No. 5 Squadron (Pakistan Air Force)
Encyclopedia
No. 5 Squadron, named the Falcons, is a Pakistan Air Force
fighter squadron, the second oldest fighter squadron since the PAF's creation in 1947.
fighters and commanded by Squadron Leader Zaheer Ahmad. The unit was based at Miranshah and was suffering from inadequate numbers of technical staff. Most of the squadron's personnel were inherited from the Royal Indian Air Force No. 1 Squadron. In December 1947 the squadron provided cover to the Pakistan Army
units pulling out from Razmak during 'Operation Curzon.'
In the early 1950s the unit was converted to fly the Hawker Fury
.
On 1 September 1965, just prior to the beginning of the 1965 Indo-Pak War, the squadron shot down four Indian Air Force de Havilland Vampire
s. During that war the unit flew 190 hours of sorties, including a strike on an Indian airbase during which Squadron Leader Safraz A. Rafiqui downed an Indian Hawker Hunter
and two Vampires before being shot down himself. One of his wingmen, Flight Lieutenant Yunus Hussain, was also shot down after downing an Indian Hunter. Other kills include an EE Canberra
and two Hunters shot down by Flight Lieutenant Cecil Chaudhry as well as one Dassault Mystere downed by Flight Lieutenant A. H. Malik.
The squadron's F-86 Sabre
s were replaced in 1967 with the Dassault Mirage IIIE
and its role changed to tactical attack. The unit was made fully operational and, during the 1971 Indo-Pak War, over 200 missions were flown in day and night. Photo reconnaissance, counter air, air defence and interdiction sorties were carried out with first strikes targeting the Indian Air Force airbases at Pathankot and Awantipura. One EE Canberra
was downed during a night-time intercept by Flight Lieutenant Naeem Atta and a Sukhoi Su-7
was damaged by Flight Lieutenant Riaz Sheikh.
The squadron's reconnaissance role is performed year-round along the entire eastern border with Mirage III/5 reconnaissance variants and reconnaissance pods supported by other PAF aircraft and ground-based radars. These duties require the squadron to be split up and deployed at different locations throughout the year. Reconnaissance duties are in addition to monthly Air Defence Alert (ADA) and training.
In 2010 the squadron was re-equipped with the F-16C/D Block 52+, the old Mirage III/5 being transferred to other units. As well as air-to-air and air-to-ground armaments such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM
, the new F-16s are also equipped with new Goodrich DB-110 reconnaissance pods. These have seen service in the skies over North West Pakistan against the insurgency there, providing high resolution infra-red imagery and maps to the Pakistani forces.
! style="text-align: middle; background: white;" colspan="4" | No. 5 Squadron
Falcons
|-
! style="text-align: left; background: lavender;" width="130" | Role
! style="text-align: left; background: lavender;" width=" " | Operational
! style="text-align: left; background: lavender;" width="180" | Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: lavender;" width=" " | Notes
|-valign="top"
|
| 1947~1950s
| Hawker Tempest II
|
|-
|
| ~1950s—----
| Hawker Fury
|
|-
|
| ----—1967
| F-86 Sabre
|
|-
| Tactical attack and reconnaissance
| 1967—2010
| Dassault Mirage III
| Operated four variants of the Mirage III/5 during the 1990s. Trans-frontier reconnaissance sorties with reconnaissance pods flown throughout the year in peace-time, supported by other equipment such as electronic warfare aircraft of No. 24 Blinders squadron
.
|-
| Multi-role
| 2010
| F-16 Fighting Falcon
F-16C/D Block 52+
|
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...
fighter squadron, the second oldest fighter squadron since the PAF's creation in 1947.
History
The squadron was established as part of the Royal Pakistan Air Force on 15 August 1947, equipped with eight Hawker Tempest IIHawker Tempest
The Hawker Tempest was a British fighter aircraft primarily used by the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. The Tempest was an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, and one of the most powerful fighter aircraft used during the war....
fighters and commanded by Squadron Leader Zaheer Ahmad. The unit was based at Miranshah and was suffering from inadequate numbers of technical staff. Most of the squadron's personnel were inherited from the Royal Indian Air Force No. 1 Squadron. In December 1947 the squadron provided cover to the Pakistan Army
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
units pulling out from Razmak during 'Operation Curzon.'
In the early 1950s the unit was converted to fly the Hawker Fury
Hawker Fury
The Hawker Fury was a British biplane fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force in the 1930s. It was originally named the Hornet and was the counterpart to the Hawker Hart light bomber.-Design and development:...
.
On 1 September 1965, just prior to the beginning of the 1965 Indo-Pak War, the squadron shot down four Indian Air Force de Havilland Vampire
De Havilland Vampire
The de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British jet-engine fighter commissioned by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Following the Gloster Meteor, it was the second jet fighter to enter service with the RAF. Although it arrived too late to see combat during the war, the Vampire served...
s. During that war the unit flew 190 hours of sorties, including a strike on an Indian airbase during which Squadron Leader Safraz A. Rafiqui downed an Indian Hawker Hunter
Hawker Hunter
The Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary...
and two Vampires before being shot down himself. One of his wingmen, Flight Lieutenant Yunus Hussain, was also shot down after downing an Indian Hunter. Other kills include an EE Canberra
English Electric Canberra
The English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957...
and two Hunters shot down by Flight Lieutenant Cecil Chaudhry as well as one Dassault Mystere downed by Flight Lieutenant A. H. Malik.
The squadron's F-86 Sabre
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
s were replaced in 1967 with the Dassault Mirage IIIE
Dassault Mirage III
The Mirage III is a supersonic fighter aircraft designed by Dassault Aviation during the late 1950s, and manufactured both in France and a number of other countries. It was a successful fighter aircraft, being sold to many air forces around the world and remaining in production for over a decade...
and its role changed to tactical attack. The unit was made fully operational and, during the 1971 Indo-Pak War, over 200 missions were flown in day and night. Photo reconnaissance, counter air, air defence and interdiction sorties were carried out with first strikes targeting the Indian Air Force airbases at Pathankot and Awantipura. One EE Canberra
English Electric Canberra
The English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957...
was downed during a night-time intercept by Flight Lieutenant Naeem Atta and a Sukhoi Su-7
Sukhoi Su-7
The Sukhoi Su-7 was a swept wing, supersonic fighter aircraft developed by the Soviet Union in 1955. Originally, it was designed as tactical, low-level dogfighter, but was not successful in this role. On the other hand, soon-introduced Su-7B series became the main Soviet fighter-bomber and...
was damaged by Flight Lieutenant Riaz Sheikh.
The squadron's reconnaissance role is performed year-round along the entire eastern border with Mirage III/5 reconnaissance variants and reconnaissance pods supported by other PAF aircraft and ground-based radars. These duties require the squadron to be split up and deployed at different locations throughout the year. Reconnaissance duties are in addition to monthly Air Defence Alert (ADA) and training.
In 2010 the squadron was re-equipped with the F-16C/D Block 52+, the old Mirage III/5 being transferred to other units. As well as air-to-air and air-to-ground armaments such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM
AIM-120 AMRAAM
The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM , is a modern beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile capable of all-weather day-and-night operations. Designed with the same form-factor as the previous generation of semi-active guided Sparrow missiles, it is a fire-and-forget...
, the new F-16s are also equipped with new Goodrich DB-110 reconnaissance pods. These have seen service in the skies over North West Pakistan against the insurgency there, providing high resolution infra-red imagery and maps to the Pakistani forces.
! style="text-align: middle; background: white;" colspan="4" | No. 5 Squadron
Falcons
|-
! style="text-align: left; background: lavender;" width="130" | Role
! style="text-align: left; background: lavender;" width=" " | Operational
! style="text-align: left; background: lavender;" width="180" | Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: lavender;" width=" " | Notes
|-valign="top"
|
| 1947~1950s
| Hawker Tempest II
Hawker Tempest
The Hawker Tempest was a British fighter aircraft primarily used by the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. The Tempest was an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, and one of the most powerful fighter aircraft used during the war....
|
|-
|
| ~1950s—----
| Hawker Fury
Hawker Fury
The Hawker Fury was a British biplane fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force in the 1930s. It was originally named the Hornet and was the counterpart to the Hawker Hart light bomber.-Design and development:...
|
|-
|
| ----—1967
| F-86 Sabre
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
|
|-
| Tactical attack and reconnaissance
| 1967—2010
| Dassault Mirage III
Dassault Mirage III
The Mirage III is a supersonic fighter aircraft designed by Dassault Aviation during the late 1950s, and manufactured both in France and a number of other countries. It was a successful fighter aircraft, being sold to many air forces around the world and remaining in production for over a decade...
| Operated four variants of the Mirage III/5 during the 1990s. Trans-frontier reconnaissance sorties with reconnaissance pods flown throughout the year in peace-time, supported by other equipment such as electronic warfare aircraft of No. 24 Blinders squadron
No. 24 Squadron (Pakistan Air Force)
No. 24 Squadron, named the Blinders, is an electronic warfare unit of the Pakistan Air Force.-History:The squadron was established at PAF Base Peshawar in December 1962 and equipped with the RB-57F, an electronic surveillance variant of the B-57 Canberra bomber, to fulfil the role of providing...
.
|-
| Multi-role
| 2010
| F-16 Fighting Falcon
F-16C/D Block 52+
|
Awards
- Inter-Squadron Armament Trophy 1952
- Inter-Squadron Maintenance Efficiency Trophy (1991, 1992, 1995)
- Inter-Squadron Armament Competition (ISAC) 1996 - fourth place overall.