PAF Base Peshawar

Not to be confused with Peshawar Air Station.

Pakistan Air Force Base, Peshawar is an airbase of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) located in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the operational site of the PAF's Northern Air Command, located to the east of Bacha Khan International Airport, which is shared by both civil aviation flights and military flights.

PAF Base Peshawar
د پېښور هوايي اډه
Part of Northern Air Command
Peshawar District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Near Peshawar in  Pakistan
PAF Base Peshawar Location of Peshawar airbase in Pakistan Show map of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa PAF Base Peshawar PAF Base Peshawar (Pakistan) Show map of Pakistan PAF Base Peshawar PAF Base Peshawar (Asia) Show map of Asia
Coordinates	33.9944°N 71.5289°E / 33.9944; 71.5289
Type	Air Force base
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defense
Operator	Pakistan Armed Forces
Controlled by	Pakistan Air Force
Condition	Operational
Other site facilities	Helicopter Flying Training School
Website	Pakistan Air Force
Site history
Built	1918
Built for	Royal Indian Air Force  Pakistan Air Force
Built by	British Raj (foundation)
Battles/wars	1965 Indo-Pakistani war 1971 Indo-Pakistani war Operation Sentinel Operation Swift Retort
Garrison information
Current commander	Air Cdre. Syed Inam
Garrison	36 TA Wing
Occupants	17 Squadron "Tigers" 26 Squadron "Black Spiders" 81 Rescue Squadron "Kangaroos"
Airfield information
Identifiers	IATA: PEW, ICAO: OPPS
Elevation	369 metres (1,211 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 17/35 2,743 metres (8,999 ft) Asphalt
Reference(s): [1][2]

History

The site was originally established by the British as RAF Peshawar. It was formerly used by the Royal Air Force between 1918 and 1947. The first wing headquarters to arrive appears to have been No. 52 (Corps) Wing in March 1918, and then No. 1 (Indian) Wing from 1921-28.^[3] The first flying squadron reported at Peshawar was No. 31 Squadron RAF between 31 October 1921 and 17 April 1923 with the F2B Fighter,^[4] which came back between December 1939 and February 1941.

The following other units were here at some point:^[5]

• No. 5 Squadron RAF between 22 January and 3 July 1947 with the Hawker Tempest F.2^[6]
• No. 20 Squadron RAF initially between 5 January and 22 May 1925 with the Bristol F.2B Fighter, then returning on 12 October 1925 and staying on and off until 1 May 1942 operating the Westland Wapiti then the Hawker Audax and finally the Westland Lysander II^[7]
• No. 27 Squadron RAF between 26 May and 12 October 1925 with the Airco DH.9A^[8]
• No. 28 Squadron RAF initially between 19 April 1923 and 5 January 1925 with the F2B Fighter, followed by detachments during 1931 and 1939^[9]
• No. 34 Squadron RAF detachment between June and December 1942 with the Bristol Blenheim IV^[10]
• No. 39 Squadron RAF detachment between March 1929 and November 1931 with the Wapiti^[11]
• No. 60 Squadron RAF initially between 29 May and 15 October 1925 with the DH.9A then between March 1939 and February 1941 as a detachment^[12]
• No. 155 Squadron RAF between 1 April and 9 July 1942^[13]
• No. 659 Squadron RAF from 12 January 1946 then downsizing to a detachment from January 1947 operating the Taylorcraft Auster AOP.5 & Auster AOP.6. The squadron was disbanded on 14 August 1947.^[14]

No. 223 Group RAF was located at the station between 1 May - 30 November 1942, and then from May 1944 - 15 August 1945. Nos 3 and 4 Squadron RIAF were operating from Kohat under No. 223 Group on 1 July 1942 and 1 January 1943.^[15] On 1 January 1943 they were both flying Hawker Hurricanes. By 1 January 1943 they had been joined by No. 215 Squadron RAF flying Vickers Wellingtons from Chaklala, though No. 215 Squadron was non-operational.

Units

The airbase is currently home to:

• No. 17 Squadron "Tigers"
• No. 26 Squadron "Black Spiders"
• No. 81 Squadron PAF "Kangaroos"

Notable incidents

• The airbase was the site of the 2012 Bacha Khan International Airport terrorist attack by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which left around nine people dead (including five TTP militants) and over 40 injured.^[16]
• One day after the Bacha Khan International Airport attack, on 16 December 2012, an additional six people, including five militants and one police officer died and two police officers were wounded in a gunfight that broke out near the airbase. Pakistani security forces claimed that the militants, who were Uzbeks, were accomplices of the TTP fighters who were killed on 15 December 2012 during the airport attack.^[17][18]

See also

• List of Pakistan Air Force Bases

References

Citations

1. "Peshawar Bacha Khan International Airport". CAPA.
2. Khan, Farhat; Hashmi, Qadeer (2024). History of the Pakistan Air Force (2014-2023): The Next Generation Air Force (1st ed.). ISBN 978-969-7518-01-2.
3. "Stations-P".
4. Jefford 1988, p. 35.
5. Sturtivant & Hamlin 2007, p. 329.
6. Jefford 1988, p. 25.
7. Jefford 1988, p. 31.
8. Jefford 1988, p. 33.
9. Jefford 1988, p. 34.
10. Jefford 1988, p. 36.
11. Jefford 1988, p. 38.
12. Jefford 1988, p. 44.
13. Jefford 1988, p. 63.
14. Jefford 1988, p. 103.
15. Air Historical Branch, R.A.F. Narrative (First Draft), The Campaigns in the Far East, Volume III, India Command, September 1939 to November 1943, Appendix 2, 167, 169..
16. "Taliban attack on Peshawar airport leaves 5 dead". Archived from the original on 18 December 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
17. "Five terrorists dead as Peshawar operation concludes". Archived from the original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
18. "4 killed as police, militants clash in Peshawar, Pakistan". 16 December 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2013.

Bibliography

• Jefford, C. G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
• Sturtivant, Ray; Hamlin, John (2007). Royal Air Force flying training and support units since 1912. Tonbridge, UK: Air-Britain (Historians). ISBN 978-0851-3036-59.