Pakistan Soviet air confrontations
Aerial Confrontations between the PAF and VSS during the Soviet-Afghan War / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Pakistan–Soviet/DRA aerial conflict refers to the Soviet Air Forces and the Afghan Air Force occasionally crossing into Pakistani airspace to target Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan where refugees were being armed, dissuade the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) from supporting the Afghan mujahideen and to block their supply routes.[6] To counter the Soviet-Afghan jets, the United States began providing F-16 jets to Pakistan.[7] These F-16 jets lacked the capability to fire radar-guided beyond-visual range missiles, and thus they were required to get close to their opponents in order to use their AIM-9P and more advanced AIM-9L Sidewinder heat-seeking or their 20-millimeter Vulcan cannons.
Pakistan–Soviet/DRA aerial conflict | |||||||
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Part of the Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan and Operation Cyclone | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Soviet Union Democratic Republic of Afghanistan |
Supported by: | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
Soviet Air Forces
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Casualties and losses | |||||||
F-16 lost (friendly fire per Pakistan, shot down per Soviets) [4] | |||||||
300+ civilians killed[5] |