Pakistan Air Force: Air Order of Battle 1965
v. 1.0 May 12, 2002
I have relied primarily on Fizaya: Psyche of the Pakistan Air Force, [Society for Aerospace Studies, New Delhi 1991] which I wrote in 1989-90 with Pushpindar Singh Chopra, Indias leading expert on the PAF and on the IAF. Peter Steinemann did the wonderful pictures for the book.
Since then, additional facts have become known. The PAF Museum has a website, http://www.pafmuseum.com.pk , with short squadron histories for most PAF flying squadrons.
The UE for PAF combat squadrons was 12 F-86F, F-104A, RT-33, or B-57s.
The PAF had approximately:
100 F-86F
25-26 B-57
16+ F-104A.
12 RT-33
T-33 used for light strike
These figures are slightly lower than the estimates we gave in the book; it is likely we did not adequately account for PAF peacetime losses 1956-1965.
No. 2 Squadron Jet conversion school, T-33, available for light strike
No. 3 Squadron Multi-engine conversion school, C-130
No. 4 Squadron SAR, 2 SA-16 and 2 UH-19; other UH-19s were in SAR flights
No. 5 Squadron F-86
No. 6 Squadron C-130B, perhaps 6 aircraft
No. 7 Squadron B-57 (31 Bomber Wing)
No. 8 Squadron B-57 (31 Bomber Wing)
No. 9 Squadron - F-104
No. 11 Squadron - F-86 (33 Wing, Sargodha)
No. 12 Squadron various transports
No. 14 Squadron F-86 (Tezgaon AB, Dacca, East Bengal)
No. 15 Squadron F-86
No. 17 Squadron F-86
No. 18 Squadron F-86
No. 19 Squadron F-86
No. 20 Squadron RT-33
No. 24 Squadron RB-57, ESM, 2 aircraft
Notes:
In our book, we have No. 16 Squadron as participating in the 1965 War. No. 16 Squadron was raised on F-86 in 1957, but number-plated in 1963, and reactivated in 1970. This creates an anomaly, because the PAF had five F-86 squadrons at Sargodha (Nos. 5, 11, 15, 17, and 18), one at Peshawar (No. 19), and one at Mauripur (Karachi), which we presumed to be No. 16. We welcome any additional information on this puzzle.
In our book, we did not have No. 24 Squadron listed, believing it to have been raised later. The PAF Museum site informs us it was raised in 1962 using 31 Bomber Wing aircraft and personnel, number-plated in 1977, and reactivated in 1987
PAF sorties in the 1965 War were:
The operational statistics for 1965 are as under:
|
|
Sorties |
% Effort |
|
Air Defense |
1,303 |
55% |
|
Army / Navy |
647 |
27% |
|
Day Strike |
100 |
4% |
|
Night Strike |
165 |
7% |
|
Photo / Recce |
148 |
6% |