1965 Pathankot airstrike

yes Pakistani aerial operation during the 1965 Indo-Pak War June 2025 February 2025 Pathankot airstrike Pathankot airbase, Punjab, India Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 and Indo-Pakistani air war of 1965 6 September 1965 Pakistani victory Indian retaliation Air Force Ensign of Pakistan.svg Air Marshal Nur KhanAir Force Ensign of Pakistan.svg Squadron Leader Sajad HaiderAir Force Ensign of Pakistan.svg Wing Commander Muhammad Ghulam Tawab Air Force Ensign of India.svg Air Marshall Arjan Singh PAK No. 19 Sqn IND No. 23 Sqn No. 3 Sqn No. 31 Sqn No. 28 Sqn 8 F-86 Sabres Unknown, planes remained grounded None Pakistani claim13 aircraft destroyedIndian claim10 aircraft destroyed:https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/indianairforce/database/accidents/listing.php?qyear=1965&qt=YR (Indian Air Force, Indian Army and Indian Navy) IAF, IA and IN Aircraft Losses Database Bharat Rakshak website 1965 https://web.archive.org/web/20250514115108/https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/indianairforce/database/accidents/listing.php?qyear=1965&qt=YR 14 May 2025 dead 14 June 20252 MiG-216 Mystère IVs1 Hunter F561 Vampire FB52 Pathankot Airport.jpg Pathankot airbase in the aftermath of the raid captured by a Pakistani reconnaissance aircraft The Pathankot airstrike was a key aerial operation of the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965. It took place on the evening of 6 September 1965, when the No. 19 Squadron of the Pakistan Air Force attacked the Indian Air Force base at Pathankot rendering it severely damaged and inoperable for the remainder of the war. It is considered as the PAF's most successful air raid to date.Sadia Sattar The Eagles Ruled the Skies.. https://www.hilal.gov.pk/eng-article/detail/NDky.html 2025-06-09 Pakistan Armed Forces Magazine (Hilal Magazine) en https://web.archive.org/web/20210805191526/https://www.hilal.gov.pk/web/detail/https: 5 August 2021 dead Background On 6 September 1965, India crossed the International Border into Pakistan with a large offensive directed towards Lahore, Pakistan's second largest city. This was done in order to alleviate the pressure in Kashmir, where Pakistan's Operation Grand Slam had inflicted pressure on the Indian Army's operational capabilities. As a result of the Indian invasion toward Lahore, Pakistan was forced to abandon the operation in Kashmir and counter the Indian offensive in Punjab.Air Commodore (Retd) S. Sajjad Haider Straight shooting on the 1965 war https://www.dawn.com/news/1204925 2025-06-09 Dawn newspaper 6 September 2015 en https://web.archive.org/web/20150916071312/https://www.dawn.com/news/1204925 16 September 2015 dead Aerial operations by both sides became more common following this event, with the most significant instance being the PAF attack on Pathankot on the evening of 6 September.The day the PAF got away Bharat Rakshak.com website 9 June 2005 https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/history/1965war/sr-pathankot/ 2025-06-09 en-US https://web.archive.org/web/20241007144857/https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/history/1965war/sr-pathankot/ 7 October 2024 dead Planning The attack on Pathankot was part of a larger, three-pronged aerial operation planned by the PAF, with the other two targets being at Halwara and Adampur. While the Pathankot mission was a great success, the other two attacks could not meet their objectives. The Adampur strike, led by the legendary fighter pilot M. M. Alam, turned around before it could reach the base while the attack on Halwara, led by S. A. Rafiqui was intercepted by IAF aircraft. In the resulting dogfight, the IAF lost 4 aircraft (2 Hawker Hunters and 2 De Havilland Vampires) while the PAF only lost 2 F-86 Sabres,Pakistani Air-to-Air Victories http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_324.shtml 2025-06-14 https://web.archive.org/web/20121221231409/http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_324.shtml dead Air Combat Information Group (ACIG.org) website 21 December 2012 however the attack on the airbase was prevented. According to Squadron Leader Sajad Haider, who led the raid on Pathankot, the attack was risky because the target was 257 miles away while the operational range of the F-86 was only 180 miles. He also said that the decision to strike Pathankot came as a surprise, as they had been preparing for a strike on Ambala. Attack on Pathankot airbase The attack was launched on the evening of 6 September 1965. A formation of 8 F-86 Sabres of the PAF's 19th Squadron (nicknamed Sherdils, Lionhearts in Urdu), led by Squadron Leader Sajad Haider and wing commander M. G. Tawab, took off from Peshawar towards Pathankot. The formation reached the target airfield at 5:30 p.m. and unleashed heavy fire upon the base. The attack proved to be a resounding success. The airbase was severely damaged and inoperable for the remainder of the war,https://www.paf.gov.pk/about/feats-of-coverage Feats of Courage by Pakistan Air Force Pakistan Air Force website https://web.archive.org/web/20250527211655/https://www.paf.gov.pk/about/feats-of-coverage dead 27 May 2025 9 June 2025 and over a dozen IAF aircraft were destroyed, including several state-of-the-art MiG-21 fighter aircraft,Khan Moiz The 1965 Air War and the PAF's Air Dominance by Moiz Khan - CASS Publications https://casstt.com/the-1965-air-war-and-the-pafs-air-dominance/ 2023-07-19 CASS 23 September 2022 en-US August 2025 InternetArchiveBot yes freshly acquired by India from the Soviet Union. None of the Pakistani aircraft involved in the airstrike were shot down despite heavy anti-aircraft fire by the Indians. All 8 F-86 Sabres returned home safely. According to Haider, the true credit for the successes at Pathankot and another PAF strike at Wagah should go to the younger pilots, stating that "even at our firing range in peace time in Peshawar, such accuracy was rare." thumb|Sajad Haider (centre) after the airstrike on Pathankot with his fighter pilots The PAF faced almost no air-to-air resistance from the IAF during the mission, as most of the aircraft in Pathankot remained grounded throughout the strike. According to IAF Air Marshal Raghavendran, the pilots failed to scramble their aircraft in time, and instead had to hide in nearby trenches to dodge fire from the Sabres. He provides an account of the attack: "There was pandemonium. Bullets were flying all around. We all rushed to the nearest trench and dived in, not sitting and crouching as we should have been but piling ourselves flat on top of each other!! We could hear and see the Pakistani Sabres going round and round, as though in range practice, and picking off all the possible aircraft, including the MiG-21s, in spite of the anti-aircraft guns blazing away." Casualties and losses The operation turned out to be a success for PAF, as IAF faced severe casualties. The PAF claims that at least 13 Indian aircraft were destroyed.Abbas Tauqeer 2022-09-06 The Pakistan Air Force during the Indo Pakistan War-1965 – Pakistan Shia News Agency https://pakistan.shafaqna.com/EN/204283 2025-06-05 en-USThe spirit of Indo-Pakistan war 1965 https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1227473-the-spirit-of-indo-pakistan-war-1965 2025-06-09 The News International newspaper en https://web.archive.org/web/20250603180642/https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1227473-the-spirit-of-indo-pakistan-war-1965 dead 6 September 2024 3 June 20252020-11-25 Nation mourns two war heroes https://tribune.com.pk/story/2273489/nation-mourns-two-war-heroes 2025-06-09 The Express Tribune newspaper en https://web.archive.org/web/20250603180640/https://tribune.com.pk/story/2273489/nation-mourns-two-war-heroes dead 3 June 2025 IAF claims 10 aircraft were destroyed.Indian Air Force, Indian Army and Naval Aviation Accidents and Incidents -1965 [www.bharat-rakshak.com] http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/indianairforce/database/accidents/listing.php?qyear=1965&qacid=AL&qunit=&qt=YR 2025-06-05 Bharat Rakshak en-gb PAF's exceptional performance has been admitted by IAF officers. India retaliated the following day with a large scale attack on the Pakistani base at Sargodha. Gallantry awards Sitara-e-Jurat (Star of Courage), Pakistan's third highest military honor, was awarded to Squadron Leader Sajad Haider, Wing Commander Muhammad Ghulam Tawab and Flight Lieutenant Dilawar Hussain for their leadership and acts of gallantry during the Pathankot mission.1965 Gallantry Awards for Pakistan Air Force http://www.pafmuseum.com.pk/heroes/1965-gallantry-awards 2025-06-10 Pakistan Air Force Museum website en-US https://web.archive.org/web/20150104072055/http://www.pafmuseum.com.pk/heroes/1965-gallantry-awards 4 January 2015 dead References 32 14 26 N 75 38 10 E type:event_region:IN title Category:Military operations of the India–Pakistan war of 1965 Category:Airstrikes during India–Pakistan wars and conflicts Category:Airstrikes in India Category:Airstrikes conducted by Pakistan Category:Airport bombings in Asia Category:Building bombings in India Category:1960s building bombings Category:Attacks on military installations in India Category:Attacks on military installations in the 1960s Category:Attacks on air bases Category:September 1965 in Asia Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in 1965 Category:1965 in aviation Category:Pathankot Category:1960s in Punjab, India Category:History of the Indian Air Force Category:History of the Pakistan Air Force