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DEFENCE NOTES
F-104 Starfighters in PAKISTAN AIR FORCE


Columnist Gp Capt. SM HALI gives a historical review of the famous STARFIGHTER in the PAF battle fleet.

Introduction
Pakistan, which remained an important ally of the United States throughout the cold war was the first non-NATO country to equip with the F-104 Starfighter. The F-104 As and Bs provided to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) under the US Mutual Defence Assistance Programme entered service in 1961 and continued to fly until 1972 when dwindling spares support forced their early retirement. In all twelve F-104As and two F-104 Bs were transferred to Pakistan (table below):

Serial
Model
Tail #
Date Received

1-12
F-104 A
56-803
August 5, 1961
56-804
August 5, 1961
56-805
August 5, 1961
56-807
August 5, 1961
56-868
August 5, 1961
56-874
August 5, 1961
56-875
August 5, 1961
56-877
August 5, 1961
56-879
August 5, 1961
56-773
June 8, 1964
56-798
March 1, 1965
13-14
F-104 B
57-1309
August 5, 1961
57-1312
August 5, 1961

At PAF’s request, all its F-104As were refitted with the M-61 Gatling 20 mm gun, whereas its counterparts in the USAF had been divested of their guns on the assumption that all post-Korea air combat would occur at high speeds where only the wing tip-mounted Sidewinder missiles would be effective. The PAF’s foresight was amply rewarded in actual combat and the USAF too reverted to having machine guns as mandatory equipment on all its fighters in due course. The newer GWE- J-79-11 engine was also installed on the aircraft. This made the Pakistan F-104s somewhat unique: they had the gun and being the lightest of F-104 series with a more advanced J-79 engine enjoyed the best thrust-to-weight ratio.

The only PAF unit to be equipped with the F-104 was No 9 Air Superiority Squadron. The squadron flies the F-16 today. The in-commission rate of the F-104 during the first five years of service was over 80 % and all its systems performed with high reliability. The fighter was employed in the air-to-air role by the PAF and was used extensively for aerial gunnery against both banner targets and the Dart targets with excellent scores. In strafing attacks the M-61 gun was superbly accurate.

The F-104 Starfighters remained in service with Pakistan Air Force for twelve years and flew 11,690 hours. During the 1965 Pakistan-India War, the F-104s flew a total of 246 hours and 45 minutes while during the 1971 War, the F-104s flew a total of 103 hours and forty-five minutes.

1965 Pakistan-India War
During the 1965 War, PAF was forced to rely on its small force of F-104A Starfighters as high altitude interceptors and in its night fighting role, using the radar of its AN/ASG-14T1 fire-control system, in conjunction with Sidewinder air-to-air missiles.

After 1 September, the F-104s were extremely active in Air Defence and Air Superiority Operations, but of the 246 missions flown by F-104s during hostilities, 42 were at night against the IAF Canberras. The rudimentary fire-control radar met the Soviet high altitude bomber threat of the Cold War era for which it was designed but it could not illuminate small targets against ground clutter. The standard high speed intercept tactic employed by PAF’s F-104 pilots was to approach their targets from below, with a typical height differential of 2-3,000 feet, against a target they wished to acquire at a range of 10-15 kilomenters. This limitation was well known to the Canberra jet bomber pilots of IAF who attacked targets in Pakistan during the 1965 war. They adopted a standard hi-lo-hi profile to minimize the threat of interception. During most of their inbound and outbound flight over Pakistani territory the IAF Canberras would stay below about 1000 feet during their approach and exit phases. This posed a difficult night intercept problem. The PAF’s F-104s had in these circumstances to be used in an unconventional low-altitude intercept profile that severely challenged the capabilities of its airborne radar. To pick up the low flying bombers on their scope the F-104 pilots had to get down to about 300-500 feet above the ground to point their radars upward and clear of ground clutter at the enemy bombers. The problem was aggravated by the Canberra’s tail warning audio alarm that would go off the moment an F-104 got to a near astern position, and enable the bomber to take timely evasive action to shake off its pursuer.

The F-104s were highly dreaded by the Indian Air Force (IAF). On 3rd September, 1965, even before the War began, an Indian Gnat surrendered to an F-104 which forced it to land at the abandoned airfield of Pasrur (in Pakistan). Its pilot Squadron Leader Brijpal Singh Sikand became a POW.

On 6 September, two Starfighters were sent on dawn patrol from Sargodha. They were vectored by Sakesar Radar towards 4 IAF Mysteres engaged in bomb and rocket attacks against a stationary passenger train at Gakkhar railway station. One of the F-104 pilots was forced to return to base with a radio failure but the other pilot, Flight Lieutenant Aftab Alam Khan dived his F-104 with full after burners, going supersonically through the Mysteres formation which promptly scattered. The Indian aircraft tried to escape at about 50 feet above the ground but they were no match for the Starfighter. Aftab destroyed one Mysteres with his Sidewinder missile thus achieving one of the world’s first air victories by a mach 2 combat aircraft.

The other F-104 pilot, Flight Lieutenant Amjad Khan, who had missed his chance the previous day, made amends on 7 September. He was scrambled in an F-104 at about 05:15 hours and directed by Sakesar radar towards an incoming raid at Sargodha. He made visual contact with the IAF Mysteres and headed towards them. By the time he caught up with them, the Indian aircraft were 6-8 miles away from Sargodha, flying at 150-200 feet on a south-easterly heading towards India. As the Mysteres jettisoned their drop tanks, Flight Lieutenant Amjad Hussain positioned himself behind one of them and released a GAR-8 missile, which went straight into the ground. The Mystere then began to dogfight with the Starfighter, which used its superior climb and acceleration to lift the combat from ground level to about 7,000 feet to gain room for manoeuvre. Hussain fired his cannons and was delighted to see the shell hit the Mystere. The Mystere pilot showed commendable courage in staying with the F-104, and despite being mortally wounded, scored several cannon strikes on the Starfighter.

Flight Lieutenant Amjad Hussain managed to eject safely and reached his Base. This was the first and only Starfighter to be lost through enemy action in the 1965 war. The Indian pilot Squadron Leader A.B. Devayya was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra in 1988, twenty three years after the war, when Indian authorities learnt of the IAF pilot’s valour through an account of the encounter published in John Fricker’s book Battle for Pakistan, published in 1978.

On 21 September, Squadron Leader Jamal A Khan, intercepted an Indian Air Force Canberra at about 33,000 feet and shot it down with a Sidewinder near Fazilka, inside Pakistani territory. The bomber’s pilot, Flight Lieutenant Manmohan Lowe ejected and was made POW while its navigator, Flying Officer A K Kapor could not bail out and was killed in action. The British made Canberra, unlike its American counterpart the Martin B-57, had no ejection seat for the navigator. This was the first kill achieved by an F-104 at night after a number of near misses due to factors described earlier.

F-104s were also used during 1965 for low level, daylight reconnaissance missions over the IAF air bases. The speed of the Starfighter gave the Indians no time to react. The F-104s were also employed as escorts for the slow Lockheed RT-33 reconnaissance fighters on photographic missions deep into Indian territory, the presence of Starfighters virtually guaranteeing that no air opposition would be encountered. Six F-104 pilots received gallantry awards during the 1965 War.

1971 Pakistan-India War
Air operations in 1971 Pakistan-India War commenced with a preemptive strike by PAF. In the 1971 War the F-104 was also used for deep penetration strikes against enemy airfields and radars. Two F-104s each attacked Amritsar and Faridkot Indian Air Force Radars. The attack on Faridkot Radar was led by Wing Commander Arif Iqbal, who not only damaged the Radar but also shot down an IAF Krishak aircraft.

On 4 December, Squadron Leaders Amanullah and Rashid Bhatti attacked Amritsar Radar. They met with stiff resistance but managed to shoot down two aircraft, an Indian Gnat and an Su-7. The pilot of the Gnat, Flight Lieutenant J Preira was Killed in Action. On 08 December, Flight Lieutenant Manzoor Bokhari intercepted an IAF Canberra and shot it down. On 10 December, Wing Commander Arif Iqbal, while attacking the Indian Harbour of Okha, shot down an Alize aircraft of Indian Navy. Its crew members, Lieutenant Commander Ashok Roy, Lieutenant H S Sirohi and AC O Vijayan were killed in action. PAF lost two F-104s along with their pilots, Wing Commander Mervyn Leslie Middlecoat and Flight Lieutenant Samad Changezi both were awarded gallantry awards of Sitara-e-Jurat (roughly equivalent to the British Distinguished Flying Cross). Flight Lieutenant Bharat B Soni, a MiG-21 pilot was credited with having shot down Wing Commander Middlecoat while Flight Lieutenant Arun K Dutta, another MiG-21 pilot was awarded the claim of having shot down Flight Lieutenant Samad Changezi.

The US Government imposed an embargo on arms sales to both India and Pakistan as soon as the 1965 war began. No consideration was given to the fact that India, a long-time ally of the Soviet Union, hardly used any American military equipment and the sanctions exclusively degraded the combat potential of only the Pakistani Armed Forces. The PAF fleet of F-104s was particularly hard hit by the arms embargoes. Eventually it became impossible to maintain a reasonable in-commission rate on the F-104s and the PAF decided to phase it out of service in late 1972. This ended the era of Pakistan Air Force’s first mach-2 combat aircraft.
THE STAR FIGHTERS' FAREWELL FLIGHT

THE STAR FIGHTERS' FAREWELL FLIGHT 1972


After eleven years of eventful service, a pair of No.9 Squadron's F-104As lifts off the Masroor runway to mark the Lockhead Starfighter's last mission in the PAF. The F-104's life in the PAF was cut short by the United States Government's "even-handed" arms embargo on both Pakistan and India after the 1965 and 1971 wars. Washington chose to ignore the fact that India, a long-time ally of the Soviet Union throughout the Cold War, did not possess any American military equipment and the sanctions thus exclusively penalized the armed force of Pakistan. In the face of increasing difficulty in obtaining spares, the PAF finally decided in mid-1972 to phase out the starfighters. The PAF's F-104s were somewhat unique. While being the lightest among the starfighters in combat configuration, the more powerful J-79-IIA engines gave them additional manoeuvre energy. The 20mm Galling gun, retrofitted to the PAF's F-104s by specific request, also added to the fighter's combat effectiveness. Many heavyhearted airmen and officers of No 9 Squadron witnessed the farewell flight, some of them served in the Squadron for two wars. From among the Squadron's veteran pilots, the two took up the Starfighters for the last time.

f104sf.jpg
 
سرگودھا: پاک فوج کے سربراہ جنرل راحیل شریف نے کہا ہے کہ پاک فضائیہ مشکل ترین وقت میں عوام کی امنگوں پر پورا اتری ہے ضرورت پڑنے پر بری فوج پاک فضائیہ کے شانہ بشانہ کھڑی ہوگی۔

سرگودھا میں پاک فضائیہ کے مصحف ایئربیس پر اردن سے حاصل کئے گئے 13 ایف 16 جنگی طیاروں کی پاک فضائیہ کے فورتھ اسکواڈرن میں شمولیت کرنے کی پروقار تقریب منعقد ہوئی، جس کے مہمان خصوصی آرمی چیف جنرل راحیل شریف تھے، اس موقع پر پاک فضائیہ کے سربراہ ائیر چیف مارشل طاہر رفیق بٹ بھی موجود تھے۔ پاک فوج کے سربراہ جنرل راحیل شریف نے ایف 16 طیارے پاک فضائیہ کے حوالے کئے۔

پاک فضائیہ کے سربراہ ائیر چیف مارشل طاہر رفیق بٹ نے تقریب سے خطاب کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ پاک فضائیہ قوم کو درپیش چیلنجزسے نمٹنے کے لئے تیار ہے، مشکلات کے باوجود بیرونی جارحیت کا مقابلہ کریں گے، وہ ایف 16 طیاروں کی فراہمی پر اردن کی شاہی فضائیہ کے شکر گزار ہیں، ایف 16 طیاروں کی شمولیت سے پاک فضائیہ کو اندرونی اور بیرونی چیلنجز سے موثر طور پر نمٹنے میں مدد ملے گی۔

پاک فوج کے سربراہ جنرل راحیل شریف کا کہنا تھا کہ ملک کی مسلح افواج ملک کی حفاظت اور ترقی کے لئے پُرعزم ہیں۔ پاک فضائیہ مشکل ترین وقت میں عوام کی امنگوں پر پورا اتری ہے، ہم یہ بات سمجھتے ہیں کہ پاک فضائیہ کا اہم کردارہے، موجودہ دور میں فضائیہ کی اہمیت اور بھی بڑھ گئی ہے۔ جہاں بھی ضرورت پڑی تو پاک فضائیہ کے شانہ بشانہ کھڑے ہوں گے، انہوں نے کہا کہ اردن ہمارا عظیم دوست ہے، طیاروں کی فراہمی پر اردن فضائیہ کے شکر گزار ہیں۔

واضح رہے کہ پاکستان نے اردن سے 13 ایف 16 طیاروں کی خریداری کا معاہدہ کیا تھا، ان طیاروں کی شمولیت کے بعد پاک فضائیہ کے بیڑے میں ایف 16 طیاروں کی تعداد 76 ہوجائے گی۔
 
Final ex-Jordanian F-16s Delivered to Pakistan AF
Posted on: May 21st, 2014

Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Chief of the Air Staff, plus His Excellency Nawaf Khalifa Araieh, Jordanian Ambassador to Pakistan, together with the PAF pilots who flew the aircraft in from Jordan, pose for a group photograph at PAF Base Mushaf-Sargodha on April 27 following the delivery of the first five of 13 ex-Royal Jordanian Air Force F-16A/Bs to the PAF. The remaining eight aircraft arrived at the base today. PAF

DELIVERY OF the remaining eight of the 13 ex-Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) F-16A/Bs being acquired by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) was completed today, May 21. The aircraft were flown in to PAF Base Mushaf-Sargodha, joining the initial five ex-RJAF aircraft which, as previously reported on AFD, had arrived at the base on April 27.

All 13 of the new deliveries will be operated by 19 Squadron ‘Sherdils’, which was officially re-formed at Mushaf as an F-16 unit on the same day as the first five aircraft arrived. With the final aircraft now delivered, a formal induction ceremony was held today, with Army chief General Raheel Sharif as the chief guest.He said these aircraft will further increase the capabilities of the PAF and also noted that both the Army and Air Force are making co-operative efforts to get maximum results against war on terror.

PAF Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt, Chief of the Air Staff, said that the addition of the new squadron will increase PAF’s capacity in combating both internal as well as external challenges.

The precise mix of F-16As and ’Bs in the package of 13 aircraft remains unconfirmed. As we reported previously, it was said to have involved 12 F-16As and one F-16B, but when the first five arrived, it included two F-16Bs and three F-16As. Whether all of today’s arrivals were all F-16As has yet to be confirmed. AFD-

Dave Allport
 
please anybody let me know how to send personal message to other ? to any user ? I am new on this web
 
@Windjammer, I'm from Jacobabad and would like to knowthat character of the man. i.e., Haseeb Paracha. Can you tell me moreabout the man? And, are our Chinese brethren wearing a digital came?
 
Sino-Pak Shaheen III Air Exercise Commences in Pakistan

May. 27, 2014 - 05:14PM | By USMAN ANSARI



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Chinese J-10 fighter jets perform at the Zhuhai Air Show. The current Shaheen exercise with Pakistan marks the J-10's first appearance in an overseas exercise. (AFP)

ISLAMABAD — China and Pakistan commenced their third installment in the Shaheen (Falcon) series of bilateral exercises here over the weekend, according to a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) spokesman.
Shaheen III is described as a multi-dimensional joint exercise aimed at boosting cooperation and imparting knowledge gained through flying/combat experience conducted in a near real scenario, allowing participants to familiarize themselves with the latest concepts and practices.

Though the location within Pakistan of the exercise has not been revealed, the Chinese are participating with a Chengdu F-7 and a Chengdu J-10 aircraft, along with associated support crews and equipment. The PAF is participating with JF-17 Thunder, Mirage and F-7PG aircraft.

Shaheen II was held in China in 2013 and lasted three weeks, but the PAF would not comment if Shaheen III will be held for the same duration.

Asked if the limited number of aircraft would hinder obtaining worthwhile experience from the exercise, former Australian defense attache to Islamabad Brian Cloughley said he did not think “the point of the exercise is entirely professional improvement but rather that it has political connotations.

“The fact remains that there is undoubted mutual benefit in joining with other air forces in practicing techniques and this is no exception. No doubt both the PAF and the PLA(AF) would have welcomed greater numbers from the latter, and it would be interesting to know the reason for the modest PLA contribution, but I don’t think there is anything deep in this,” he added.

Similarly, analyst Usman Shabbir of the Pakistan Military Consortium think tank said the event is “just a regular exercise to keep pilot and crew training up to date.”

Though he added, “The exercise is a great advantage for both air forces, as Chinese pilots get a chance to fly against an adversary whose training and tactics are Western based and PAF gets a chance to fly against a new type.”

Shabbir did, however, highlight that the exercise marks the debut of both the JF-17 in the Shaheen series, and the first time the J-10 has participated in an overseas exercise.

The exercise comes at a time when speculation among analysts once again points toward a possible purchase of the FC-20 variant of the J-10B for the PAF. However, Shabbir believes this to be a little wide of the mark.

The speculation stems from reports in the Chinese media of negotiations involving the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), the home of Pakistan’s aviation industry, to co-develop or at least co-produce a variant of the J-10.

However, Shabbir is unsure if this means Pakistan will acquire the FC-20, a previously agreed advanced variant of the J-10B that appears to have been abandoned in favor of more surplus F-16s. He speculates the negotiations may be focused more on production capacity issues in China and Pakistan, with PAC hoping to repeat success it had with a similar deal with Turkey.

“PAC has been marketing itself as a facility that has unutilized capacity to produce various airframe parts and components on a commercial basis. That is how it [PAC] came to produce airframe parts for Turkish Anka UAV,” he said.

It is possible, he said, there will be a “similar setup ... where PAC is just going to produce airframe parts and ship them to China for final assembly, thus reducing the pressure on the Chinese line.”

At present, various sources indicate that the number of J-10 aircraft in service with the Chinese Air Force and Navy is a little over 200, but with production ongoing. However, both forces require more to replace large numbers of legacy types. ■

Email: uansari@defensenews.com.
 
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