were flying under a joint command. Flt. Lt. S. Azam became the only pilot from the Arab side to have shot down 3 IDF/IAF aircraft within 72 hours and also the only pilot to have shot down 3 different aircraft types of the IDF/IAF. He was, subsequently, decorated by Jordan, Iraq, Syria and Pakistan

1971 India-Pakistan War

In December 1971, India and Pakistan went to war over erstwhile East Pakistan. On November 22, 10 days before the start of a full-scale hostilities, four Pakistani Air Force F-86 Sabre jets attacked Indian and Mukti Bahini positions near the Indian-Bangladeshi border in the Battle of Garibpur, and hostilities commenced. In what became the first ever dogfight over Bangladeshi skies, three of the 4 PAF Sabres were shot down by IAF Gnats. December 3 saw the formal declaration of war following massive preemptive strikes by the Pakistan Air Force against Indian Air Force installations in the west. The PAF targets were Indian bases in Srinagar, Ambala, Sirsa, Halwara and Jodhpur on the lines of Israeli Operation Focus. But the plan failed as the Indians had anticipated such a move and no major losses were suffered by the Indians.After the IAF retaliated, the PAF carried out more defensive sorties.

As the war progressed, the Indian Air Force continued to battle the PAF over conflict zones, but the number of sorties flown by the PAF gradually decreased day-by-day.The lack of coordination between Pakistan's air force and army was evident during the Battle of Longewala when the PAF was unable to come to aid the ground forces despite repeated requests by the Pakistan Army.The PAF did not intervene during the Indian Navy's raid on Karachi, a Pakistani naval port city. Some sources state that a commander decided it was the task of the Pakistan Navy alone to defend Karachi.

At the end of the war, the Indian Air Force claimed it had shot down 94 PAF aircraft, including 54 F-86 Sabres.According to some sources, the overall attrition rate (losses per 100 sorties) was 0.48 for the IAF and 1.42 for the PAF,the PAF flying 2914 combat sorties while the IAF flew 7,346 combat sortiesduring the conflict.According to a PAF officer, 61.5% of PAF's sorties were defensive while 65.5% of IAF's sorties were offensive.

A later image of types that participated
in one of the PAF's first strikes,
codenamed Operation Chengiz Khan onIndian
airfields in the North Western Sector,
during the 1971 war.

1973 Arab-Israeli 'Ramadhan/Yom Kippur' War

During the war 16 PAF pilots volunteered to go to the Middle East in order to support Egypt and Syria but by the time they arrived, Egypt had already been pushed into a ceasefire. Syria remained in a state of war against Israel.

On 23 October 1973, PAF pilot Flt. Lt. M. Hatif on deputation to Egyptian Air Force (EAF) was flying a EAF MiG-21 in a defensive combat air patrol (CAP) over Egypt when he was vectored towards an intruding Israeli Air Force (IDF/AF) F-4 Phantom. In the ensuing dogfight, Flt. Lt. M. Hatif shot down the Israeli Phantom.[25]

Eight (8) PAF pilots started flying out of Syrian Airbases; they formed the A-flight of 67 Squadron at Dumayr Airbase. The Pakistani pilots flew Syrian MiG-21 aircraft conducting CAP missions for the Syrians.

On 26 April 1974, PAF pilot Flt. Lt. Sattar Alvi on deputation to No. 67 Squadron, Syrian Air Force (SAF) was flying a SAF MiG-21FL Fishbed (Serial No. 1863) out of Dumayr Air Base, Syria in a two-ship formation with a fellow PAF pilot and the Flight Leader, Sqn. Ldr. Arif Manzoor. The Ground Controller, also a PAF officer, Sqn. Ldr. Salim Metla, vectored the two PAF pilots to a formation of 2 Israeli Air Force Mirage IIICJs and 2 F-4 Phantoms that had intruded into Syrian airspace over the Golan Heights. In the engagement that took place at 1532 hours, Flt. Lt. Sattar Alvi shot down an Israeli Mirage IIICJ using his MiG-21's R(K)-13 Air-to-Air Missile. The pilot of the downed Israeli Mirage was Capt. M. Lutz of No. 5 Air Wing, who ejected. The remaining Israeli fighters aborted the mission. The 2 IAF Mirage IIICJs were from Hatzor AFB and the 2 IAF F-4 Phantoms were from No. 1 Air Wing, Ramat David AFB, Israel.

Flt. Lt. A. Sattar Alvi became the first Pakistani pilot, during the Yom Kippur War, to shoot down an Israeli Mirage in air combat.He was honored by the Syrian government.[28] Other aerial encounters involved Israeli F-4 Phantoms; Pakistan Air Force did not lose a single pilot or aircraft during this war. The Pakistani pilots stayed on in Syria until 1976, training Syrian pilots in the art of air warfare

1979–1988 Soviet-Afghan War

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 in support of the pro-Soviet government in Kabul, which was being hard-pressed by Mujahadeen rebel forces, marked the start of a decade-long occupation. Mujahadeen rebels continued to harass the occupying Soviet military force as well as the forces of the Afghan regime that it was supporting. The war soon spilled over into neighbouring Pakistan, with a horde of refugees fleeing to camps across the border in an attempt to escape the conflict. In addition, many of the rebels used Pakistan as a sanctuary from which to carry out forays into Afghanistan, and a steady flow of US-supplied arms was carried into Afghanistan from staging areas in Pakistan near the border. This inevitably resulted in border violations by Soviet and Afghan aircraft attempting to interdict these operations.

Between May 1986 and November 1988, PAF F-16s have shot down at least eight intruders from Afghanistan. The first three of these (one Su-22, one probable Su-22, and one An-26) were shot down by two pilots from No. 9 Squadron. Pilots of No. 14 Squadron destroyed the remaining five intruders (two Su-22s, two MiG-23s, and one Su-25). Most of these kills were by the AIM-9 Sidewinder, but at least one (a Su-22) was destroyed by cannon fire. Flight Lieutenant Khalid Mahmood is credited with three of these kills. At least one F-16 was lost in these battles, this one in an encounter between two F-16s and six Afghan Air Force aircraft on April 29, 1987. However, the lost F-16 appears to have been an 'own goal', having been hit by a Sidewinder fired by the other F-16. The unfortunate F-16 pilot (Flight Lieutenant Shahid Sikandar Khan) ejected safely.

1983: The New Generation of Aircraft

In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. The violent Soviet invasion brought hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees to Pakistan. With the war being critical to Pakistan's national sovereignty and integrity, the PAF once again sought out modernization, including the procurement of new generation fighter aircraft. France offered its new Mirage 2000, while the PAF's senior officers were interested in procuring American F-16 or F-18L fighters. Initially the Americans refused to sell the F-16 or F-18L and instead offered F-20, F-5E/F or A-10 aircraft. Eventually the new Republican administration of Ronald Reagan approved the sale of F-16s to Pakistan, and in 1981 an agreement was made to supply 34 General Dynamics F-16A and 12 F-16B "Fighting Falcon" aircraft to the Pakistan Air Force.

The F-16s were delivered under the "Peace Gate" Foreign Military Sales Program; the first six were delivered in 1983 under "Peace Gate-I" while the remaining 34 arrived by 1986, under the "Peace Gate-II" program. Between 1986 and 1988 Pakistani F-16s took part in frequent skirmishes with Soviet and Afghan aircraft.[citation needed]

Pakistani F-16s typically carry two all-aspect AIM-9Ls on the wingtip rails, along with a pair of AIM-9Ps on the outermost underwing racks. The F-16s also have an important strike role for which they are fitted with the French-built Thomson-CSF ATLIS laser designation pod and have the capability to deliver Paveway laser-guided bombs[citation needed]. The ATLIS was first fitted to Pakistani F-16s in January 1986, which became the first non-European aircraft to be qualified for the ATLIS pod.

During the late 1980s, the Pakistan Air Force's Air Defence system also underwent modernization, including the induction and integration of new land-based AN/TPS-47 radars and new Crotale Surface-to-air missiles. Attempts to acquire a new AWACS aircraft were also made - with the E-3 Sentry being desired, but the U.S. would not sell it and instead offered the E-2 Hawkeye.

In 1988 the Pakistan Air Force sought to replace its F-6s and Mirages by 1997 with the procurement of new aircraft; initially a mix of Mirage 2000 and F-16A/B Block-15OCU were to be acquired alongside 90 or so F-7 (Chinese MiG-21). However in 1988 the death of Zia-ul-Haq and Soviet disengagement from Afghanistan reduced Pakistan's value as an US ally and sanctions were put in place by US authorities quoting a suspected nuclear program. Since 2002 the F-6 has been phased out of Pakistan Air Force and the last flight and farewell ceremony to the F-6 aircraft was held at Pakistan Air Force Base Samungli (Quetta Baluchistan), Wing Commander Arif had the honour of flying the last sortie of the F-6 aircraft in the presence of PAF Chief and Chinese Air Force high officials.
Pakistan has ordered a total of 111 F-16A/B aircraft. Of these, 71 were embargoed by the US due to Pakistan's nuclear weapons program. Of these 71, 28 were actually built but were flown directly to the AMARC at Davis-Monthan AFB for storage.

Over the years, various plans were conceived for these 28 aircraft: Pakistan wanted to get the aircraft or their money back; they were offered to various nations, none of which were interested; ultimately, the US Navy and USAF entered them into service as aggressor aircraft.

After Pakistan's help in the war on terror, the US lifted the embargo. In 2005, Pakistan requested 24 new Block 50/52 F-16C/Ds (with option for as much as 55 aircraft). At this moment, it is still debated in the US wether these aircraft will be delivered.

1990–2001: The Lost Decade

From 1990 Pakistan was hit by U.S. military embargoes (see Pressler amendment) in response to Pakistan's nuclear weapons development; these embargoes prevented the Pakistan Air Force from receiving the 71 F-16s ordered from the U.S., including the 28 that had been built. The U.S. military put these into storage at AMARC.

Now desperate for a new high-tech combat aircraft, between late 1990 and 1993 the PAF evaluated the European Panavia Tornado MRCA (multi-role combat aircraft) and rejected it. The Mirage 2000E and an offer from Poland for the supply of MiG-29 and Su-27 were also considered but nothing materialised. In 1992 the PAF again looked at the Mirage 2000, reviving a proposal from the early 1980s to procure around 20-40 aircraft, but again a sale did not occur because France did not want to sell a fully-capable version due to political reasons. In August 1994 the PAF was offered the Saab JAS-39 Gripen by Sweden, but again the sale did not occur because 20% of the Gripen's components were from the U.S. and Pakistan was still under U.S. sanctions.

After the 1998 nuclear tests and 1999 military coup, Pakistan was hit by further sanctions not only from the U.S. but other Western nations as well; it would not be until 2002 when the U.S. finally lifted most of the sanctions.

This situation forced Pakistan to rely heavily on China for combat aircraft, which although inexpensive, were not as capable as the latest Western aircraft Pakistan desired. To remedy the problem, Pakistan and China initiated projects to jointly develop new aircraft. The K-8 Karakorum intermediate jet trainer project was started in the late 1980s to replace the PAF's fleet of T-37 and FT-5 trainer aircraft. The JF-17 (known as FC-1 in China) light-weight multi-role combat aircraft project was started in the mid 1990s to replace PAF's fleets Mirage III/V and F-7P/PG strike and interceptor fighters.

Till date, around 400 examples of the K-8 Karakorum have been produced and it is currently serving in the air forces of Egypt and some African nations, as well as China and Pakistan. The JF-17, currently being inducted into the Pakistan Air Force, is also planned to be exported to other less wealthy countries, although it is currently unclear whether it will be inducted in large numbers by China. The JF-17 project is a major joint venture between Pakistan Air Force and China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation along with Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (CAIC).[31] The research and development costs of this project, partially financed by the government of Pakistan, is around 500 million US dollars. Estimated cost per aircraft will be around 10-20 million US dollars, depending on specifications. The first delivery of two JF-17 small batch production (SBP) aircraft took place in March 2007 for flight testing, avionics evaluation and weapons integration. Later, 6 more SBP aircraft were delivered and further deliveries are expected for operational induction of the first JF-17 squadron in mid 2009. Since January 2008, Pakistan has begun manufacturing parts and sub-assemblies for the JF-17 at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and this is to be expanded to production of 60% of the airframe.

As stop-gap solutions until new fighters arrived, the ROSE (Retrofit Of Strike Element) upgrade programme was initiated in the mid 1990s to modernise a number of Mirage III/V strike/interceptor fighters and carried on until the early 2000s. The last Shenyang F-6 were retired and replaced by around 50 new F-7PG fighters from China in 2002; the PAF were impressed by the capabilities of the F-7PG and placed an order for a further 11 aircraft. The F-7PG were fitted with Italy's FIAR (now SELEX Galileo) Grifo 7PG radar, while the F-7P fleet was upgraded with the Grifo 7 mk.II - an upgraded version of the Grifo 7.

1999 India-Pakistan Kargil Conflict

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) did not see active combat during the low-intensity Kargil Conflict between India and Pakistan during the summer of 1999 but remained on high air defence alert (ADA) and performed F-16 and F-7MP combat air patrols (CAPs) near the eastern border with India. The PAF closely monitored and tracked the IAF's movements near the Line of Control in Kashmir as well as the India-Pakistan international border. Occasionally, PAF F-16s and IAF Mirage 2000s locked on to each other across the Line of Control but did not engage.[32]

The IAF was involved in strike operations on the Line of Control and, on 37 occasions, intruded into Pakistani airspace at very low altitude, for only a few seconds and up to a few miles, thus, not giving the PAF an opportunity to shoot down any of their aircraft. Most of these intrusions were considered to be 'technical violations' relating to the layout of the Line of Control and not considered to be deliberate.

However, the Pakistan Army Air Defence, which was better positioned to tackle the low-flying IAF fighters on the Line of Control, shot down two Indian Air Force fighter-jets - a MiG-21 and MiG-27ML - on 27 May 1999 and a Mi-17 helicopter on 28 May 1999 near the Line of Control in Kashmir, the details of which are below:

On 27 May 1999, Gunner Sepoy Shafaqat Ali commanded by Capt. Faheem Tipu, Pakistan Army Air Defence shot down an IAF MiG-27ML using an ANZA-II SAM. The IAF fighter (Serial No. 1135), was flown by Flt. Lt. K. Nachiketa of No. 9 Squadron, IAF pilot who ejected and was taken prisoner. The IAF fighter was shot down after intruding into Pakistan airspace at 11:15 a.m. (PST) near Marol-Hamzi Ghund, Pakistan. Aircraft intruded into Pakistan airspace twice - it first marked a Pakistani position on the LoC with smoke bombs and then came in for a rocketing and strafing attack on the same post. It was shot down during the second attack as it exited. Wreckage fell on the Indian side of the LoC. IAF Pilot captured and made POW. Released on 4 June 1999.

Also on 27 May 1999, Naik Talib Hussain Basharat commanded by Capt. Faheem Tipu of the Pakistan Army Air Defence shot down an IAF MiG-21 using an ANZA-II SAM. The IAF fighter (Serial No. C1539) was flown by Sqn. Ldr. Ajay Ahuja of No. 17 Squadron, IAF, who was killed. The IAF fighter was shot down after intruding into Pakistan airspace at 11:35 a.m. (PST) near Marol-Hamzi Ghund, Pakistan. Aircraft was one of two IAF MiG-21s which targeted and then came in for a rocketing attack on a Pakistani post on the LoC. It was shot down while engaged in the attack at a height of 1,500 metres from ground level. Wreckage fell 10-12 kilometres inside Pakistan. Body of IAF pilot handed over to India on 29 May 1999.

On 28 May 1999, Lance Havaldar Muhammad Kamal of the Pakistan Army Air Defence shot down an IAF Mil Mi-17 Helicopter using a Stinger SAM. The crew of the IAF helicopter comprising of Flt. Lt. S. Mulihan, (Pilot); Sqn. Ldr. Rajiv Pundir (Co-pilot); Sgt. P.V.N.R. Prasad (Flt. Gunner); Sgt. Raj Kishore Sahu (Flt. Engineer) of No. 152 Helicopter Unit, IAF were all killed. The IAF helicopter was shot down after intruding into Pakistan airspace and rocketing Pakistani positions on the LoC in the Mushkoh-Drass sector. The gunship was shot down as it exited after carrying out the rocketing attack. Wreckage fell inside Indian-held Kashmir.

2001–Present: Counter Terrorism Operations

In light of Pakistan's significant contribution to the War on Terror[33][34], the United States and Western European countries, namely Germany and France, lifted their defense related sanctions on Pakistan; enabling the country to once again seek advanced Western military hardware. Since the lifting of sanctions, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) became heavily active in evaluating potential military hardware; such as new fighter planes, radars, land based air-defense systems, etc. The key factor had been the lifting of American sanctions on Pakistan; including restrictions on military combat aircraft - namely the Lockheed Martin F-16. However the urgent relief needed in Kashmir after the October 8 Earthquake forced the Pakistan Military to stall its modernization programme; so it could divert its resources for fuel and operations during the rescue effort.

The Bush administration on July 24, 2008 informed the US Congress it plans to shift nearly $230 million of $300 million in aid from counterterrorism programs to upgrading Pakistan's aging F-16s.[35] The Bush administration previously announced on June 27, 2008 it was proposing to sell Pakistan ITT Corporation's electronic warfare gear valued at up to $75 million to enhance Islamabad's existing F-16s.[36] Pakistan has asked about buying as many as 21 AN/ALQ-211(V)9 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suite pods, or AIDEWS, and related equipment.[37] The proposed sale will ensure that the existing fleet is "compatible" with new F-16 Block 50/52 fighters being purchased by Islamabad. Electronic warfare targets such things as radars, communications links, computer networks and advanced sensors.

The modernization stall would end in April 2006 when the Pakistani cabinet approved the Pakistan Air Force's proposal to procure 350 new fighters from the U.S. and China. The Pakistan Government has launched the Armed Forces Development Programme - 2019 (AFFDP-2019); this programme will oversee the modernization of the Pakistan Air Force from now to 2019. Some of the latest advanced combat aircraft are being sought from the US and China.[38]

PAF will be looking for additional F-16 MLU from third parties. In July 2007 Commander of Central Air Command of US Air Force Lt Gen Gary L. North, and another US Aviator flew a pair of F-16s to Pakistan for them to be handed to the Pakistan Air Force[39]. This was very extraordinary and unforeseen, because US CENTCOM commanders don't distribute jet aircraft to other partner nations. The Pakistan Air Force will consist of a variety of air-to-air and air-to-surface munitions.

On December 13, 2008, the Government of Pakistan alleges that two Indian Air Force aircraft were intercepted by the PAF kilometres within Pakistani airspace. This charge was denied by the Indian government

Awards for valor

The Nishan-e-Haider (Urdu: نشان حیدر) (Order of Ali),
is the highest military award given by Pakistan.
Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas (1951–August 20, 1971)
is the only officer of the PAF to be awarded the Nishan-e-Haider for sacrificing his life to save a plane hijacking. Other heroes of the PAF include:

Squadron Leader Muhammad Mahmood Alam also known as M. M.
Alam who shot down five IAF jets in less than 5 seconds. Squadron Leader Sarfraz Rafiqui who did not leave the battle, and even with his jammed guns continued to chase an Indian Air Force pilot until finally being shot down by a Hunter aircraft, flown by the IAF.

Organization



Personnel

Air Headquarters

Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman — Chief of Air Staff (CAS)
Air Marshal Hifazat Ullah Khan — Vice Chief of Air Staff (VCAS)
Air Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt — Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Personnel)
Air Marshal Wasimuddin — Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Administration)
Air Marshal Mohammad Hassan — Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Operations)
Air Vice Marshal Syed Athar Hussain Bukhari — Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Training)
Air Vice Marshal Asim Suleman — DG Air Intelligence
Air Vice Marshal Muhammad Jamshaid Khan — DG C4I
Air Vice Marshal Syed Azhar Hasan Bokhari — DG Air Force Strategic Command
Air Vice Marshal Muhammad Arif — Chief Project Director JF-17 Thunder
Air Vice Marshal Qasim Masood Khan — Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Engineering)
Air Vice Marshal Syed Razi Nawab — Inspector General Air Force
Air Vice Marshal Syed Hassan Raza — Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Support)

Commands

Air Vice Marshal Tubrez Asif — Commandant PAF Air War College
Air Vice Marshal Aftab Hussain — Air Officer Commanding, Air Defence Command (ADC)
Air Vice Marshal Sohail Gul Khan — Air Officer Commanding, Northern Air Command (NAC)
Air Vice Marshal Hafeez Ullah — Air Officer Commanding, Pakistan Air Force Academy
Air Vice Marshal Arshad Quddus — Air Officer Commanding, Southern Air Command (SAC)
Air Vice Marshal Sohail Aman — Air Officer Commanding, Central Air Command (CAC)

External billets

Air Marshal Farhat Hussain Khan — Chairman, Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), Kamra
Air Vice Marshal Riaz-ul-Haq — Deputy DG, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)
Air Vice Marshal Kamal Alam Siddiqui — Director, Precision Engineering Complex (PEC), Karachi
Air Vice Marshal Sajid Habib — DG Joint Operations, GHQ
Air Vice Marshal Najam ul Asar — Additional Secretary-II (PAF) at Ministry of Defence
Air Vice Marshal Tariq Matin — Managing Director, Technology Commercialization Corp (STEDEC) under Ministry of Science and Technology
Air Vice Marshal Zubair Iqbal Malik — DG Air Weapons Complex (AWC), Wah Cantt
Air Vice Marshal Asif Raza — DG National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Rawalpindi
Air Vice Marshal Aminullah Khan — Managing Director, Aircraft Manufacturing Factory (AMF) at PAC Kamra
— DG Logistics, Joint Staff Headquarters

List of Chiefs

Main article: Chief of Air Staff (Pakistan)
1.Air Vice Marshal Allan Perry-Keene (August 15, 1947 – February 17, 1949)
2.Air Vice Marshal Richard Atcherley (February 18, 1949 – May 6, 1951)
3.Air Vice Marshal Leslie William Cannon (May 7, 1951 – June 19, 1955)
4.Air Vice Marshal Arthur McDonald (June 20, 1955 – July 22, 1957)
5.Air Marshal Asghar Khan (July 23, 1957 – July 22, 1965)
6.Air Marshal Nur Khan (July 23, 1965 – August 31, 1969)
7.Air Marshal Abdul Rahim Khan (September 1, 1969 – March 2, 1972)
8.Air Marshal Zafar Chaudhry (March 3, 1972 – April 15, 1974)
9.Air Chief Marshal Zulfiqar Ali Khan (April 16, 1974 – July 22, 1978)
10.Air Chief Marshal Anwar Shamim (July 23, 1978 – March 5, 1985)
11.Air Chief Marshal Jamal A. Khan (March 6, 1985 – March 8, 1988)
12.Air Chief Marshal Hakimullah (March 9, 1988 – March 9, 1991)
13.Air Chief Marshal Farooq Feroze Khan (March 9, 1991 – November 8, 1994)
14.Air Chief Marshal Abbas Khattak (November 8, 1994 – November 7, 1997)
15.Air Chief Marshal Parvaiz Mehdi Qureshi (November 7, 1997 – November 20, 2000)
16.Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir (November 20, 2000 – February 20, 2003)
17.Air Chief Marshal Kaleem Saadat (March 18, 2003 – March 18, 2006)
18.Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed (March 18, 2006 – March 18, 2009)
19.Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman (March 19, 2009 – present)

Special Forces

Special Service Wing (SSW) is an independent commando division of the Pakistan Air Force. It is an elite special operations force based upon the US Air Force's 1st Special Operations Wing unit and the US Army's Ranger units. This the newest component to the Special Forces of Pakistan. The division has recently been created and is fielding between 700 to 1,000 men in one company.

Bases

These are the bases from which the PAF planes operate during peace time. They have complete infrastructure of hardened shelters, control towers, workshops, ordnance depots etc. These are ten in number and are:

PAF Mushaf (Sargodha)
PAF Masroor (Karachi)
PAF Faisal (Karachi)
PAF Rafiqui (Shorkot)
PAF Peshawar (Peshawar)
PAF Samungli (Quetta)
PAF Mianwali (Mianwali)
PAF Minhas (Kamra)
PAF Chaklala (Rawalpindi)
PAF Risalpur (Risalpur)
Multan Airport (Multan)

Current Aircraft Inventory

The PAF today operates F-16s, F-7PGs, F-7MPs, Mirage-IIIs, JF-17 Thunders, A-5Cs and Mirage-Vs, around 500 to 530 fighters organized in 27 front-line squadrons[46], the total of aircraft exceeds over 700[47]. The PAF is upgrading fighter aircraft such as the Mirage ROSE-I that can utilize BVR, and Mirage ROSE-III that can carry out surgical strike missions using long-range glide bombs. Pakistan has also started manufacturing 150 (can go up to 250-300 fighters) JF-17 Thunder fighters at Pakistan Aeronautical Complex at Kamra. The first batch of two aircraft were commissioned in PAF on 23 March 2007.

PAF currently has an inventory of around 850 fighter planes. However, at any given instance, around 550 fighters are operational.Some 200 of the Mirages have been given ROSE upgrades - allowing them to engage in BVR combat; and also allowing them to either perform high-altitude air-superiority missions or specialized surface strike missions. The F-7PGs and F-16s are the PAF's main multi-role fighter aircraft - while the F-7MP is a limited interceptor/ground-strike aircraft. It is likely however that the PAF will procure another 14 F-16A/B MLU-3 and 18 F-16C/D Block-52+ and start retiring its F-7MPs and non ROSE Mirages.

On April 12, 2006, the Government of Pakistan authorized the purchase of up to 77 F-16 fighter planes from the US. But this number was reduced to 40 when US declined to reduce the unit price of the aircraft. The Government of Pakistan had also authorized the purchase of 36 Chinese J-10B fighter aircraft PAF also received its first of five Saab 2000 AWACS aircraft from Sweden, on April 3, 2008.

On March 15, 2008, Pakistan received 6 JF-17 fighters from China. The Pakistan Air Force currently has 8 JF-17 Thunder aircraft in service.





Some 70 of the Dassault Mirage III and Mirage V aircraft have been modernised under the ROSE upgrade programme, allowing them to perform either high-altitude air-superiority missions or specialized surface strike missions, depending on the variant. The Chengdu F-7P/PG serve as interceptor aircraft that can also perform limited ground strike duties. The F-16 is the PAF's most capable multi-role combat aircraft. The PAF is currently in the process of modernising its entire fleet of aircraft. Procurement of a further 26 used F-16 and 18 new F-16 combat aircraft from the USA, as well as upgraded systems for the PAF's current fleet of F-16, are to be delivered ~2010. There are 150-250 JF-17 and 36 FC-20 combat aircraft from China being ordered and delivered. airborne early warning and control (AEWC) aircraft from Sweden, America and China have been ordered, as well as Il-78 aerial refuelling tanker aircraft from Ukraine. The JF-17 will begin replacing the PAF's fleet of Mirage III, Mirage V, F-7P/PG and A-5 combat aircraft from 2009, the phasing out and retirement of old aircraft will begin ~2010.

Ground SAM vehicles

FT-2000/HQ-9, In October 2003, it was reported that China had closed a deal with Pakistan to supply an unspecified number of FT-2000 missiles to counter India’s early warning. capabilities.[55] Pakistan is actively looking to purchase Chinese HQ-9/FD2000 high-altitude missile air defense system.[56] Chinese HQ-9/FD2000 can hit aircraft out to 125 kilometers, air-launched cruise missiles out to 50 kilometers, and ballistic missiles out to 25 kilometers.Pakistan has already purchased JY-11, JYL-1, (earlier version of the self propelled YLC-2V) YLC-2 and JL3D-90A radars. These radars serve as Acquisition Radars for HQ-12/KS-1A (Which lost to spada-2000) and HQ-9 / FD-2000 high-altitude missile air defense system.[57] Pakistan is purchasing three Regiments/9 batteries of the CPMIEC-built HQ-9 long-range surface-to-air missile (LR-SAM) system.[58]
Crotale 2000/3000/4000, approx 25 systems
MBDA Spada 2000, European missile house MBDA has officially confirmed the sale of its Spada 2000 air defense system to the Pakistan Air Force.Speaking on April 16, Chief Executive Antoine Bouvier said the deal for 10 batteries was worth 415 million euros ($656.56 million) over five years, adding that the contract was signed last August and put into force in February.[59] Pakistan has ordered 750 Aspide-2000 SAM in 2007 for 20 Spada-2000 SAM system.[52]
FIM-92 Stinger
RBS-70 Rayrider, 250 Launchers, 900 Missiles
HQ-2B(SA-2), approx 32 launchers 600msl
PL-9, combined with twin 35/37 mm guns
GDF-002 35 mm radar Controlled Systems, approx 400

Engineering & maintenance capability

Since independence the PAF has developed and nurtured an extensive in house engineering, maintenance and repair capability. Indigenization of in house maintenance has enabled it to maintain force levels and high serviceability and reliability rates. The premier maintenance organizations supporting the mission of the Pakistan Air Force are Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (which includes F6 Rebuild Factory, Mirage Rebuild Factory, Aircraft Manufacturing Factory, Kamra Avionics Rebuild Factory), No 102 Air Engineering Depot (Aero-Engines Overhaul), No 107 Air Engineering Depot (Avionics), No 108 Air Engineering Depot (Ground Radars), No 109 Air Engineering Depot (Missiles), No 130 Air Engineering Depot (Transport Aircraft Overhaul). R&D work is done at Central Technical Development Unit, Special Task Group & No 118 Software Engineering Depot. The PAF managed / supported Air Weapon Complex (AWC) produces a number of high technology armament and munitions for the air force.

The College of Aeronautical Engineering (CAE) situated at PAF Academy Risalpur is a world class Aeronautical Engineering College which graduates engineers in aerospace and avionics and is one of the best technical institutes in Pakistan and fulfills requirements for both Army & Navy satisfactorily.

Apart from this Pre Trade Training School, School Of Aeronautics, School Of Electronics, Administrative Trades Training School and School Of Logistics fulfills different manpower requirements of Pakistan Air Force.

PAF is also supporting a university (AIR UNIVERSITY and IAA) at PAF complex Islamabad which provide civil students and military cadet with world class engineering facilities.

The Future




More weaponry procurements

AIM-120C7 AMRAAM beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (1000 ordered).
AIM-9X Sidewinder within-visual-range air-to-air missile (1000 ordered).
AIM-9M-1/2 Sidewinder within-visual-range air-to-air missile (upgraded to AIM-9M-8/9, 300 ordered).
SD-10 beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile.
PL-9C within-visual-range air-to-air missile.
Denel A-Darter within-visual-range air-to-air missile.
Harpoon Block II anti-ship missile.
Mectron MAR-1 anti-radiation missile (100 received).
Lockheed Martin Sniper XR targeting pod (18 ordered).
Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW)
Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM)

Pakistan Army

History of the Pakistan Army

1947 - 1958.

The Pakistani Army was created on 30 June 1947 with the division of the British Indian Army and Pakistan received six armoured, eight artillery and eight infantry regiments compared to the forty armoured, forty artillery and twenty one infantry regiments that went to India.Fearing that India would take over the state of Kashmir, irregulars, scouts and tribal groups joined the Kashmiris opposing the maharaja in 1947. This lead to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947.[verification needed] Regular army units joined the invasion later on but were stopped after the refusal of the Pakisatan army C-in-C to obey Pakistani leader Jinnah's orders to move the army into Kashmir. Ceasefire followed on UN intervention with Pakistan occupying the northwestern part of Kashmir and India the rest. Later, during the 1950s, the Pakistani Army received large amounts of economic and military aid from United States and Great Britain after signing two Mutual Defense Treaties, Central Treaty Organization, (Cento) also known as the Baghdad Pact and SEATO, (South East Asian Treaty Organization) in 1954. This aid greatly expanded the Army from its modest beginnings.

The sole division HQ that went to Pakistan was the 7th. 8th and 9th Divisions were raised in 1947; 10, 12 and 14 Divs were raised in 1948. 15 Div was raised in 1950. At some point before 1954, 6 Div was raised and 9 Div disbanded. 6 Div was disbanded at some point after 1954 as US assistance was available only for 1 armd and 6 inf divs. 1st Armoured Div was raised in 1956.

1958 - 1969

The Army seized control of Pakistan for the first time when General Ayub Khan came to power through a bloodless coup in 1958. Tensions with India continued in the 1960s and a brief border skirmish was fought near the Rann of Kutch area during April 1965, in which the Indian Army was repulsed with heavy casualties. Emboldened, the Pakistan Army leaders carried out Operation Gibraltar, an attempt to take Kashmir, that was launched later in the year, resulting in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, after the Pakistani infiltrators were discovered, India counter-attacked. The 3-week war ended in a U.N. mandated ceasefire culminating in the Tashkent Declaration. However, the military generally considers the 1965 war as a victory over a rival that outnumbered it by almost 3 to 1 in all military aspects. In that regard, the valour of Major Raja Aziz Bhatti of thwarting an entire Indian Brigade planning to break into Lahore and the Battle Of Chawinda are considered to be one of the most courageous feats in the army. At Chawinda the Pakistan Army was vastly outnumbered in terms of personnel and equipment but it is said that victory was achieved when Pakistani East Bengal Regiment soldiers tied bombs to their bellies in order to stop the advancing Indian tanks. An uprising against General Ayub Khan, during 1968 and 1969 resulted in Ayub Khan relinquishing his office as President and Chief of Pakistan Army in favor of General Yahya Khan who assumed power in 1969.6 Armoured and 11 Infantry Divisions were raised in adhoc form 1964-65. 16, 18 and 23 Divisions were raised at some point between 1966-69; and 9 Division was re-raised in this period.

1969 - 1977

During the rule of General Yahya Khan, the Bengalis protested their poor conditions and civil unrest broke out in East Pakistan amidst incidents of massive human rights abuses carried out and genocide by the Pakistani Army and military. India joined the war on the side of Bangladesh following seven months of civil war in November 1971, and on the 16th of December, 1971, over 90,000 Pakistani Armed forces personnel (army, air force and navy) around 40,000 government and civil employees surrendered (which is the highest number of POW's after World War II)to the Indian forces and Bangladesh became a republic. Consequently, the Pakistan army was modernized at a faster pace than ever before.

1977 - 1999

In 1977 the Pakistan Army took over the government of Pakistan after a coup by General Zia ul-Haq, which saw the end of another democratically elected government leading to the hanging of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, after he was tried and found guilty of conspiracy of murdering a politician named Kasuri. General Zia ul-Haq ruled as a military dictator until his mysterious explosion aircraft death in 1988.At that time General Mohammad Iqbal Khan was an other great general of Pakistan who served as a joint chief from 1980 to 1984.he was also the Chief Martial Law Officer at that time.if general zia ul haq would have resigned at that time he would be the next COAS.

Pakistani army also helped the Saudi Arabian Government in regaining the control of the Kaaba with the help of French Commandos. Pakistani and French security forces retook the Kaaba in a battle which left approximately 250 dead, and 600 wounded. The Pakistanis and French were called in after poor results from assaults by the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG). 127 were reported to have been killed.

In the mid-1970s the Pakistani Army was involved in fighting an uprising in Balochistan. Various Balochi factions, some with the oblique support of the USSR, wanted independence or at least greater provincial rights. The rebellion was put down but the Army suffered heavy casualties.

With the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the United States began to provide large scale military and economic aid to Pakistan to modernize its conventional military capability and, ostensibly at least, prevent any Soviet attacks on it. This aid was also intended as an incentive for Pakistan to aid CIA sponsored Afghan Mujahideen (called "Army of GOD") in Afghanistan. The SSG created a unit called the Black Storks in which SSG commandos were dressed up as Afghan Mujahideen during the Soviet-Afghan war. They were then flown into Afghanistan and provided the Mujahideen with support. The United States allocated about 40% of its assistance package to non-reimbursable credits for military purchases, the fourth largest program after Israel, Egypt and Turkey. The remainder of the aid program was devoted to economic assistance.

After the Soviets withdrew by 1989 and the Pakistani Nuclear weapons program nearing maturity, Pakistan was placed under sanctions by USA in 1990. Various weapon systems ordered by Pakistan such as F-16 Jets were not delivered but various amendments have authorized return of spare parts and end items already paid for by Pakistan. There was a period of international sanctions due to Pakistan's nuclear tests. During 1999 the Pakistan Army for the fourth time overthrew a democratically elected government which resulted in additional sanctions being placed against Pakistan

The Army fought a brief border skirmish with India in Kargil 1999 after the Pakistan Army sent in their para-military NLI troops dressed as mujahiddin into Indian territory. There was a danger of the war spiraling out of control when Nawaz Sharif, under immense pressure from Washington, eventually ordered a withdrawal. This decision and the resulting Pakistani casualties created great resentment in the Army against the Prime Minister and is rumored to have contributed to his eventual over throwing by the COAS.

40 and 41 Divs were raised in the 1980s; Two more divs have been raised under the rubric "Corps Reserves" for V and XXXI corps.

1999 - Present

In October 1999 the Pakistan Army for the fourth time, overthrew a democratically elected government which resulted in additional sanctions being placed against Pakistan, resulting in General Pervez Musharraf coming to power in a bloodless coup. Musharraf stepped down as President in August 2008. On July 30, 2009, the Pakistan Supreme Court ruled that General Musharraf's imposition of the Emergency Rule in 2007 was unconstitutional.

Since the 9/11 incident, Pakistan unrecognized the Taliban and has become a key ally of the United States in the fight against terrorism. As part of the U.S.'s War on Terrorism, the army has moved over 100,000 troops to the Pakistan-Afghan border to patrol against extreme elements cross border infiltration.

The Pakistan Army commenced operations in Balochistan during 2006, resulting in the killing of the leader of the Balochis, Nawab Akbar Bugti and has resulted in the crushing of a rebellion by the Balochistan Liberation Army.

On February 21,2009, the Pakistani government and armed forces decided to implement a truce with the Taliban rather than engage in on-off guerrilla warfare to the dismay of many of Pakistan's Western allies including the United States. As a result of this truce, Shariah or Islamic law was to be implemented in the Malakand division - a region in North-West Pakistan that includes the one time tourist haven, Swat Valley. However, when Taliban did not lay down their weapons as part of the deal which would result in the implementation of Islamic law, the Pakistan army supported by the country's parliament embarked on a full-scale military operation in order to 'eliminate' militants that challenge the writ of the state.

Recent press releases by military spokespersons claim to have already killed over 1,000 militants. The militants, on the other hand, claim to have taken less losses than the military. However, due to the intensity of the conflict and the curfew imposed by the government in the area, it is difficult to verify this independently. Most observers believe that the military is regaining territory that was in control of the militants, although the speed of this progress is considerably slow. Notable defence analysts believe that if the Pakistan army is serious about tackling the threat of militancy, it will be successful in quelling this insurgency.

Pakistan Army Role in Peacekeeping

In the wake of the new world power equilibrium a more complex security environment has emerged. It is characterized by growing national power politics and state implosions which have necessitated involvement of the United Nations peace keeping forces for conflict resolution.

The United Nations has been undertaking peace keeping operations since its inception, but the need for employment of peace keeping forces has increased manifold since the Gulf War. In 1992 there were 11000 Blue Berets deployed around the world, by the end of the year the figure rose to 52000. Presently it exceeds a staggering figure of 80,000 troops.





Pakistan Contribution in UN Peace Keeping Missions
UN Operation in Congo (ONUC) 1960-1964
UN Security Force in New Guinea, West Irian (UNSF) 1962-1963
UN Yemen Observer Mission Yemen (UNYOM) 1963-1964
UN Transition Assistance Group in Namibia (UNTAG) 1989-1990
UN Iraq-Kuwait Observer Mission (UNIKOM) 1991-2003
UN Mission in Haiti (UNMIH) 1993-1996
UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) 1992-1993
UN Operations in Somalia (UNOSOM) 1992-1995
UN Protection Forces in Bosnia (UNPROFOR) 1992-1995
UN Observer Mission for Rawanda (UNAMIR) 1993-1996
UN Verification Mission in Angola (UNAVEM III) 1995-1997
UN Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia (UNTAES) 1996-1997
UN Mission of Observers in Prevlaka (UNMOP) 1996-2002
UN Assistance Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) 2001-2005
UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) 1999-to-date
UN Mission in Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) 2003-to-date
UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) 2003-to-date
UN Mission in Ivory Coast (ONUCI) 2004-to-date
UN Mission in Burundi (ONUB) 2004-to-date
UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) 2005-to-date
UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) 1999-to-date
Currently, Pakistan has the most operational army in UN peace keeping missions. Notable are its achievements in DRC and Somalia







The Pakistan Army (Urdu: پاک فوج) is the largest branch of the Pakistan military, and is mainly responsible for protection of the state borders, the security of administered territories and defending the national interests of Pakistan within the framework of its international obligations.

The Pakistan Army, combined with the Navy and Air Force, makes Pakistan's armed forces the sixth largest military in the world. The Army is modelled on the United Kingdom armed forces and came into existence after the independence in 1947. It has an active force of 700,000 personnel and 528,000 men in reserve that continue to serve until the age of 45 and several other groups functioning under its many umbrella organisations.The Pakistani Army is a volunteer force and has been involved in many conflicts with India. Combined with this rich combat experience, the Army is also actively involved in contributing to United Nations peacekeeping efforts. Other foreign deployments have consisted of Pakistani Army personnel as advisers in many African, South Asian and Arab countries. The Pakistani Army maintained division and brigade strength presences in some of the Arab countries during the past Arab-Israeli Wars, and the first Gulf War to help the Coalition. The Pakistani Army is led by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

Combat Doctrine

Pakistan Army has a doctrine of limited "offensive-defense"[citation needed] which it has tried to refine consistently ever since 1989 when it was pushed out to the formations during "Exercise Zarb-e-Momin". The main purpose of this strategy is to launch a sizeable offensive into enemy territory rather than wait to be hit from the enemy's offensive attack. The doctrine is based on the premise that while on the offensive, the enemy can be kept off-balance while allowing Pakistani Army to be able to seize enemy territory of strategic importance which can be used as a bargaining chip on into enemy territory, the Pakistani Army hopes to consolidate its gains inside the enemy's territory. The Pakistan Army will attempt to keep the enemy off of the border rather than giving ground on the Pakistani side.

In the 1990s, the Army created a strong centralized corps of reserves for its formations in the critical semi-desert and desert sectors in southern Punjab and Sindh provinces. These new formations were rapidly equipped with assets needed for mechanized capability. These reserve formations are dual-capable, meaning they can be used for offensive as well as defensive (holding) purposes.

Organization

The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), formerly called the Commander in Chief (C in C), is charged with the responsibility of commanding the Pakistani Army. The COAS operates from army headquarters in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad. The Principal Staff Officers (PSO's) assisting him in his duties at the Lieutenant General level include a Chief of General Staff (CGS), under whom the Military Operations and Intelligence Directorates function; the Chief of Logistics Staff (CLS); the Adjutant General (AG); the Quarter-Master General (QMG); the Inspector General of Training and Evaluation (IGT&E); and the Military Secretary (MS). A major reorganization in GHQ was done in September 2008 under General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, when two new PSO positions were introduced: the Inspector General Arms and the Inspector General Communications and IT, thus raising the number of PSO's to eight.

The headquarters function also includes the Judge Advocate General (JAG), and the Comptroller of Civilian Personnel, the Chief of the Corps of Engineers (E-in-C) who is also head of Military Engineering Service (MES), all of them also report to the Chief of the Army Staff.

The current Principal Staff Officers (PSO's) assisting the COAS in his duties at the Lieutenant General level include:

Chief of General Staff (CGS) — Lt Gen Mohammad Mustafa Khan
Chief of Logistics Staff (CLS) — Lt Gen Shafaat Ullah Shah
Inspector General Arms — Lt Gen Jamil Haider
Adjutant General (AG) — Lt Gen Javed Zia
Quarter-Master General (QMG) — Lt Gen Zahid Hussain
Inspector General Training and Evaluation (IGT&E) — Lt Gen Ahsan Azhar Hayat
Military Secretary (MS) — Lt Gen Mohsin Kamal
Inspector General Communications and IT — Lt Gen Tanvir Tahir

List of Chiefs of Army Staff

1.General Sir Frank Messervy (15 August 1947 - 10 February 1948)
2.General Sir Douglas Gracey (11 February 1948 - 16 January 1951)
3.Field Marshall Muhammad Ayub Khan (16 January 1951 - 26 October 1958)
4.General Mohammad Musa Khan (27 October 1958 - 17 June 1966)
5.General Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan (18 June 1966 – 20 December 1971)
6.Lt General Gul Hassan Khan (20 December 1971 - 3 March 1972)
7.General Tikka Khan (3 March 1972 – 1 March 1976)
8.General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (1 April 1976 - 17 August 1988)
9.General Mirza Aslam Beg (17 August 1988 - 16 August 1991)
10.General Asif Nawaz (16 August 1991 - 8 January 1993)
11.General Abdul Waheed (8 January 1993 - 12 January 1996)
12.General Jehangir Karamat (12 January 1996 - 6 October 1998)
13.General Pervez Musharraf (7 October 1998 - 28 November 2007)
14.General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani (29 November 2007 - present)

Structure of Army units

The Pakistani Army is divided into two main branches, which are Arms and Services. Arms include:

Army Infantry Regiments
Regiment of Artillery
Armoured Corps Regiments
Regiment of Air Defence
Corps of Engineers
Army Medical Corps
Corps of Signals
Army Aviation Corps
And Services include:

Army Ordnance Corps
Corps of Electrical & Mechanical Engineering (EME)
Army Supply & Transport Corps (ASC)

Regiments

Infantry:
Frontier Force (FF)
Punjab
Sindh
Baloch
Azad Kashmir (AK)
Northern Light Infantry (NLI)
The President's Bodyguard
Armour
4th Cavalry
5th Horse
6th Lancers
7th Lancers
8th Cavalry
9th Horse
10th Cavalry (Guides Cavalry)
11th Cavalry
12th Cavalry
13th Lancers
14th Lancers
15th Lancers
16th Horse
17th Lancer
18th Horse
19th Lancers
20th Lancers
21st Horse
22nd Cavalry
23rd Cavalry
24th Cavalry
25th Cavalry
26th Cavalry
27th Cavalry
28th Cavalry
29th Cavalry
30th Cavalry
31st Cavalry
32nd Cavalry
33rd Cavalry
34th Lancers
37th Cavalry
38th Cavalry
40th Horse
41st Horse
42nd Lancers
51st Lancers
52nd Cavalry
53rd Cavalry
52nd Cavalry
53rd Cavalry
54th Cavalry
55th Cavalry
56th Cavalry
57th Cavalry
58th Cavalry


*The President's Bodyguard formed at independence from members of the Governor General's Bodyguard, itself successor to the Governor's Troop of Moghals raised in 1773
*5th Horse is the successor to the 1st Sikh Irregular Cavalry (Wales's Horse), and the 2nd Sikh Irregular Cavalry, both raised in 1857
*6th Lancers is the successor to The Rohilkhand Horse raised in 1857, and the 4th Sikh Irregular Cavalry raised in 1858
*Guides Cavalry (Frontier Force) is the successor to the Corps of Guides raised in 1846
*11th Cavalry (Frontier Force) is the successor to 1st Regiment of Punjab Cavalry and 3rd Regiment of Punjab Cavalry, both raised in 1849
*13th Lancers is the successor to the 1st Native Troop raised in 1804, and the 2nd Native Troop raised in 1816. It is also the senior most armour regiment of the Indian Sub-Continent.
*15th Lancers is the successor to the Multani Regiment Of Cavalry raised in 14 January 1858.
*19th Lancers is the successor to the 2nd Mahratta Horse (Tiwana Horse) raised in 1858, and Fane's Horse raised in 1860
*25th Cavalry (Frontier Force) is the famous unit which stopped Indian armour thrust in Chawinda in 1965
*The Punjab Regiment formed in 1956 from the 1st, 14th, 15th and 16th Punjab Regiments; can be traced back to the 3rd Battalion of Coast Sepoys raised in 1759
*The Baloch Regiment formed in 1956 from the 8th Punjab Regiment, The Baloch Regiment, and The Bahawalpur Regiment; can be traced back to the 3rd Extra Madras Battalion raised in 1798
*The Frontier Force Regiment is the successor to the Frontier Brigade raised in 1846
*The Azad Kashmir Regiment was raised in 1947, became part of the army in 1971
*The Sindh Regiment was raised in 1980 from battalions of the Punjab Regiment and Baloch Regiment
*The Northern Light Infantry was formed in 1977 from various paramilitary units of scouts, became part of the army in 1999 after the Kargil War
*The Special Service Group was formed in 1959 around a cadre from the Baloch Regiment

Corps

There are 11 Corps including the newly formed Army Strategic Forces Command (2004) and Army Air Defence Command located at various garrisons all over Pakistan

Corps HQ Location Major Formations under Corps Commander

I Corps Mangla, Azad Kashmir 6th Armoured Division (Kharian), 17th Infantry Division (Kharian), 37th Infantry Division (Gujranwala) Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmad

II Corps Multan, Punjab 1st Armoured Division (Multan), 40th Infantry Division (Okara) Lt Gen Sikandar Afzal

IV Corps Lahore, Punjab 10th Infantry Division (Lahore), 11th Infantry Division (Lahore) Lt Gen Ijaz Ahmed Bakhshi.

V Corps Karachi, Sindh 16th Infantry Division (Pano Akil), 18th Infantry Division (Hyderabad), 25th Mechanized Division (Malir) Lt Gen Shahid Iqbal

X Corps Rawalpindi, Punjab Force Command Northern Areas (Gilgit), 12th Infantry Division (Murree), 19th Infantry Division (Mangla), 23rd Infantry Division (Jhelum) Lt Gen Tahir Mahmood

XI Corps Peshawar, North West Frontier Province 7th Infantry Division (Peshawar), 9th Infantry Division (Kohat) Lt Gen Muhammad Masood Aslam

XII Corps Quetta, Balochistan 33rd Infantry Division (Quetta), 41st Infantry Division (Quetta) Lt Gen Khalid Shameem Wynne

XXX Corps Gujranwala, Punjab 2nd Artillery Division (Gujranwala), 8th Infantry Division (Sialkot), 15th Infantry Division (Sialkot) Lt Gen Nadeem Taj

XXXI Corps Bahawalpur, Punjab 14th Infantry Division (Okara), 26th Mechanized Division (Bahawalpur), 35th Infantry Division (Bahawalpur) Lt Gen Muhammad Yousaf
Strategic Corps Rawalpindi, Punjab 47th(AZADI, meaning Independence) Artillery Brigade (Sargodha), others Lt Gen Syed Absar Hussain

Air Defence Command Rawalpindi, Punjab 4th Air Defence Division (Karachi), 5th Air Defence Division (Sargodha),46th Independent Air Defence Brigade (Kahuta) Lt Gen Muhammad Ashraf Saleem

Personnel Training

Enlisted ranks
Most enlisted personnel used to come from rural families, and many have only rudimentary literacy skills, but with the increase in the litracy level the requirements have been raised to Matriculate level (10th Grade). Recruits are processed gradually through a paternalistically run regimental training center, taught the official language, Urdu, if necessary, and given a period of elementary education before their military training actually starts.

In the thirty-six-week training period, they develop an attachment to the regiment they will remain with through much of their careers and begin to develop a sense of being a Pakistani rather than primarily a member of a tribe or a village. Enlisted men usually serve for eighteen years, during which they participate in regular training cycles and have the opportunity to take academic courses to help them advance.


Officer Ranks

Following are the Officer ranks in Pakistan Army[16]:

Field Marshal
General
Lt-General
Major-General
Brigadier
Colonel
Lt-Colonel
Major
Captain
Lieutenant
2nd lieutenant
About 320 men enter the army bi-annually through the Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul in Abbottabad in the North West Frontier Province; a small number—especially physicians and technical specialists—are directly recruited, and these persons are part of the heart of the officer corps. The product of a highly competitive selection process, members of the officer corps have completed twelve years of education and spend two years at the Pakistan Military Academy, with their time divided about equally between military training and academic work to bring them up to a baccalaureate education level, which includes English-language skills.

The army has twelve other training establishments, including schools concentrating on specific skills such as infantry, artillery, intelligence, or mountain warfare. A National University of Science and Technology (NUST) has been established which has absorbed the existing colleges of engineering, signals, electrical engineering and medicine. At the apex of the army training system is the Command and Staff College at Quetta, one of the few institutions inherited from the colonial period. The college offers a ten-month course in tactics, staff duties, administration, and command functions through the division level. Students from foreign countries, including the United States, have attended the school but reportedly have been critical of its narrow focus and failure to encourage speculative thinking or to give adequate attention to less glamorous subjects, such as logistics.

The senior training institution for all service branches is the National Defence University. Originally established in 1971 at Rawalpindi, to provide training in higher military strategy for senior officers, the school house was relocated to Islamabad in 1995. It also offers courses that allow civilians to explore the broader aspects of national security. In a program begun in the 1980s to upgrade the intellectual standards of the officer corps and increase awareness of the wider world, a small group of officers, has been detailed to academic training, achieving master's degrees and even doctorates at universities in Pakistan and abroad.

Pakistani officers were sent abroad during the 1950s and into the 1960s for training in Britain and other Commonwealth countries, and especially to the United States, where trainees numbering well in the hundreds attended a full range of institutions ranging from armored and infantry schools to the higher staff and command institutions. After 1961 this training was coordinated under the International Military Education and Training (IMET) program, but numbers varied along with vicissitudes in the United States-Pakistan military relationship. Of some 200 officers being sent abroad annually in the 1980s, over two-thirds went to the United States, but the cessation of United States aid in 1990 entailed suspension of the IMET program. In 1994 virtually all foreign training was in Commonwealth countries. However, after the 9/11 attacks, Pakistan again has begun sending officers to US Army schools. Today there are more than 400 officers serving in foreign countries.

Officers retire between the ages of fifty-two and sixty, depending on their rank

Awards for Valor

The Nishan-e-Haider (Urdu: نشان حیدر) (Sign of the Lion), is the highest military award given by Pakistan.

Recipients Nishan-e-Haider recipients receive an honorary title as a sign of respect: Shaheed meaning martyr for deceased recipients.

1.Captain Muhammad Sarwar Shaheed (1910–27 July 1948)
2.Major Tufail Muhammad Shaheed (1914–7 August 1958)
3.Major Raja Aziz Bhatti Shaheed (1928–10 September 1965)
4.Major Muhammad Akram Shaheed (1938–1971)
5.Major Shabbir Sharif Shaheed (1943–6 December 1971)
6.Jawan Sawar Muhammad Hussain Shaheed (1949–10 December 1971)
7.Lance Naik Muhammad Mahfuz Shaheed (1944–17 December 1971)
8.Captain Karnal Sher Khan Shaheed (1970–5 July 1999)
9.Lalak Jan Shaheed (1967–7 July 1999)
10.Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas Shaheed (Day of martyrdom : 21 August 1971)
Two Pakistani pilots belonging to the army aviation branch of Pakistan army who carried out a daring rescue of a mountaineer are to be given Slovenia's top award for bravery. Slovenian, Tomaz Humar got stranded on the western end of the 8,125m Nanga Parbat mountain were he remained for around a week on top of the world's ninth-highest peak. The helicopter pilots plucked the 38-year-old from an icy ledge 6,000m up the peak known as "killer mountain".

The Slovenian president has presented Lt Col Rashid Ullah Beg and Lt Col Khalid Amir Rana with the Golden Order for Services in the country's capital, Ljubljana, "for risking their lives during the rescue mission", a Pakistan army statement said

Special Forces and Alliances

Special Service Group (SSG) is an independent commando division of the Pakistan Army. It is an elite special operations force similar to the United States Army Special Forces (Green Berets) and the British Army's SAS.

Official numbers are put at 2,100 men, in 3 Battalions; however the actual strength is classified.[23] It is estimated to have been increased to 4 Battalions, with the eventual formation of 2 Brigades of Special Forces (6 Battalions).

Weapons and Equipment

Small Arms

The light weapons include

Handguns

Tokarov pistol
HK P7 Glock 17 Glock 26 (New entree as a backup weapon with the intelligence personnel. Steyr M9A1 (Recently acquired by the Airforce SSG)

Sub-machine guns and carbines.

Heckler & Koch MP5 9 mm Parabellum sub-machine gun
Heckler & Koch MP5K 9 mm Parabellum sub-machine gun
FN P90 5.7x28mm sub-machine gun
Heckler & Koch MP5 & MP5Ks are contemporarily being manufactured by Pakistan Ordinance Factories under license from HK. MP5-K is in use by Airport Security Force or Personal Security Detail of VIPs.

Assault rifles

G3 Types A3 & P4 Assault Rifle*
Type 81 Assault Rifle
Type 56 Assault Rifle
AK-101Assault Rifle
AK-103 Assault Rifle
Steyr AUG
M4A1 Carbine
HK G36
FN 2000
Grenades

M67 grenade

Sniper rifles

Anti Aircraft Machine Gun 12.7 mm, Type 54*
Steyr SSG-4 and SSG-P2 sniper rifles*
M82 Barrett rifle (US Semi-Automatic Sniper Rifle .50 BMG)

Machine guns

MG3 Machine Gun*
FN MAG
FN Minimi PARA
DShK

Projectile launchers

RPG-7
Type 69 RPG
RPG-29
Mk 19 grenade launcher
Carl Gustav recoilless rifle

Pakistan Army Inventory
Vehicle/System/Aircraft Firm Number in Service Status
Al Khalid Main Battle Tank 600 In Service.
T-80UD Main Battle Tank 320 320 Delivered by Ukraine between 1997 and early 2002.
Type 85IIAP Main Battle Tank 300 In Service. Being phased out
Al-Zarar Tank Main Battle Tank 350 Currently under production
Type 79IIAP 250 Being phased out by Al Khalid
Type 69 150 Being phased out by Al Khalid
Type 63 850 Amphibious tank
Type 59 500 Being phased out by Al Zarrar & Al Khalid II
Hamza Infantry Fighting Vehicle ??? Being procured
Al-Fahd Infantry fighting vehicle 140 In Service
Talha Armoured Personnel Carrier 400+ Final number to be around 2,000
Sa'ad Armoured Personnel Carrier ??? Currently in production
M113 Armoured Personnel Carrier 1100+ In Service
BTR-70 Armoured Personnel Carrier 169 In Service
Mohafiz Light Armoured Personnel Carrier ??? In Service & Additional APCs being procured
Scorpion Light Jeep 1260 In Service
Al Qaswa Logistical Vehicle ?? Being procured
M88 ARV Armoured Recovery Vehicle ??? In Service
M60A1 AVLB Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge ??? In Service
M48 Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge ??? In Service
M109A5 155 mm Self-Propelled Howitzer 265 115 Ordered along with 150 A5 upgrade kits
M110A2 203 mm Self-Propelled Howitzer 40 In Service
Type 56 85 mm Towed Artillery 200 In Service
M-56 105 mm Towed Artillery 80 In Service
M101 105 mm Towed Artillery 300 In Service
T-60 122 mm Towed Artillery 200 In Service
Type 54 122 mm Towed Artillery 400 In Service
Type 59I 130 mm Towed Artillery 200 In Service
M-59 155 mm Towed Artillery 30 In Service
M114 155 mm Towed Artillery 60 In Service
M-198 155 mm Towed Artillery 120 In Service
M-115 203 mm Towed Artillery 40 In Service
T-155 Fırtına Self-Propelled Artillery 12 Produced and Delivered byTurkey
Eurocopter Tiger Attack Helicopter 18 Being Inducted[9]
AH-1S Cobra Attack Helicopter 18 In Service,
AH-1F Cobra Attack Helicopter 20 In Service,
Bell 412 Huey Transport Helicopter 25 In Service
Bell 206 Jet Ranger Transport Helicopter 5 In Service
UH-1 Huey Transport Helicopter 10 In Service
Aérospatiale Puma Transport Helicopter 25 In Service
Mil Mi-17 Transport Helicopter 90 Additional helicopters planned
Bell 407 Light Transport Helicopter 45
Eurocopter AS-550 Light Transport Helicopter 50 Replacing Alouette III & Lama
Aérospatiale Alouette III Light Transport Helicopter 40 Being phased out
Aérospatiale SA-315B Lama Light Transport Helicopter (variant of Aerospatiale Alouette II) 40 Being phased out


Mortars
(Type) 81 mm
AM-FFFF Series 120 mm
Type 63-1

Anti-tank Guided Weapons

TOW ATGM
TOW II (recently procured)
Bakter-Shikan ATGM
FGM-148 Javelin

Army Air Defence

Anti-aircraft guns: ZU-23/-33, -30, -36, -37, -57 mm
Bofors RBS-23 BAMSE
Bofors RBS-70
SA-7 Grail
General Dynamics FIM-92 Stinger
General Dynamics FIM-43 Redeye
Anza MKI, Anza MKII and Anza MKIII
HQ-2B
Oerlikon 35 mm twin cannon
Bofors 40 mm gun.

Missiles

Below is the list of all missiles in service of Pakistan's Armed Forces. This includes missiles produced indigenously, missiles produced under license and missiles procured from other countries.

Missiles in Service of Pakistan



Surface-to-Surface Ballistic Missiles Intermediate Range Ghauri-III* · Shaheen-III*

Medium Range Ghauri-I · Ghauri-II · Shaheen-II

Short Range Hatf-I · Abdali · Ghaznavi · Shaheen-I · M-11


Cruise Missiles Land Attack Babur

Anti-Ship C-802 · C-803 · Exocet · AGM-84 Harpoon · C-201 · C-801


Anti-Tank Missiles Baktar-Shikan · BGM-71 TOW · MILAN · Cobra 2000

Torpedoes Mk-46 · F17P Mod 2 · Tp 43X2 · A244-S · SUT Mod 2 · ECAN L5 Mod 3 · ASROC · VL-ASROC


Air-to-Surface Cruise Missiles Land Attack Babur · Ra'ad · AS-30L · AGM-65 Maverick

Anti-Ship C-802 · C-803 · Exocet · AGM-84 Harpoon

Anti-Radiation AGM-88 HARM · AGM-45 Shrike · MAR-1


Anti-Tank Missiles Baktar-Shikan · BGM-71 TOW

Glide Bombs H-2 · H-4

Torpedoes Mk-46 · A244-S


Surface-to-Air Medium Range Area Defence SAMs HQ-2B (S-75) · RIM-66 SM-1MR

Short Range Point Defence SAMs Crotale · MBDA Spada 2000 · LY-60N · FM-90

Man Portable SAMs Anza · FIM-92 Stinger · FIM-43 Redeye · RBS 70 · Mistral


Air-to-Air Beyond Visual Range AAMs SD-10 · AIM-120 AMRAAM

Within Visual Range AAMs PL-5 · PL-9 · AIM-9 Sidewinder · AIM-7 Sparrow · Matra R550 Magic · Matra R530 · Matra Super 530


* = Under Development
It has been recently reported by the Pakistani Press (Daily Jang) that Pakistan has the ability to use MIRVs on its missiles. This has been seen as possibly the greatest achievement of Pakistani scientists and engineers to date. It has also been reported that Pakistan would likely use MIRVs on its Shaheen-II missiles.Pakistan is likley to be building a babur-2,with a range of 1000-2000 km range

Future Plans
Throughout the International Defence Exhibition & Seminar (IDEAS) at Karachi in November 2006, Pakistani firms have signed joint development, production and marketing agreements with defence firms from South Korea, France and Ukraine. These agreements include new reactive armour bricks, 155 mm artillery shells, and other developments in armour and land weaponry. These agreements all relate to the Pakistan Army's AFFDP-2019 modernization program of its armour, artillery and infantry.[citation needed]

A few months prior to IDEAS 2006, the Pakistan Army and Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) announced the development of the Al Khalid II Main Battle Tank (MBT). The Al Khalid II is poised to become the Pakistan Army's backbone main battle tank from 2012; thus replacing 1200 obsolete Chinese T-59 and 300 T-85IIAP. Not much is known about this tank, but it is reported that the Al Khalid II is a very extensive upgrade of the current Al Khalid. Other reports suggest that it will be an entirely new tank based on Western designs. Turkish press reported that a Pakistani armour firm will participate in the Turkey's new generation tank project. Turkey and Pakistan have signed many memorandums of understanding in various defence-related fields. Given that many Pakistani firms have signed joint agreements with Western firms, it is possible that a considerable part of the Al Khalid II's design will be influenced from the Turkish tank design. Nonetheless, the new generation tank is expected to form the backbone of the Pakistan Army's tank force; in the long-term.[citation needed]

The Pakistan Army will standardize its artillery capability to 155 mm by 2019. This can be seen by the acquisition of 115 M109A5 self-propelled howitzers from the United States, and joint production deals of 155 mm shells with French and South Korean firms. It is expected that the army will procure a range of light, medium and heavy towed and self-propelled howitzer artillery from China, Europe and the United States. These will replace all non-155 mm and older systems. The Army reportedly ordered and procured an undisclosed number of WS-1B Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS). As part of the artillery modernization program, the Army will likely procure a fair number of new MLRS systems of various ranges and shell sizes.[citation needed]

Modernization of the Army Aviation is underway with the procurement of new transport and attack helicopters from the United States, Russia and Europe. Finalized acquisitions include 26 Bell 412EP and at least a dozen Mi-17 medium-lift transport helicopters from the U.S and Russia, respectively. Forty Bell 407 and an unknown number of Fennec light helicopters from the U.S. and Eurocopter have also been ordered, respectively. Plans are underway to begin replacing the IAR 330 Puma, older Mil Mi-8/17, Bell Jet Rangers and older Huey helicopters; options include the Eurocopter NH-90 Tactical Transport Helicopter and UH-60M Blackhawk. The Pakistan Army has procured dozens of excess AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters since 2002; at least 20 have been brought into service to supplement the serving 18. These gunships are expected to add muscle to current counterterrorist support operations in NWFP.The army reportedly has upgraded its entire fleet with AH-1Z King Cobra avionics and new weapon systems such as the TOW-2 and Hellfire missiles. Up to 30 new-generation attack helicopters will be procured to further enhance the Army's attack aviation arm; options include the Eurocopter Tiger, South African AH-2 Rooivalk and Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow. It is likley that Pakistan ordered 6 AH-64D Apache Longbows.ICBM missile are also planned by Pakistan Army.