[🇵🇰-Airforce] PAF F-104

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1964

 

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The Good old “Man in the Rocket famed F-104 Star Fighter”, which was also used by PAF.

Having all of the titles such as Widow maker or Aluminium Death tube - Still F 104 did survive in military service in Italy until 2004 ;

Which is pretty amazing considering its problems faced with Air forces that used it.
Not very maneuverable
Poor handling at slow speeds etc.

The F-104 had absolutely phenomenal climb performance. It makes sense considering it was essentially a big jet engine with tiny wings and a cockpit. Once the F-104 pilots figured out energy tactics for themselves, they could easily engage and disengage from a dogfight at will.

In 1967, the US Air Force upgraded its remaining F-104As with the -19 version of the J-79 engine.
This gave these Star-fighters a 1.01:1 thrust to weight ratio with load out as follows :

• Half internal fuel
• 2 X Sidewinders
• A full load of 20 mm Ammunition

[ 17,827lbs of thrust vs. an aircraft weight of 17,644lbs ].

These figures are solid as the aircraft weight information came from the F-104's flight manuals from that era.

 

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The 65 war :​

The North American F-86F Sabre aircraft with six half-inch calibre Browning machine guns mounted in the nose was the mainstay of the PAF.

Then PAF got hold of latest US F- 104s modified to carry cannons..

F-104 indeed by design was a high-level interceptor designed to neutralise Soviet

strategic bombers in altitudes above 40,000 feet.”

The loss of four Vampires on the opening day of the ’65 War was a major blow -

Indian Pilots Cried on their radios : “ Run … it’s a 104 … !!! ”​

Hence a nimble Gnat was chosen by IAF as the most suitable answer due to its small size, good turning ability and fast acceleration were key attributes. The counter strategy adopted somewhat worked. But the pair of F-86 Sabre and F-104 Star Fighter proved their mettle in 1965 Aerial duels.

“However if we consider the attack prowess of F 104 Star Fighter
(leaving the Dog Fight scenario) -
The speed of the Starfighter gave the Indians no time to react
to each incursion,
Effectively making the Star fighters invulnerable to interception
during the 1965 war.”

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During initial phase of the 1965 war on 3 September an IAF Gnat, piloted by Squadron Leader Brij Pal Singh Sikand, landed at Pasrur, an abandoned Pakistani airstrip and was taken PoW. A PAF Lockheed F-104 Star-fighter is credited with forcing the Gnat down.This Gnat is displayed as a war trophy in the Pakistan Air Force Museum, Karachi.

 

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The F-104A’s relatively unsophisticated fire-control radar was more than adequate for the Soviet high altitude bomber threat for which it was designed, but it could not illuminate small targets against ground clutter, making it less-than ideal for anything other than high-altitude interception.

Few Experts still state that if applied with proper tactics, such as slash-and-dash, instead of turn-and-burn, could be used to good effect - as it lived in Italian Airforce till 2004.

 

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STAR-FIGHTER COMES TO SUB CONTINENT​

Lockheed F 104 Star-fighter Supersonic fighter Bomber also remained in Pakistan Airforce till 1972.

First F-104A Tail # 56-803 was received in PAF on August 5, 1961. Sqn Ldr Sadruddin and Flt Lt Middlecoat landed the first Starfighters at PAF Base Sargodha.

In the following months, Pakistan inducted a total of 10 F-104A and two dual seat F-104B training aircraft in No 9 Squadron. These were USAF F-104C aircraft refurbished and updated :

-The latest J-79-11A engine,

-Upward ejection seats

-Equipped with the M-61 Vulcan six barrel gun

-The AIM-9B Sidewinder missile

-The AN/ASG-14T1 fire control system.

 

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The improved J79-GE-11A engine (designed to be stall-free and to deliver a maximum thrust of 15,800 lb) was also installed in the aircraft.

The aircraft was designed for high altitude (above 5000 feet),

day / night interception/combat.

Pakistan was the first country in Asia to induct a Mach 2 aircraft into its airforce. While most countries in Europe were still flying subsonic aircraft and none in Asia had an aircraft of this class and technology, many in Pakistan and abroad were skeptical of the PAF's ability to fly and maintain this advanced system.

 

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The PAF's flying skills, technological prowess, and competence, were soon proven. The pilots and ground crew of No.9 Squadron, who had been handpicked from F-86 squadrons, became the envy of the PAF by gaining mastery of the aircraft.

 

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At PAF’s request, all its F-104As were refitted with the M-61 Gatling 20 mm gun, whereas its counterparts in the USAF had been divested of their guns on the assumption that all post-Korea air combat would occur at high speeds where only the wing tip-mounted Sidewinder missiles would be effective.

The first air-to-air victory by an F-104--or by any Mach-2 airplane--came on September 6, when Flight Lt. Aftab Alam Khan, disobeying orders by descending below 10,000 feet, downed one Dassault Mystère IVA fighter-bomber with a Sidewinder at an altitude of 5,000 feet and damaged a second. The F-104 Starfighters remained in service with Pakistan Air Force for twelve years and flew 11.690 hours. During the 1965 Pakistan-India War, the F-104s flew a total of 246 hours and 45 minutes.

 

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At Sargodha Air Base

 

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1960's

 

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L to R: AVM Abbas Mirza, Sqn Ldr M Ishaq (late), Wg Cdr Arif Iqbal (late), Wg Cdr Middlecoat (late) AVM Farooq Umer, AM Asghar Khan (CinC), ACM Jamal Khan ( OC 9 sqn), ACM Hakimullah, Flt Lt Arif Manzoor (late), Flt Lt. G U Abbasi (late), Air Cdre Rashid Bhatti, Flt Lt Mushtaq Alam (late) at PAF Base Peshawar during 23rd March 1965 flypast.
9 Sqn moved from Sargodha to Peshawar for flypast. (Ranks of later service)

Picture : Air Cdre (retd.) Rashid Bhatti

 

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A memorable group photo of No. 9 Sqn pilots and ground crew – circa 1965 at Sargodha Air Base
.Picture : AVM (retd.) Amjad Hussain ...