Turbulent Times
IMAGES OF burning Orions being broadcast all over the globe on May 22, 2011 , was yet another reminder to the Pakistan Naval Aviation of the tragedies it has endured in recent years.
Since being formed in 1971 it has been a fairly turbulent 40 years for the PNA. A BR-1150 Atlantic was shot down by an Indian Air Force MiG-21 with the loss of the crew; it P-3C crashed into the sea with the 21 personnel onboard all killed; the west's sanctions had a crippling effect on its aircraft throughout the 1990s/early :2000’s - and then there was the Taliban attack on May 22. Since being created, the small, close knit community has had more than Its fair share of ill fortune. Bad luck even dogged the beautifully marked Orion when it flew from Pakistan to the Royal International Air Tattoo 2008 at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, because the biggest alr show in the world was cancelled at the last moment due to the terrible weather. The aircraft stood there looking immaculate thousands of miles away from home, with no one to admire it.
When Tallban militants attacked the PNA's Karachi air base, known as Pakistan Navy Ship (PNS) Mehran on that Sunday night, it took security forces around 15 hours to defeat the handful of gunmen, as the world watched the drama unfolding. When the night was over two P-3C Orions had been destroyed and one badly damaged, while 14 military were killed along with around four attackers.
In a subsequent statement, a Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan, told Reuters News Agency: • It was the revenge of Osama bin laden's martyrdom [on May 2). It was proof that we are still united and powerful.
Within days, the Commander Naval Aviation (COMNAV), Commodore Raja Tahir who the author met, was suspended from duties and replaced by Commodore Khalld Parvez. COMNAV has four heads of departments reporting Into him: Commander Air who has responsibility for the aviation assets, Commander Air Engineering Dept. (AED), Commanding Officer Mehran and Officer Commanding Naval Aviation Training School (NATS). Between them they are responsible for all the Navy personnel based at PNS Mehran. Ultimately Commodore Raja, who In his role was effectively the PNS Mehran Base Commander, paid the price for lapses in security.
1971 War Lessons
Located in the south-east corner of Pakistan Air Force Base Faisal off Karachi's main Drigh Road, the facility is hidden well away from prying eyes. PNS Mehran has stood proud serving the Pakistan Navy since being formally commissioned on September 1975, with only eight officers and four sailors.
Like any other Navy, Pakistan's sea-going vessels require protection while patrolling Pakistan's coastal waters, although some defense is provided by the ships onboard systems, they are still vulnerable to air-attack - as the 1971 India-Pakistan war highlighted. During that 13-day war, the Pakistan Navy lost two navy ships. PNS Muhafjz and PNS Khyber, seven gunboats, one minesweeper; the Coast Guard lost three patrol craft.
Some 18 civilian cargo, supply and communication vessels were also destroyed. Three merchant navy ships were captured and the naval base/dockyards in Karachi severely damaged. Around 1,900 personnel, naval and civilian lost their lives. For Pakistan, it was a disaster.
Lessons from the 1971 War led to a blue print for the Pakistan Naval Aviation (PNA) and the delivery of four Alouette Ills, flown by Army pilots in 1972. These French helicopters were capable training platforms with a secondary Search and Rescue (SAR) role. Six brand new Sea King Mk 4S anti surface warfare (ASuW) and anti-submarine (ASW) helicopters followed in 1975 after a year's work-up by PNA personnel at RNAS Culdrose, Cornwall. Three BR-11 50 Atlantic long-range maritime patrol aircraft were also delivered that year. The pioneers of this embryonic air arm set about creating its operational doctrine in a bid to provide the Navy with the support it craved.
The next acquisition came in 1982 when an ex-PIA Fokker F-27 was purchased and converted at Amsterdam-Schiphol to perform the maritime patrol role. The Fokker has been a faithful servant over the years with five further examples joining the ranks - the latest being in April 2008.
In 1993, three second-hand lynx HAS3 ASW helicopters were acquired as part of a deal that saw the UK sell six Type 21 frigates (see later) to the Pakistan Navy. However, they hardly flew due to a lack of spares.
Undoubtedly the biggest fillip In the PNA's operational capabilities has been the acquisition of ten P-3C Orion’s over the past 20 years. even though the P-3 story is one of sanctions, tragedy and destruction, and now there are only five in service with two yet to be delivered.
In 2009 six Chinese Harbin Z-9Ee ASW helicopters arrived, which according to one senior officer were a much cheaper option than buying spares from Augusta-Westland for the lynx.
A Hawker 850Xl was supplied by Dallas-based Triple-S Aviation in 2010 to bolster the air arm's ELINT capabilities although the company refers to it as a multi-mission aircraft.
Today the PNA is bigger than it has ever been with an Inventory of around 35 helicopters and fixed wing aircraft from China, France, the Netherlands and the USA.
Fixed Wing
Navy Aviation employs the P-3C and Atlantic for anti-surface/anti-submarine warfare, with the P-3C’s AGM-84 Harpoon anti-shipping missile providing a lethal anti-ship strike capability.
The first three P-3C’s (81,82, and 83) were all embargoed by the USA in 1992, as the aircraft rolled off the production line, because of Pakistan’s nuclear program, which meant they spent three years in the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AMARC) at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. After being released to Pakistan in late 1996/early 1997 they were soon operational with 28 Sqdn. However when US placed sanctions on Pakistan, once again, because of nuclear tests in 1998, the spares dried up. Tragedy struck on October 29, 1999 when P-3C No.83 crashed into the Arabian sea with the loss of all 21 personnel on board, including the Squadron CO, Commander Shehzad Ahmad. For several years the surviving pair stood grounded owing to the crippling effects of sanctions. This remained the case until these were lifted in 2004 and the aircraft returned to the skies in 2006. A year after the sanctions had been lifted in 2005, the US announced that as part of a US$ 970 million arms package, the PNA would receive eight P-3C Orion’s (although it seems one was a spares aircraft), a spokesman for the US Defense Security Co-operation Agency (DSCA), which sanctioned the deal said at the time; ‘the command and control capabilities of these aircraft will improve Pakistan’s ability to restrict the littoral movement of terrorists along Pakistan’s southern border and ensure its overall ability to maintain integrity of their borders, Pakistan intends to use the proposed purchase to develop a long needed fleet of maritime and border surveillance aircraft’.
This statement highlighting the P-3’s role, was undoubtedly a contributing factor to the May 22 attack. All the P-3 aircraft are to be modernized under the terms of the Pakistan Upgrade Program (PUP) with the capability to deploy the all-weather standoff cruise missile AGM-84H SLAM-ER (Standoff Land Attack Missile- Extended Response). Up until May 22, 20 11, 29 Sqdn flew five P-3Cs with two being PUP aircraft - identified by the FUR protruding (rom under the fuselage. Another three are being modified at Greenville, Texas, with delivery of two expected before the end of the year, with two unmodified aircraft going in the opposite direction. No 85 was initially delivered in 2007, but was flown back. To the USA via Lajes, Azores in September 2010.
During mid-February the squadron was going through an Operational Readiness Inspection preparation for the 5 day international exercise - AMAN 2011. The maritime maneuvers concentrated around the coast of Pakistan involved 23 nations, as well as a Royal Australian Air Force P-3 and a pair of Japanese p-3Cs, which operated from PNS Mehran.
The PUP P-3Cs will provide Pakistan with a search, surveillance, and control capability to support maritime interdiction operations. Their anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare capabilities will be considerably enhanced once upgraded, while there will also be a control capability over land to assist in the fight against transnational terrorists and narcotics smugglers.
Until the attack on PNS Mehran, the PNA were planning to phase out the two remaining 29 Sqdn Atlantics as delivery of the P-3C Orion’s increased. Only one of the French veterans Is currently operational while another is under maintenance. A third aircraft was shot down by an Indian Air Force MiG-21 on August 10, 1999 just three months after the IAF had lost two fighters during the Kargil Conflict. Emotions were still running high in India at the time and It was interpreted by the Pak. Navy as an act of vengeance. All 16 people on board were lost.
Today the single Atlantic Is used primarily for Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) but it can still pack a mighty punch if called upon, courtesy of an AM39 Exocet air-to-surface missile and up to eight torpedoes inside the bomb-bay. Whether the remaining Atlantic will be brought Into service, following the loss of two P-3Cs on May 22,. 2011, is unclear.
In mid - October 2010 the special mission needs of the Pak Navy Aviation were given a considerable boost with the arrival of a Hawker 850XP. The platform, the Navy's first jet, was supplied by Dallas-based Triple S Aviation, configured for a multi-mission role that includes both VIP and ELINT tasking. It now flies with 29 Sqdn and will assist the Atlantics in their primary role.
According to the Pakistan Navy the Hawker 850XP has recently been inducted for ELINT purposes and Is being fitted with modern sensors to provide a cost-effective option as compared to buying a new Maritime Patrol aircraft. With the induction of modern fighters by our adversary, the slow moving turboprop driven Long Range Maritime Patrol (LRMP) aircraft are under a real and serious threat. This new jet is faster, more maneuverable and agile so at less risk, while at the same time performing the task of area surveillance much quicker.
The backbone of the Pak Navy's fixed wing fleet is undoubtedly the ubiquitous Fokker F27 flown by the appropriately numbered 27 Sqdn. its six. Hour range means the twin - engine transport aircraft is suited for maritime patrol and an ASW role. However the fleet is regularly used for ferrying missions, Para dropping, Search and Rescue and multi-engine training. Having increased its fleet with a former PIA aircraft in April 2008, the unit can now call upon five ASW configured F27•200 MPA Friendships, three upgraded with the Ocean Master radar systems. This allows the other two as well as a F-27 400M to concentrate on other tasking’s. such as humanitarian relief - of which there has been a regular need in Pakistan during recent years, with earthquakes and flooding taking its toll a country ravaged by conflict.
In late July 2010, when Pakistan suffered catastrophic floods affecting one fifth of the country, 27 Sqdn made a huge contribution to Operation Madad – the Navy's effort in the flood relief ops, that ran from July to November when the clean-up ended. The Fokker’s were the only Navy asset able to drop paratroopers in to the worst affected areas, and together with the Navy's Sea Kings were tasked to Para drop food and other essential items. As the refugees were taken by helicopter to Pasnl and Ormara airfields, the F27s flew them to the relative safety of Karachi.
Having completed their flying training on Mushshaks with the Army Aviation School at Gujranwala, newly trained fixed wing pilots will join 27 5qn to continue their multiengine training before moving to the Atlantic or P• 3. It’s clear 27 Sqdn is the most versatile unit in Pak Navy Aviation. As PNA continues to modernize, a replacement for the F27 Is currently being studied with the CASA 235/295 and ATR 42/72 ASW are under consideration.
Rotary
Helicopters play a big part in any naval force - whether it is for logistical support, protection or extend the ships over the horizon (OTH) capabilities, rotary wings are very important.
So it was no surprise when the first platforms to be purchased by the Navy, in the wake of lessons learned from the 1971 lndo-Pak war, were helicopters - initially the Arouette III and then the Sea King. The ever faithful Alouette III, a workhorse for many air forces in the region, still serves the Pakistan Navy today. In fact, when the first helicopter purchases In nearly ten years occurred a couple of years ago, they were in the shape of two SA319 Alouette Ills. The two former French Army helicopters were purchased from UK-based MNA Technologies Ltd, entering service with 333 Sqdn in April 2008. More were to be acquired through the same company but it failed to source them and the deal was abandoned.
New pilots arrive from the Pakistan Army Flying Training Wing at Gujranwala having flown up to 75 hours In Schweizer 333s - the Army's basic training helicopter. The Alouette’s can also provide a search and rescue capability when called upon.
Today's fleet of Sea Kings comprises five Mk45s delivered in 1975 for an ASW and ASuW role, equipped with the AM39 Exocet anti-ship missile, A further ex-Royal Navy HAS 5 referred to as a Mk 45A now, was delivered In 1989 as a replacement of a Sea King lost on February 8, 1986. The only noticeable difference externally is its dark blue AEW radome as opposed to the original MK45s' white ones. The helicopters, which serve 111 Sqdn play an active role patrolling Pakistan's off shore waters for unwanted visitors.
When the Pakistan Navy signed a contract with CATIC on April 4, 2006 for four Chinese F-22P Zulfiquar class frigates, the deal also included the acquisition of six Harbin Z-9EC ASW helicopters. This meant the end of the three Lynx HAS3s acquired In 1993, which would have cost more to return to service than the six Chinese helicopters cost to buy. In an age where littoral warfare plays a major part In defeating your enemies, the Z-9EC Is to be upgraded with a data-link system, compatible with the new F-22 P frigates and the maritime strike JF-17, soon to be operational with the new Chinese C-802 anti-shipping missile.
Based upon the AS565 Panther, which figures among the inventories of nine nations including the French Navy, the Z-9EC can provide these new vessels with significant OTH and ASW capabilities. These helicopters, the last Z-9s to be equipped with conventional analogue cockpits come with a surface-search radar, low frequency dipping sonar, radar warning receiver and Doppler navigation system. They can also be armed with a torpedo and depth charges for the anti-submarine warfare role. In addition to the two pilots onboard, an ASW Operator sits at his workstation in the rear, monitoring the tactical situation.
Six pilots went to Harbin, China In 2007/08 to carry out their conversion-training and the six helicopters were delivered in two batches of three in May 2009 and December 2009 to 222 Sqdn, which stood up in April 2009. According to 222 Sqdn CO, Capt. Imran Nasir, who also commanded 333 Sqn before his transfer to Z-9;"The helicopter is a complex machine, very user-friendly but you need to have a lot of experience in flying and navigation.
To date three of the F-22Ps, PNS Zulfiqar, PNS Shamsheer and PNS Saif have been delivered while the fourth is now being built at the Karachi Shipyards.
The lead ship, PNS Zulfiquar, was launched on April 5, 2008 and inducted into the Pakistan Navy on September 19, 2009; the second, PNS Shamsheer, arrived in Pakistan on January 23, 2010 and PNS Saif was handed over on September I S, 2010,
According to Admiral Noman Bashir, the Pakistan Navy Chief, the PN will expand its fleet of F-22P frigates by constructing more ships locally.
The Z-9ECs can also deploy aboard the Pakistan Navy's six Type 21 frigates, however they don't stay at sea more than a month because the frigate's hangar is not big enough to house the Chinese chopper.
During 1993-94 the Pakistan Navy purchased the Royal Navy's six surviving Type 21 Amazon class frigates (two were lost in the 1982 Falklands War) in a deal that saw three LYNX HAS3 being supplied too. Unfortunately, due to a lack of spares, which were very expensive when they did become available. It meant the Lynx was retired prematurely. All three are up for disposal and stored in the appropriately named Lynx Preservation Hangar.
Ups and Downs
Since visiting PNS Mehran 2001, there has been little investment - due largely to the Pakistan Government plugging more funds into an ageing Air Force (for F-16, AWACS and tanker acquisition and JF-17 production) and the Army's ongoing war against terrorism in North and South Waziristan. This Is nothing new to the poorer relations of Pakistan's military aviation community, However, the opening of the Gwadar deep seaport in late December 2009 and the reliance by energy-hungry China on Middle East and African oil pumping through the length of Pakistan means that the Navy must be able to protect commercial as well as strategic Interests.
The new P-3C Orion’s and Harbin Z-9 ASW helicopters will go some way to achieving that goal as will maritime strike JF-1 7s and a Fokker F27 replacement - but let us hope the future is not quite as turbulent as the past.
Pakistan Navy's Type 21 Frigates
Pak Navy………………… Ex Royal Navy name
PNS Babur………………. HMS Amazon /F169
PNS Badr………………… HMS Alacrity/F174
PNS Khaibar……………. HMS Arrow/F 173
PNS ShahJahan……….. HMS Active /IF171
PNS Tariq………………. HMS Ambuscade/Fl72
PNS TJppu Sultan…… HM5 Avenger/F185
Why Protecting Sea Assets is Important
The Indian Ocean is the third largest body of water on earth and is important for the transit of industrial goods by many of the region's states. Furthermore, the Indian Ocean region makes up a third of the world's population, 40% of the world's oil reserves and is home to two nuclear states – Pakistan and India, that don't always see eye to eye.
Pakistan is dependent upon the sea for over 90% of its trade, which you can witness for yourself when trying to negotiate the congested traffic around Karachi Port, However, head west around 300 miles (460km) and you will find the strategically important deep water port of Gwadar, which has benefited from huge financial investment by China. Opened in 2007, the port is as important to China as it is to Pakistan, but for different reasons. It will provide China with an energy-transport hub that will pump crude oil sourced from Arab and African states, along a new pipeline from Gwadar into China's Xinjiang region. It will effectively cut freight costs and also help insulate Chinese imports from interdiction by hostile naval forces. With huge increases in India's defense spending over the past decade or so, due partly to its aspiration as a blue-water Navy, both Pakistan and China are both wary of their long time foes' intentions.
Pakistan's Waters
Pakistan has a 600-mile (960km) coastline stretching from Sir Creek in the east to the Dasht river in the west, bordering lran. With it comes the responsibility of an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 92,700 sq. miles (240.000 sq. kms), which Pakistan is set to increase by another 21,200 sq. miles 55,000 sq. kms as per the UN Convention on Law of Sea (UNCLOS-1982).
Pak Navy-Sea and Surface Modernization
The Pakistan Navy is going through a period of modest modernization. It has recently received from China a third F-22P Frigate (PNS Saif) to join PNS ZulJlqar and PNS Shamsheer, while the fourth example on order is being constructed in Karachi.
China is also supplying two Fast Attack Craft (Missiles), and a formal ceremony to commence the manufacture of the first platform took place at Xinggang Shipyard in early March. One of the FAC (M) will be built there, while the other will be built in Karachi Docks. The pair will come with advanced anti-shipping missiles and sensors.
A number of other projects including indigenous construction of fleet support and auxiliary ships as well as other smaller utility craft are progressing.
The PN contracted the French company, DCN in June 2010 to modernize and extend the life of its existing Agosta 70 submarines, which work alongside three Agosta 90B class examples.
Pak Navy Aviation Order of Battle
27 Anti-Submarine Squadron Fokker F27
28 Maritime Strike Squadron P-3C Orion
29 Anti-Surface intelligence Warfare/Electronic Warfare
Squadron BR-1150 /Hawker 850Xl
111 Squadron Sea King Mk4S / 4SA
222 ASW Squadron Z-9EC
333 Squadron Alouette III
AFM
