C- 130 Hercules of Pakistan Air Force

[ghazi52]

C- 130 Hercules of Pakistan Air Force

6 Squadron gained valuable operational experience on Bristol Freighters in a variety of climatic and geographical environments, ranging from the snowbound peaks of Kashmir to the desert of southern Punjab to the tropical forests of East Pakistan. In 1963, when 4 Lockheed C-130Bs were received under the US aid programme, it enabled the squadron to begin phasing out its Bristol Freighters. The Hercules also allowed the squadron to revise its valley flight procedures by overflying the Karakorams before letting down over the destination air strips and drop zones, with a corresponding improvement in safety margins.

During the 1965 war, the PAF offensive against bases included assaults by para commandos, who were dropped at night from 3 C-130Bs near Adampur, Halwara and Pathankot. In another role, the squadron was able to convert its Hercules aircraft into night bombers for raids against battlefield targets with upto 22,000 lbs. of HE bombs, which were rolled out of the rear ramp on pallets. The squadron flew over twenty such missions and dropped bombs on enemy forces moving up for the battles of Chawinda and Pulkanjari. Seven officers were awarded the Sitara-i-Juraat and 2 JCO's the Tamgha-i-Juraat. After the 65 war, 6 Squadron continued its task of logistic support for army units stationed in the Northern Areas and of routine PAF commitments in both wings of Pakistan. The squadron came under tremendous pressure towards the end of 1970 when the political situation in East Pakistan became unstable. The unit efficiently completed the task of moving a large number of troops from West to East Pakistan. In 1970 the squadron also participated in extensive flood relief operations in East Pakistan. When civil war erupted in East Pakistan in March 71, 2 C-130s were permanently deployed at Dhaka; they remained there till the December war broke out. These aircraft took extensive part in evacuation of troops and civilians from hostile areas. Wing Commander Munim A. Khan and his crew lifted a record figure of 365 people from Sylhet to Dhaka in one C-130 sortie. During 1971, the Indian government had stopped PAF flights over India and the squadron's C-130s proceeding to East Pakistan had to route via Sri Lanka, entailing sorties of exhausting length as well as the risk of interception by Indian fighter aircraft.

When war broke out on 3 December 71, the squadron undertook tactical bombing raids in West Pakistan in much the same way as it had done in the 65 war. A C-130 captained by Group Captain Mir Alam made a very successful attack against Jaisalmer and inflicted heavy damage upon the IAF's technical complex there. The crew were awarded Sitara-i-Juraat for this action. Successful bombing was also carried out in the Srinagar valley and against battlefield targets. The squadron did not suffer any war loss of life or equipment.

The squadron regularly participated in CENTO exercises 'Nejat' and produced good results; the exercises were held at Masroor, Rezayiah (Iran), England and Turkey. Every year the squadron takes PAF Air War College for its educational tours abroad. Since 1971 the college teams have been taken to China, England, Australia, North Korea, Germany, Egypt, Syria, Cyprus, Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. Owing to its increased commitments, some additional C-130Es have been provided to the squadron during the last decade.

 

[ghazi52]

PAF’s oldest squadron celebrates 75th anniversary

December 4, 2017 (by Asif Shamim) - The oldest squadron of the Pakistan Air Force, No 6 Squadron, celebrated its 75th anniversary at the PAF Base Nur Khan on Sunday. Pakistan Air Force C-130E #14727 from 6 Sqn is seen parked on the ramp at Pardubice Airport, Czech Republic on March 22, 2006. [Photo by Petr Huňáček] Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman was the chief guest at the occasion. War veterans, former air chiefs and a large number of retired and serving officers also attended the ceremony. A well-shot documentary, depicting the history of this squadron was also shown in the ceremony. The air chief also unveiled a commemorative postage stamp which had been issued by the Pakistan Post to pay tribute to the services rendered by No 6 Squadron during the past 75 years. Addressing the audience, the air chief said that PAF had remained at the forefront in the war on terror and had gained invaluable lessons during the decade long war. In this context, the squadron had played a decisive role in Zarb-e-Azb operation, he added. He further said that, “Combat crew of No 6 Squadron operated with professional excellence in those areas where miscreants were hiding, and provided the assistance to frontline fighter aircrafts. This has enabled the PAF to achieve landmark success against terrorists without any collateral damage.” PAF’s No 6 Squadron was established in 1942 at Trichinopoly as a Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron on Hawker Hurricane MK-II aircraft. The squadron used Spitfire aircraft, Dakota aircraft and Bristol Freighter aircraft. Recently this squadron was using C-130 Hercules and Casa CN-235. During the 1965 war, this squadron was upgraded to a bomber squadron and then Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Nur Khan himself led the mission to bombard targets in enemy territory. In addition, this squadron had the unique honour of participating in World War II.

 

[ghazi52]

The C-130s of Mobility Guardian

August 11, 2017 (by TSgt. Jodi Martinez) - The C-130 Hercules aircraft of Mobility Guardian traveled more than 25,000 miles from six different countries across the globe to participate in the two-week exercise here July 31 to August 12, 2017. PAF Wing Commander Raja Durraab is one of the C-130 Hercules pilots during Mobility Guardian, Joint Base Lewis-McChord August 11, 2017. [USAF photo by SSgt. Jodi Martinez] This distance, stretching farther than that of the earth's equator, funneled C-130 aircraft from Belgium, Canada, New Zealand, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, and the U.S. into a single interoperable playing field where tactics, techniques, and procedures were shared amongst allied nations. "What makes the C-130 unique is its capability to go anywhere at any time," said U.S. Air Force Maj. Mike Sadler, 41st Airlift Squadron C-130J pilot from Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. "It can literally land in a really tight spot and take off from any place with any type of cargo you can put in there for any kind of humanitarian relief." The C-130 is capable of conducting medical evacuation, humanitarian, aerial spray, firefighting, night, arctic, personnel drop and cargo drop missions. Because the C-130 is so versatile and small enough to go where other aircraft can't, it supports more missions than any other aircraft in the sky. "The C-130 goes well into any logistic system," said Belgium air force Capt. Koen Matton, C-130 pilot. "The C-130 is unique because it's a highly versatile aircraft, and that's why it's been going around for over 50 years." The C-130, owned by 63 different countries, also allows nations to work together more seamlessly in integrated environments, proving vital in real-world scenarios. "I've flown five missions [during Mobility Guardian] with a crew that I'm likely to deploy with next year," said New Zealand air force Flight Lieutenant Kendall Dooley, C-130 pilot. "It's given us a chance to work on our crew resource management, work better as a team, and integrate with other countries to see how they operate. In the middle east everything we do is part of a coalition so it's important to interact and understand how nations work." For Wing Commander Raja Durraab, Pakistani air force C-130 navigator, future conflicts will require more interoperability. "Most of the time you are operating in the real-world you are operating as a nation, but in future real-world scenarios, we have to operate as a team," said Durraab. "We must understand each other's capabilities and limitations. Even communication is one of the biggest challenges, but we have to overcome these things to move forward." Mobility Guardian offered a platform for the different countries to begin moving forward by integrating different scenarios, including hot defueling, wet-wing defueling, advanced cargo drops, personnel drops, aeromedical evacuation, and formation flying. "The C-130 is largely proliferated across the globe," said Sadler, and he stressed that the C-130 presence at Mobility Guardian creates a force multiplier and enhances the global response force. "Having that opportunity to mix, deconflict, and learn about each other's strengths and weaknesses so that we can go forward together is valuable," said Sadler." "This will help us later on should anything happen when we need to operate in a real-life scenario and get the mission done – whatever that might be."

 

[ghazi52]

 

[Sifar zero]

Once I heard that some PAF technicians were working in Nigeria maintaining NAF C130's and can we the same for Iraqi F 16's since Lockheed Martin technicians are leaving Iraq.

 

[Meliodas]

We need to replace these giants sooner than yesterday

 

[ghazi52]

DAKOTA
1947 - 1955