The Pakistan Air Force

Columnist SOBIA NISAR looks at the development of PAF.

On 13 April 1948, the Father of the Nation, while addressing a small band of enthusiastic airmen at the fledging nation’s AirForce Flying School, delivered the following historic message:

A country without a strong Airforce is at the mercy of any aggressor;

Pakistan must build up her Airforce as quickly as possible. It must be an efficient airforce, second to none.

Exactly forty nine years later, Air Marshall (Retd) Asghar Khan who as Officer Commanding, Royal Pakistan Airforce Flying Training School spoke as the Chief Guest at the Golden Jubilee Parade of the PAF Academy, Risalpur, said:

It goes to the credit of the Pakistan Airforce that it took the Quaid’s words with a heroic spirit, and has since lived up to its expectations. The PAF is known today, as it was then, for its discipline and professional competence. It has acquired itself with credit in both the wars in which it was called upon to participate. Remember the present conditions require you not only to be “second to none” as the Quaid commanded you, but with the odds so heavily against you today, you must be far more competent than any possible adversary in the difficult and exacting field in which it is your privilege to serve, Pakistan must not be as the  Quaid had said, ‘at the mercy of any aggressor’.

The strength of  the Pakistan Air Force to be raised and maintained is decided by the Government keeping in view the external threat  that the country faces or is likely to face in the near future. The level of PAF to be raised and maintained must always be  in accordance with the threat to the country’s security and the task allotted to the PAF.  The size of PAF and its arms and equipment must be such as to facilitate their working successfully achieving the mission given to them by the government . The PAF  must always be given a reasonable chance of success while combating against an external aggressor.

The personnel taken into the PAF have to be of an appropriate mental and physical standard who can take the stress and strain of PAF life which trains them for combat.

Qualities of PAF Personnel.

The PAF Personnel must possess plenty of intelligence, initiative and a quick mind to arrive at the correct decision and in time, under the stress of combat in the fog of war. It is of utmost importance that a PAF officer, airman possesses intellect, patience and courage to cater for all eventualities in war including the unexpected enemy moving in combat. What is eventually required of a PAF officer is energy, firmness, staunchness strength of mind and character.

Some of the qualities that are required in a PAF personnel are deduced from experience of combat conditions and are considered essential for success in war under the trying conditions of considerable mental and  physical stress and strain.            `

The Pakistan Air Force makes an effort to recruit such men after exhaustive tests and interviews from amongst the volunteers who come forward. In return for a hard,dedicated and austere life the PAF can  only offer  them the glitter of a uniform and honour of serving the nation. Financial compensation has never been within the domain of soldiering .

Having joined the Pakistan Air Force, they have to be trained individually and collectively before they can perform their primary task of defending the nation against any external aggressor. In the basic training period  and after that throughout the years, the process of learning continues. New skills are acquired and old ones brought up to date. Training is a full time commitment with the aim of producing  combat ready soldiers prepared to come forward to protect the nation in the hour of need.

According to Clausewitz, “The soldier is levied, clothed, armed, exercised, he sleeps, eats, drinks, and marches, all merely to fight at the right time and place.”

To perform the primary role of defending the country, the Air force has to be raised, trained and provided the best tools and prepared for combat  at all times.

When the PAF airman and officers have been selected  with due care and caution, given proper training and equipped with the best weapons the country can afford, the country acquires an Air Force of excellent proportions.

Role played by PAF.

The Air Force is ready at all times to defend the security and independence of the country by ensuring the safety of its borders against overt and covert external aggression. To accomplish its task successfully the Air Force must have the wholehearted and unflinching support of the whole population and at all times because the Army and Air Force have  the prime responsibilities in restoring law and order in the country or a particular area where a grave and alarming situation develops which cannot adequately be controlled by the civil agencies being beyond their competence. Along with the Army, the Air Force must always be more frequently called out to help during natural calamities and man-made disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, train accidents, anti-locust operations and any other public emergency. Being a disciplined force, which is well organized with mobility and communications it can be mustered immediately and can be depended upon to carry out any mission given to it, promptly and successfully in the shortest possible time.

Importance and Essentiality.

For good or ill,  air mastery is today the supreme expression of the entire military power. Navy fleets and Army, however necessary and important, must be accepted as subordinate ranks. The Pakistan Air Force is a memorable milestone in the march of man.

From World War II onwards in South Asian Sub-continent, Middle East, Korea and Kosovo, we can see air power actively involved in creating air superiority over the battlezones and conduct aero space  surveillance and strategic air bombardment. In each one of these theatres, air power has played a convincingly decisive role.

The Armed Forces, especially the Pakistan Air Force have so far displayed a high standard of discipline and character by accepting the dictates of the national constitution. Therefore, it is imperative for the government to take cognizance of the genuine needs of  all the forces especially the Pakistan Air Force and continue to build our conventional capabilities. Amongst all, the Pakistan Air Force which is the arbiter of  any success  in any military conflict must be made as formidable as possible to deliver a decisive punch to its implacable adversary.

Worth mentioning, our biggest enemy has long been deterred from putting its heinous plans against Pakistan into practice because of our highly motivated Pakistan Air Force, regardless of its equipment. Although we are well aware of the shortcomings pertaining to the PAF equipment  and the numerical strength, still the PAF has given a creditable account of itself; whether it be the 1965 war, 1971 war or the tiring Afghan war. The strength of the PAF is such that it can attain  an upper hand on the IAF  provided it is equipped with entire morale, physical strength and better equipment and size. The morale of the PAF is very important and high morale comes from operating high weaponry. In  air combat,  technology is symbolized by  the quality of aircraft, weapons and other support assets like AWACS and Air Defence Ground Environment (ADGE). It  should be kept in mind that excellent training and motivation of combatants without the vital component of technology will only increase the pain  and agony and prolong to a great extent  and they will be continuously  inflicted with losses  and in the end face with defeat. Thus the PAF has no option but to improve upon its technological base and to buy finished products like advanced weapon systems  and aircraft.

Historical Aspect.

Historically, it  is  seen  that the Pakistan Air Force has been numerically at a disadvantage as compared to its adversary, the Indian Air Force. But when we take the case study of Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971, the Pakistan Air Force has lived upto the Quaid’s expectations.

The professional behaviour of the PAF  has profound political consequences. Traditionally, the PAF officers have not fought primarily  because of an explicit  political ideology. Whereas, the political interests of the typical PAF officer have been intermittent at best. Only at the higher ranks and among its elite members is there a more sustained concern with the political purpose of the PAF establishment. “Honour” is the basis of their belief system

The PAF Honour.

The PAF military honour is both a means and an end. It specifies how an officer and a soldier ought to behave. To be honourable is an objective which is to be achieved by the PAF officer and the airman. When the PAF military honour is effective, its coercive power is considerable, because it continuously  directs to a single over riding directive; the professional PAF soldier always fights.

No doubt, is the fact that the PAF honour serves a variety of social and diplomatic motives. It is the rationalization for inertia; it permits others to operate beyond their personal capabilities and capacities. Honour is undoubtedly the binding force of the entire PAF profession. It is supposed to ensure the unique characteristics of the PAF officer which gives a surety to his career commitment. Nevertheless, only a few PAF leaders  are blind to the progressive inability of honour to resolve the strains within the profession. The increased careerist motives of the officer candidates further weakens the importance of honour. But there have been deviations from individuals of high and low positions in the past periods within the corps of PAF officers. They have done much harm to their brother officers  and the PAF itself. Some have gained wide publicity, as the events are few and hence noteworthy. A few have been more minor. But as they have been  more in number, there cumulative effect has been large.

On one hand, the PAF officers’ conceptions of honour, purpose and human nature leads him to assume that he is a standard bearer who embodies the superior virtues of men, yet at the same time he finds it expedient and necessary to present himself as a representative man who is no different from other men and part of the same society. A few PAF officers including those of the highest rank accept the self-image of standard bearer without some degree of uneasiness. This uneasiness has a deeper significance. In that the PAF has learned to accept the political and cultural assumption that men are more alike than different.

Furthermore, the PAF leaders have learned that in seeking to influence the fortunes of their services, and in advising on strategic national defence politics a non-partisan stance is required. The character of the PAF leaders is such that it overcomes the political and financial pressures and hence is directed towards   the unlimited, dutiful and honourable service of their nation.

Political Beliefs.

The political beliefs of the PAF officers are not different from those that operate in civilian society. In fact they are a reflection of the civilian society originated by the recruitment system and by the education and military experiences of a professional career. The changes in political thinking amongst the PAF military elite are a result of a long-term process. Many of the PAF officers are primarily concerned with purely professional and technical matters. But when they increase position in the hierarchy or get promotion, they become increasingly conscious of their political loyalties and preferences. It is seen that within the elite, it has been those men whose unconventional careers have involved them in politico-military assignments who display the most sustained political consciousness. In all professional PAF officers, there is a special gap between private and expressed beliefs because of the rules under which they operate.

Noteworthy, in the last few decades, political attitudes of the PAF have become more representative of those of the larger  society. This has been the result of the changes in the social composition of the military nature of their profession and also because of the increased contact between soldiers and civilians. It is observed that the political beliefs among the PAF personnel  have become more explicit  and more elaborate. In this way they have become more “ideological”. Thus it appears that political beliefs of the military have become more ideological during a period in which the political parties have weakened their ideological content.

This change of transfer  from commitments towards a more explicit ideology  relates directly to the strain on the PAF military honour. Since honour is an essential component  of the traditional authority, the growth of rationalism  in the military nature of PAF  means the growth of a critical attitude in the technical and administrative matters and also towards the purposes of ones professions. Thus, each service and each weapon system must develop a philosophy. as the traditional assumptions about the efficacy of violence in the control of international relations no longer seem applicable.

Indo-Pak Wars And First Shaheeds.

Worthwhile mention, in the Pak-India war of 1965, the first 48 hours established the superiority of Pakistan Air Force  over its much larger  and numerically much bigger adversary. The missions which deserve special credit  in addition to  the PAF’s special defence of Sargodha  on the 7 of September are the attacks on Kalaikunda, where No 14 Squadron F-86s from Dhaka destroyed  numerous Canberras lined up on the tarmac; No 19 Squadron’s famous raid on Pathankot in which IAF  Mig-21s and Gnats were caught on the ground and No.5 Squadrons ill-fated strike on Halwara which ended in tragedy but still had far reaching  results.  The supreme sacrifices made by the PAF’s first Shaheeds, Sarfraz Rafiqui and Yunus  culminated in Pakistan

Air Force getting the better of its much  superior adversary. The examples of bravery displayed by the PAF’s first Shaheeds was also acknowledged  by the Indians themselves. Pashpinder Singh  made a comment on the Pakistan Fizaiya  “He (Rafiqui) was given Pakistan’s highest leadership award, the Hilal-e-Jurat  also awarded to the PAF’s chief, Air Marshal Nur Khan. One Hunter was credited to him. Later the PAF base at Shorkot Road was named after him, a fitting tribute to a brave and dedicated young Pakistani.”

Although three participants of the Halwara Strike were awarded Sitara-e-Jurat while Sarfraz Rafiqui Shaheed was also awarded 

Hilal-e-Jurat for his outstanding qualities of Leadership and solidarity.

Challenges faced in the 90’s.

In the decade of 90s the PAF passed through some of the most critical periods in its history. The enforcement of the draconian Pakistan-specific Pressler Amendment and its impact on the operational capabilities of the PAF, the induction of the Chinese F-7s, the Australian Mirages, the K-8 and the Mistral were some of the challenges that the PAF was called upon to face. It had to take tasks that had always been done abroad, build facilities through unconventional means and improvisation to meet the exacting criteria of performance and safety requirements, and generally keep the aircraft flying. This was the challenge that the PAF engineers faced and met with great success. It was possible for them to do so because the new breed of technicians and engineers had been trained to very exacting standards  in technologically advanced institutions. In addition, the Airmen’s training in technical trades was revised drastically to enable them to handle the latest technological developments. Training of computers was made  a compulsory part of the syllabus. The College of Aeronautical Engineering (CAE) was equipped with a modern computer laboratory so that it could be used for many purposes like teaching, experiments and Research and Development (R&D). Split level Master of Science programmes were introduced at the CAE in collaboration with the NUST (National University of Sciences and Technology) whereby qualified officers could get their education from recognized foreign universities.

Impacts of Pressler Amendment.

The imposition  of the Pressler embargo hit the Airforce  the hardest because it was deprived of the hi-tech edge of F-16s that it had ordered in large numbers. Besides the air defence ground environment (ADGE) had become old  and needed immediate improvement. At one stage $4 billion for purchase of forty Mirage 2000-V had been negotiated by the government with France, and the PAF was keen to acquire the weapon system though at a lower cost. The PAF wanted to negotiate a reduction in the price tag and the interest payments so that about $750 million could be saved  to upgrade the ADGE. The acquisition of Mirage 2000-V, in the meanwhile, became a controversial issue and was subjected to adverse comments alleging incorrect choice of system, strain on the economy, and involvement of kickbacks. When the change in the government followed both the governments found that the state  of the country’s economy was such that it could not afford the acquisition. Thus the PAF was once again left empty handed without a high tech weapon system. The fact that the Air Force operates in a medium that stretches over both land and sea; and that neither the Army nor the Navy can operate freely unless the skies are safe, seems to have been ignored when it came to distributing the funds available for defence.

Due to the compulsions of circumstances  of Pressler Amendment, the PAF was able to successfully undertake tasks that would have been impossible in the past. Avionics upgrade on the F-7, A-5111, and Mirages, F-16 factory level tasks like ‘OCU’ and ‘Falcon-Up’, F-100 engine  upgrade, F-7  engine overhaul, C-130 PDM, 

T-37 structural life enhancement  programme, major engineering achievements were features of last decade. Another development followed by the Pressler Amendment led in the role played by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) at Kamra as the factories established over there  were expanded and modernized to undertake projects like recovery of Australian Mirages  and the co-production of K-8 aircraft with China, production of Super Mushshak, overhaul of engines of F-16. The decision taken in 1990 to amalgamate the various specialties in Maintenance Branch into one common Engineering Branch did contribute to the remarkable achievements of PAF engineers in the last decade.

Looking at the future.

Looking  beyond the year 2005, the PAF needed something that would meet its needs  for a weapon system of a special category for some twenty years. The PAF wanted aircraft that should not only have the operational configuration of its choice but  that were also free from any threat of embargoes. Another important criterion was that the  aeronautical industry of Pakistan should be actively involved in its manufacture. That is how the idea of the Super-7 was born. The Chinese first approached the PAF in 1992 for the design, development and co-production of the Super-7 which had  a multi-role, lightweight day-night fighter which could be configurated for air superiority  and ground attack roles. A formal agreement was signed  between the PAF and the Chinese in October 1995. An MoU was signed between the two governments in February 1998 and a formal contact in June 1999. It would be about five years before the first batch of the tested aircraft would be available and hopefully would enable the PAF to phase out its fleet of Mirages, F-7s and A-5s.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. It goes without saying that future wars will be won by airforces with superior avionics and electronic warfare systems. The field of EW or Electronic Warfare is very dynamic, constantly demanding innovative countermeasures for each electronic measure taken by the adversary. This demands extensive Research and Development to study the enemy’s capability and to prevent its effective use  in the entire electromagnetic spectrum.

No.606 R&D Wing is involved in the useful exploitation of the RF induction and the development of various viable systems in this field. Some of the major work areas involve securing communications and radars against Electronic Warfare threats and providing electronic and intelligence support to the PAF’s airborne and ground -based systems. No 606 R&D Wing  has contributed extensively in the area of deceptive jamming.

Once the operational EW  (Electronic Warfare system)  has been created, it is also essential that it is put  to effective use. This involves deriving and inculcating essential knowledge among the front line operators both on the system and at conceptual level. No 606 R&D Wing is also involved in the training of personnel in the operational and theoretical aspects of electronic warfare. The unit conducts regular training courses at various levels to increase EW awareness in the PAF. The existing air defence automation system has  remained in use  for the last many years. To ensure its optimum performance, No 118 Software Engineering Depot (SED)  had been carrying out modifications in the automation system software which is huge in size and complexity. This depot has also conducted a number of software feasibility studies, and completed numerous projects using its own resources. This has not only enhanced our capabilities but has also led to huge savings.

CAE. The CAE faculty members having higher degrees in their fields of specialties have tried hard in solving engineering problems related to the PAF and the nation in general. Besides their efforts the students also undertake projects some of which are later developed further.

The PAF legacy continues.

The PAF has maintained its professional image throughout its existence. Officers and men of the PAF are proud inheritors of a legacy of warriors who have left a permanent imprint on history.

In the Afghan war which was a more covert unconventional war restricted by very difficult Rules of Engagement (ROEs).Still the PAF lived up to its reputation by not only bringing down several Soviet and Afghan intruders but deterring them from frequent violations of the border. The PAF also responded with prompt development  when threatened by the Indian exercise “Brasstacks” or when providing cover to the Pakistan’s nuclear installations. Realistic training and exercise have helped the PAF to maintain a qualitative edge over its adversary.

There have been ups and downs for the service during the decades of the 90s. Its finest hour was when it distinguished itself in the Afghan war but its low came when the Pressler restrictions frustrated the PAFs future plans and also forced it to cut down on its operational training. Since the human ingenuity is at its best in situations of pressure, the PAF engineers rose to the occasion and performed tasks that had seemed impossible. The high command succeeded in restricting the damage caused by the Pressler’s restrictions and in keeping the fighting force in good trim. The  frustration of the PAF at the denial of a high-tech combat aircraft notwithstanding, the force was in good form as far as its professional expertise was concerned and would remain at peak readiness whenever called into action.

Thus, one can say that it was one of the most difficult decades since the fledging Royal Pakistan Air Force came into being at the time of independence. But spurred on by its proud heritage as a compact, efficient, and hard hitting force. The proud PAF legacy still continues on. 

“The application of Air Power is now a profession of considerable complexity demanding technological mastery a sense of command, structure, speed, fire, distance and impact in proportions quite different from those applicable on land and sea. Not greater, nor lesser, but different. It demands discrete professionalism which must not be subordinate to the primary interests of another service, that would lead directly to the subordination of airpower itself to the detriment of all services.”

AVM Tony Mason

Air Power,

A Centennial Appraisal

Brasseys, 1994.