Pakistan Air Force | |||||
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History | |||||
History of the PAF | |||||
Aircraft | |||||
Air Force weaponry | |||||
Units and infrastructure | |||||
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Personnel | |||||
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Other information | |||||
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Below is a list of aircraft currently in active service with the Pakistan Air Force.
Aircraft | Manufacturer | Origin | Class | Role | Introduced | In service | Total | Notes |
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Combat Aircraft | ||||||||
J-10C Vigorous Dragon | CAC | China | Jet | Multirole | 11 March 2022[1] | 20 | 20[2][3] | J-10CE (20 delivered, 16 on order)[2][3] |
JF-17 Thunder | PAC, CAC | Pakistan / China | Jet | Multirole | 18 February 2010[4] | 152 | 156[5] | JF-17A Block 1 (50)
JF-17A Block 2 (62) JF-17B Block 2 (26)[6] JF-17C Block 3 (18 delivered,[a] 32 on order)[8][9] All Block 1 and 2 JF-17s are planned to be upgraded to Block 3 standard. |
F-16 Fighting Falcon | General Dynamics / Lockheed Martin | United States | Jet | Multirole | 15 January 1983[10] | 75 | 85[11] | F-16AM Block 15 MLU (31)[11][12][13][14][15]
F-16BM Block 15 MLU (23)[11][12][13][14][15] F-16A Block 15 ADF (9)[11][14] F-16B Block 15 ADF (4)[11][14] |
Mirage III | Dassault | France | Jet | Multirole | 8 March 1968[16] | 87[17] | 135 | Several variants with extensive Project ROSE upgrades. All Mirage IIIs being replaced by Block 3 JF-17Cs[18] and J-10CEs. |
Mirage 5 | Dassault | France | Jet | Attack, Reconnaissance | 1970 | 92[17] | 139 | Several variants with extensive Project ROSE upgrades. All Mirage 5s being replaced by Block 3 JF-17Cs[18] and J-10CEs. |
F-7PG Skybolt | CAC | China | Jet | Interceptor | 2002 | 53 | 60[19] |
All F-7PGs/FT-7PGs being replaced by Block 3 JF-17Cs.[20] |
Trainer Aircraft | ||||||||
Karakorum-8 (K-8)[21] | Hongdu, PAC |
China / Pakistan | Jet | Intermediate Jet Trainer | 1994 | 60 | 60 | K-8 (12)
K-8P (48) |
T-37 Tweet | Cessna | United States | Jet | Basic Jet Trainer | 1962 | 69 | 73 | T-37B/C. 20 refurbished ex-USAF T-37 delivered by end of 2008 to replace older T-37 or provide parts.[22] T-37 to be eventually replaced with K-8P. On 28 October 2015, the Turkish Air Force transferred 34 T-37Cs to the PAF, including spares. |
MFI-17 Mushshak | PAC | Pakistan / Sweden | Turboprop | Primary Trainer | 1974 | 145 | 151 | MFI-17 Mushshak (115)
Super Mushshak (30) Some MFI-17 Mushshaks to be upgraded to Super Mushshak standard.[23] |
Strategic Airlift & Aerial Refueling Aircraft | ||||||||
Il-78 | Ilyushin | Russia | Jet | Strategic Airlift Transporter/Aerial Refueler | 2009 | 4 | 4 | Il-78MP. Dual-role aerial refeulers and freighters. Ex-Ukrainian Air Force.[24][25][26][27][28] |
Transport Aircraft | ||||||||
C-130 Hercules | Lockheed Martin | United States | Turboprop | Tactical Airlift Transporter | 1963 | 23[29][17][30] | 25 | C-130B (5)
C-130E (7) C-130H (13) All C-130s overhauled and upgraded by PAC.[31] PAF had ordered 7 ex-Belgian Air Component refurbished C-130H aircraft in 2019.[32][30] By June 2023, it had inducted all 7 aircraft into its fleet.[29] |
Saab 2000 | Saab | Sweden | Turboprop | Transport, Training | 2008 | 7[33] | 7 | Also used to train aircrew for the Saab 2000 Erieye AEW&C. Delivered in December 2008. |
Y-12 | Harbin | China | Turboprop | Utility | 1993 | 2[33] | 2 | Y-12II |
Airbus A319 | Airbus | France | Jet | Multirole | July 2022 | 1 | 1 | A319-112[33][34] Previously operated by Avion Express (Lithuania). |
Global 6000 | Bombardier | Canada | Jet | VIP Transport | 2022 | 1 | 1 | [35] May be converted to EW, ESM, ECM platform in future.[36] |
Citation V | Cessna | United States | Jet | VIP Transport | 1 | 1 | [37] | |
Gulfstream IV | Gulfstream | United States | Jet | VIP Transport | 2004 | 2 | 2 | Gulfstream IV-SP[38] and Gulfstream IV G-450[39] |
Phenom 100 | Embraer | Brazil | Jet | VIP Transport | 2009 | 4 | 4 | [40][41][42] |
Airborne Early Warning & Control Aircraft | ||||||||
Saab 2000 Erieye[43] | Saab | Sweden | Turboprop | AEW&C | 2011 | 9 | 10 | Saab 2000 equipped with the Saab Erieye AEW&C system. Three aircraft were damaged after Minhas airbase attack, of which two aircraft were repaired at PAC. Fleet restored to four aircraft by 2016 by acquiring an additional aircraft. Three more aircraft delivered in 2019. Two more ordered in 2020 and delivered by 2023. One aircraft lost until date.[44][45] |
Electronic Warfare Aircraft | ||||||||
Falcon DA-20 | Dassault | France | Jet | EW, ESM, ECM | 1986 | 3[33] | 3 | Modified electronic warfare version of the Dassault Falcon 20 business jet. |
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles | ||||||||
Bayraktar Akıncı | Baykar | Turkey | HALE UCAV, UAV | Reconnaissance, Strike | 2023[46] | 1 | 1 | High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) UCAV. 1 delivered in 2023, 6 on order.[47] |
Bayraktar TB2 | Baykar | Turkey | MALE UCAV, UAV | Reconnaissance, Strike | 2022[48][49] | Unknown | Unknown | Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) UCAV. Operationalized in January 2022.[50] |
Wing Loong II | CAIG | China | MALE UCAV, UAV | Reconnaissance, Strike | 2020 | 50 | 50 | Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) UCAV.[51] |
Shahpar-II | GIDS | Pakistan | MALE UCAV, UAV | Reconnaissance, Strike | 2021 | Unknown | Unknown | Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) UCAV.[52] |
Anka | TAI, NESCOM |
Turkey / Pakistan | MALE UCAV, UAV | Reconnaissance, Strike | 2021 | Unknown | Unknown | Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) UCAV. Contract signed between TAI and NESCOM in August 2021 for joint production of Anka UCAVs with technology transfer to Pakistan.[53] |
Burraq | NESCOM | Pakistan | UCAV, UAV | Reconnaissance, Strike | 2014 | 13 | 13 | Used jointly with Pakistan Army.[54] |
CH-4 Rainbow | CASC | China | UCAV, UAV | Reconnaissance, Strike | 2021[55] | 12-24 | 12-24 | CH-4A and CH-4B.[56][55] |
Falco | Selex ES / PAC | Italy / Pakistan | UAV | Reconnaissance | 2007[57] | 26 | 26 | PAF launch customer for Falco UAV in 2007.[57] Manufactured under license at PAC since 2008 with technology transfer to Pakistan.[58] |
Shahpar | GIDS | Pakistan | UAV | Reconnaissance | 2012[59] | 6 | 6 | [60] |
Jasoos II | SATUMA | Pakistan | UAV | Reconnaissance, Training | 2010 | 46 | 46 | Bravo+. Primary work horse for UAV Operations and Training Program.[61] |
Helicopters | ||||||||
Mi-17 | Mil | Russia | Helicopter | Transport, Utility | 2010 | 40[citation needed] | Mil Mi-17-1[62][63] | |
AW139 | AgustaWestland | Italy | Helicopter | SAR, Utility | 2018 | 14 | 14 | AW139M[64][65] |
Gallery
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JF-17 Thunder of Pakistan Air Force at Paris Air Show 2019
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A four-ship of F-16 Fighting Falcons from the Pakistan Air Force head to the fight after refueling during Red flag exercise
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Lockheed C-130B Hercules of Pakistan Air Force at Royal International Air Tattoo
See also
- List of retired Pakistan Air Force aircraft
- List of Pakistan Air Force Squadrons
- Pakistan Army Aviation Corps
- Pakistan Naval Air Arm
Notes
References
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- ^ a b "Defense World".
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- ^ "PAC Kamra rolls out final 14 JF-17B fighters for Pakistan Air Force". www.janes.com.
- ^ "PAF'S JF-17 THUNDER BLOCK-III FIGHTER JET PARTICIPATES IN WORLD DEFENCE AIR SHOW-2024". 7 February 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
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- ^ a b c d "F-16". www.globalsecurity.org.
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- ^ a b "C-130 aircraft bought from Belgium inducted into PAF fleet". 11 June 2023.
- ^ a b "Pakistan to procure Belgian C-130". 2 August 2022.
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- ^ a b c d "World Air Forces 2024". Flightglobal Insight. 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
- ^ "Aviation Photo #7022361: Airbus A319-112 - Pakistan - Air Force".
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- ^ bell | cessna | lockheed jetstar | 2004 | 09–2372 | Flight Archive. Flightglobal.com (22 November 2004). Retrieved on 2012-07-01.
- ^ "Aviation Photo #6744749: Gulfstream Aerospace G-IV Gulfstream IV-SP - Pakistan - Air Force".
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- ^ Embraer Delivers Phenom 100 To Pakistan's Air Force. aero-news.net (26 March 2009).
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- ^ [1] [bare URL]
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- ^ a b "First Galileo Avionica Falco UAV set for delivery, launch customer remains undisclosed".
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