David.Det

The Pakistan Air Force in the Soviet-Afghan War – a very long🧵based on the official "The Story of the Pakistan Air Force 1988-1998" and my own notes. When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, after having exercised restraint for nearly a century, Pakistan was sandwiched between two hostile states. The two-front situation, with India in the east and the Russian forces in the west, was a grave challenge to Pakistan's security. The coordinated moves by the Soviet-Indian axis under the Indo-Soviet treaty of 1971 continued to jeopardize Pakistan's security. The threat gained significance with large-scale aggressive deployment of the Indian Army and Air Force. The Soviet fleet, along with the Indian Navy, regularly held power projection exercises off the coast of Karachi. There was a quantum jump in the violations of the Pakistani airspace by Russo-Afghan aircraft. The Soviets started bombing the Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan, killing a large number of civilians. At times, Pakistani villages were also targeted. In June 1980, the Soviet Union became a direct neighbour of Pakistan when the Afghan ruler Babrak Karmal ceded the Wakhan strip. During the Afghan war in which nine fighter squadrons of the PAF took part actively, the PAF logged 10,939 sorties entailing 13,275 hours and 40 minutes. A total of 2,476 enemy air violations were recorded involving 7,589 enemy aircraft. During these violations, and as a result of the bombings that were carried out, 418 civilians lost their lives while 877 received injuries. Eight enemy aircraft were shot down by six different pilots, all belonging to the F-16 squadrons. There were a large number of enemy aircraft that defected or were forced to land in Pakistan. There were also several near engagements and missed opportunities. 1/n