[🇵🇰-Airforce] PAF History

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On 13 April 1948, the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, visited Risalpur Flying Training School and raised its level to that of a college. Risalpur thus became the genesis of PAF pilots. It became the only Military Academy of Pakistan to be visited by Jinnah. At this ceremony, Jinnah took the General Salute at the parade. Fighter aircraft from Peshawar Air base also performed aerobatics at the event. During Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 a bomber squadron was stationed here after Peshawar Airbase was hit by IAF. On January 21, 1967 President Ayub Khan elevated the status of the PAF College, Risalpur to that of an academy.

Aircraft

Initially, the institution was equipped with Harvard, Tiger Moth, Auster, Fury and Tempest aircraft. A major change came with the introduction of the T-37 jet trainer in 1963 and the air fleet of the academy was transformed from propeller to jet engine aircraft.

Eight years after the College was upgraded to an Academy in 1967, the T-6G (Harvard), which had rendered extensive service to the PAF since 1947, was replaced by the Mushshak (Saab Trainer). Currently, the trainer aircraft at the PAF Academy are T-37, Mushshak MFI-17 and the K-8, the last of which was brought into service with the PAF in 1995.

The academy has two aviation wings and a squadron. The Primary Flying Training (PFT) Wing consists of MFI-17 while Basic Flying Training (BFT) Wing consists of T-37 aircraft. An Advance Flying Training squadron is composed of K-8 aircraft.

 

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After partition, Risalpur was like an abandoned airfield. The airbase was formally established after the creation of Pakistan on 15 August 1947 with 20 officers, 21 trainees, 23 senior non commissioned officers (SNCOs) and 257 airmen. The base comprised only a handful of men and some equipment. About a month later, the Flying Training School was established at Risalpur, that carried out Initial, elementary and advanced flying training.

In September 1947, six Harvard aircraft from Flying Training School of Ambala, that were transferred to Pakistan after partition, reached Risalpur. Wing Commander Asghar Khan, later to become the first Air Chief of the PAF, took over as the first Officer Commanding of the School, with Harvard and Tiger Moth aircraft in the inventory. Flt Lt M Khyber Khan, who later rose to the rank of Air Vice Marshal, and his student, Flight Cadet Akhtar, flew the first training sortie on 22 September 1947.

During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, the airfield was used to transport personnel and other important equipment to the difficult mountain terrain of Northern Areas. In March 1950, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran, who was the first Head of state to visit Pakistan and a flyer himself, visited the Academy. After fifty years of Jinnah's visit to the academy, a commemoration was held on 13 April 1997. Among other veterans, Air Marshal Asghar Khan also witnessed the ceremony who was the commandant at the time of the visit

 

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Pakistan Air Force Academy, Risalpur

The Academy was created in 1910 and was a former aerodrome/airfield of the Royal Flying Corps then later Royal Air Force.

It officially became the airbase of the PAF on 15 August 1947.

On 21 January 1967, it was again upgraded to the status of an academy by then-President Ayub Khan. Currently, it consists of 5 different components.

At the heart of the PAF since its inception, the Pakistan Air Force Academy has bred generations of officers for the PAF and other branches of the Pakistani Armed Forces. The Academy now has impressive premises with state-of-the-art infrastructure portraying the progress from the modest beginning initiated by a handful of dedicated men in 1947.

Location
Located in a basin some 1014 feet above sea level, it is bounded on the south and west by the Kabul and Kalpani rivers, respectively.

It is located in Risalpur in Nowshera District and is situated eight kilometers from the city (and district capital) of Nowshera; the famous Khyber Pass lies 90 kilometers to the north.[3] The Risalpur Cantonment itself lies on high ground, some 30 feet above the surrounding area, with the oldest building dating from 1913 or 1914.

History

Hawker Hurricane of No. 2 Squadron RIAF at Risalpur before moving to Eastern India for training in support of the Chindits

 

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Retired aircraft​

Type	Origin	Class	Role	Introduced	Retired	Total
Chengdu F-7P Skybolt	China	Jet	Interceptor	1988	2023	120
SA316 Aérospatiale Alouette III	France	Helicopter	Search and rescue	1967	2019	35
Shenyang FT-5	China	Jet	Advanced Jet Trainer	1975	2012	50
Nanchang A-5III/C	China	Jet	Attack	1983	2011	55
Boeing 707	United States	Jet	VIP Transport	1986	2008	3
Shenyang F-6	China	Jet	Fighter	1965	2002	253
Mig-19	Soviet Union	Jet	Air superiority fighter	1965	2002	5

 

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Lockheed T-33	United States	Jet	Trainer	1955	1993	21
Kaman HH-43B	United States	Helicopter	Search and rescue	1964	1993	4
Martin B-57 Canberra	United States	Jet	Bomber	1959	1985	28
Grumman SA-16A Albatross	United States	Propeller	Patrol	1950s	1981	4
Shenyang JJ-2/FT-2	China	Jet	Fighter	1966	1980	6
North American F-86 Sabre	United States	Jet	Fighter	1955	1980	210
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter	United States	Jet	Fighter	1961	1972	12
Sikorsky H-19D	United States	Helicopter	Search and rescue	1950s	1971	8
North American T-6 Harvard T-6G	United States	Propeller	Trainer	1947	1970s	12
Hawker Siddeley Trident Trident 1E	United Kingdom	Jet	Transport	1967	1970	4
Harbin H-5	China	Jet	Bomber	1966	1969	16
Bristol Freighter	United Kingdom	Propeller	Transport	1950s	1966	81
Hawker Sea Fury	United Kingdom	Propeller	Fighter	1949	1963	97
Vickers VC.1 Viking	United Kingdom	Propeller	Transport	1947	1962	1
Supermarine Attacker F Mk.1	United Kingdom	Jet	Fighter	1951	1958	36
de Havilland Tiger Moth	United Kingdom	Propeller	Trainer	1947	1957	7

 

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Hawker Tempest II	United Kingdom	Propeller	Fighter	1947	1956	16
Douglas Dakota	United States	Propeller	Transport	1947	1955	2
Handley Page Halifax	United Kingdom	Propeller	Bomber	1948	1954	16
Supermarine Spitfire Mk VIII	United Kingdom	Propeller	Fighter	1947	1947
Bell H-13 Sioux	United States	Helicopter	Light observation			13

 

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Risalpur. KPK..

In December 1915 RAF's newly raised No. 31 Squadron was stationed here, which was later used against troublesome tribesmen of the Tribal areas along the Afghan border. The squadron flew B.E.2c and Farman biplane in ground support missions.

On 24 May 1919, Handley Page V/1500 flew its first mission to attack Kabul from the airfield. In 1925 the air fleet of base was tasked to carry out a survey of the about four hundred square miles area of Ravi's old river bed for finding ancient sites.

After First World War, the No. 11 Squadron of Royal Air Force equipped with Westland Wapiti was stationed at the base in 1928, that was also used in the operations in the tribal areas.[10] The bombers of this squadron were used By 1940, Risalpur had become both a training and an operational base. During the Second World War, an operational training squadron was stationed at Risalpur, besides the base also conducted fighter conversion courses.

 

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After partition, Risalpur was like an abandoned airfield. The airbase was formally established after the creation of Pakistan on 15 August 1947 with 20 officers, 21 trainees, 23 senior non commissioned officers (SNCOs) and 257 airmen. The base comprised only a handful of men and some equipment. About a month later, the Flying Training School was established at Risalpur, that carried out Initial, elementary and advanced flying training.

In September 1947, six Harvard aircraft from Flying Training School of Ambala, that were transferred to Pakistan after partition, reached Risalpur. Wing Commander Asghar Khan, later to become the first Air Chief of the PAF, took over as the first Officer Commanding of the School, with Harvard and Tiger Moth aircraft in the inventory. Flt Lt M Khyber Khan, who later rose to the rank of Air Vice Marshal, and his student, Flight Cadet Akhtar, flew the first training sortie on 22 September 1947.

During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, the airfield was used to transport personnel and other important equipment to the difficult mountain terrain of Northern Areas. In March 1950, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran, who was the first Head of state to visit Pakistan and a flyer himself, visited the Academy. After fifty years of Jinnah's visit to the academy, a commemoration was held on 13 April 1997. Among other veterans, Air Marshal Asghar Khan also witnessed the ceremony who was the commandant at the time of the visit.

 

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SA-16 for Korangi Creek Station

 

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