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Air Force Day

What ???:woot:
Who told you all this !!! PAF landed 50 paratroopers to help those helpless, with guns and parachutes..!!
really someone has played a very cruel trick with you.
@topic: Operation gilbraltor was a covert operation in order to attack Indian posts, airbases and if possible also the civilian vehicles (it was claimed that pakistani paratrooper attacked the civilians and their vehicles), and you don't call it as attack and pointing towards IA of attacking Pakistan first.

Yes, Indian army was defending its territory by capturing pakistani area so that it can go for a deal to get the kem karan area back. And lahore was the best target for Indian army as it was close and it was important to pakistan.

You are obviously mixing your Carrots and Peas, the paratrooper's episode involved capturing some Indian air base, nothing to do with Kashmir operations, in any case, this thread is about PAF Victory day, you will find dozens other threads covering the '65 war, by all means shift your arguments there. !!!
 
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I Think with regards to the topic.. attention needs to be payed to the Bomber crews of the PAF. Their actions were decisive at many points during those days yet they went unsung

Indeed, they can be ideally described as men behind the scenes who normally went about their work in the little hours, taking even greater risks in the big, slow and less manoeuvrable B-57s.


When war came in 1965, PAF's Bomber aircrew were fully prepared. They carried out counter air operations against enemy airfields at Jamnagar and Jodhpur in the South and Ambala, Adampur, Halwara, Srinagar and Pathankot in the north. Undefended by fighters, and beyond the range of own radar to receive any support, these night intruders made a lasting contribution to PAF's total war effort. PAF's B-57 force remained committed to the night attack of Indian airfields as its principal task throughout the war. Its meagre force of 22 aircraft undertook a total of 195 missions delivering more than 600 tons of bombs as compared to an estimated 92 night bombing sorties against PAF targets by more than 60 IAF Canberras.



After the first hectic night's operations, when the B-57 crew were extended to their limit by flying upto 3 sorties during the hours of darkness, no more than two missions per night were allowed. This was a fairly frequent commitment, however, and the B-57 crew still had a very long tour of duty each day. For the first week of operations when most missions against the northern Indian airfields originated from Peshawar, the centralized spares and servicing organization for the B-57s at Mauripur necessitated the bomber crew returning to their Karachi base at the conclusion of each night's mission. The northern bases were also considered too vulnerable to IAF attacks during the day.



To attack the close concentration of enemy airfields in the north, and to remain out of reach of the Indian fighter-bombers; the bomber wing remained on the hop throughout the war. The pattern often repeated was to set off from home base, strike inside Indian territory, recover to another base to rearm and refuel, and then to strike again before returning to base or to another safe airfield. This enabled them to be prepared to attack their targets night after night.



By arriving over their targets in a stream at intervals of about fifteen minutes, the B-57s certainly succeeded, disregarding even the actual damage they inflicted, in achieving a major disruption of the overall IAF effort, disabling their optimum attack capability the next morning. The effect on the morale of the IAF personnel was devastating. The effect of fatigue caused to them was most pronounced on their air and ground crew while they were forced to keep shuttling in and out of air raid shelters and trenches. This made the task of PAF fighter pilots that much easier to fight them in theair the next morning.



Of its twenty-two B-57s, which fought the war, PAF lost three but out of these, only one due to enemy action. After the first strike on Jamnagar at 6 P.M. the bombing shuttle was maintained all night by single sorties. One such lone bomber flown by Squadron Leaders Shabbir Alam Siddiqui and Alam Qureshi, the navigator, was doing its third mission in less than nine hours. As an over-fatigued crew descended lower and lower to pin point its target, the bomber hit the ground and exploded with all its ordnance and the invaluable officers. The second bomber was lost as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire on 14 September. On their thirteenth mission of the war, Flight Lieutenants Altaf Shaikh and his navigator Bashir Chaudhri ran the gauntlet of concentrated flak thrown up by 50 to 60 guns at Adampur airfield. Both officers ejected in enemy territory and were repatriated after war. The third B-57, piloted by Flight Lieutenants M A Butt and A S Z Khalid as navigator, was lost in the early hours of 17 September. While making an approach to land at Risalpur, the B-57 encountered adverse weather in the shape of strong wind sheer coupled with reduced flight visibility. Unable to maintain height, the aircraft crashed south of the runway, instantly killing both pilot and navigator.



The PAF's B-57 campaign came to an end with a close support mission during the night of 22 September by four B-57s, which dropped 28,000 lbs. of bombs on enemy artillery and tank concentrations at Atari. Large enemy reinforcements had been seen that day moving towards Atari for a possible assault on the salient on the eastern bank of the BRB Canal. It was the task of the PAF to prevent these reinforcements from reaching their destination. The bombs from the B-57s dropped 'in train' engulfed the enemy armour and other vehicles concealed under the trees and in the bushes. Very few survived to reach Atari.

PAF s' No 24 Elint Squadron
A stealth unit of the PAF
By: Arshad Hussain


In addition, two General Dynamics/Martin-RB-57Fs ultra-high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft were also supplied to Pakistan Air Force in the early 1960s. The RB-57Fs was known as droopy because of enormous 122 ft wingspan and capable to fly at the cruising height of 80000 ft beyond the range of enemy interceptors and SAMs of that period. This was state of the art highly specialized aircraft for ECM/ESM missions.

The No 24 Squadron was formed in December 1962 to undertake specialized aerial missions from Peshawar air base. Primarily its crew were all drawn from No 31 Bomber Wing including CO Sqn Ldr M. Iqbal.

The No 24th Elint squadron operated the RB-57Fs along with two RB-57Bs for electronic counter; support measures missions and photographic surveillance missions against IAF during and after the war of 1965. These aircraft extensively overflew most of the IAF air bases up to Agra and Ambala at the height of 67000 ft or more to carry out monitoring/reconnaissance missions. The following missions were assigned to the No 24 Elint Squadron deployed at Peshawar air base:-

Operational Missions Profile:-

1. Low level homing on to enemy radars.

2. Monitoring of enemy radars for which daily surveillance was kept up to locate their grid reference as well as any change.

3. Monitoring & Jamming of enemy radio channels particularly for GCI transmissions.

Ultra Secret Operational Missions behind the Enemy s'lines during 1965

When one of the PAF's C-130 piloted by Wing Commander M.Z.Butt SJ along with Air Marshal M.Bur Khan, C-in-C of the PAF on board took off from Chaklala air base on the dark night of 23 August, 1965 for ration and ammunition supply drop in held Kashmir for Gibraltar Force operating behind enemy lines in Kashmir. During the mission flight briefing at Chaklala, A.M. Nur Khan decided to join the mission to review the critical prospects of this ultra secret supply drop missions planned to be carried out by the PAF, a live example to command the Air Force from the front line!

An Elint RB-57F flown by Sqn Ldr M Iqbal was arranged to fly at 40,000 ft to monitor the IAF s’ radars. The Elint aircraft was also intended to act as a vital link in code with the PAF s’ radar network, since C-130 was out of direct VHF ( radio) range with the ground stations because of intervening high terrain in Kashmir.

As soon the C-130 escorted by RB-57s headed to the targeted area, the Elint aircraft timely triangulated the radar transmission of the enemy radar located at Jammu being switched on as both the aircraft crossed the Indo-Pak borders.

However, the dark night mission impossible behind the enemy s' line in held Kashmir got break through because of professional execellance and dedication of the aircrew as well on line monitoring by the RB-57 piloted by Sqn Ldr M Iqbal SJ.

During the 1965 Indo-Pak war, 24th squadron flew several operational missions to provide electronic support measures (ESM) for Air Force's air strikes plan. An F-86s strike mission against the IAF's RAdar network at Amritsar was also provided effective ESM by Sqn Ldr M Iqbal as pathfinder leader along with Sqn Ldr G A Khan.

Squadron Leader Muhammad Iqbal SJ was the first OC, who later embraced shahadat being Officer Commanding of No.24 Elint Squadron along with his navigator Saifullah Lodhi SJ during a bombing practice mission on a PAF's radar unit near Rahwali in the 1965 War.

Since the start of 1965 war the PAF F-86 Sabre Wing operating from Sargodha tried to neutralise the IAF Amritsar radar, but could not deliver accurate attacks due to difficulty experienced in triangulating the exact location of the radar system. Squadron Leader Iqbal floated a novel idea of locating the enemy radar by utilizing the electronic devices fitted RB-57 aircraft. He led in his electronic intelligence RB-57 as a pathfinder, a formation of four B-57s to Amritsar radar on a daylight bombing mission and did not seem to be satisfied with the practical results.

He therefore, decided to make some practice attacks on a PAF radar station deployed at Rahwali, near Gujranwala. Squadron Leader Muhammad Iqbal OC of No 24 Elint Squadron and his navigator Flt. Lt. Saifullah Lodhi were busy making low dive bombing practice on a radar station. The army ack ack unit deployed around the radar system opened fire on the diving B-57 and shot it down, killing both the pilot and the navigator. A first rate throrough proffessional, dedicated and lion hearted pioneer OC of No 24 Elint Squadron along with his outstanding professional navigator Saifullah Lodhi embraced shahadat during mid stream of the war. Both were awarded well deserved Sitara-e-Jurat posthumously. A very tragic loss of invaluable lives of pilot and navigator along with a specialized RB-57 aircrat and an incident that could been avoided through timely lason with Air Force and Army ack ack regiment.

If wing operation officer Squadron Leader Munir Ahmed SJ of F-86 Sabre wing would shed his blood for his noble air strike mission to destroy IAF radar station at Amritsar, Squadron Leader Muhammad Iqbal SJ OC of No 24 Elint Squadron and his navigator Flt.Lt.Saifullah Lodhi SJ were also there to shed their blood in the line of the duty. Then Sqn Ldr Rashid Mir took over as squadron commander.
 
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Triple Attack


b57_aug14.jpg



On the first night of the 1965 Indo-Pak war, a valiant B-57 bomber pilot Squadron Leader Shabbir Alam Siddiqui and navigator Squadron Leader Aslam Qureshi flew into enemy airspace for the third time within a span of 9 hours, creating a war-time record. After having successfully completed two bombing missions and returning home safely, the crew volunteered to fill in for another pilot who backed out from his mission and took off yet again at 0335 Hrs on the morning of 7 September 1965, never to return.

On their third mission the B-57 was lost and the fate of the crew remained a mystery leaving them undecorated for their exemplary valour despite their supreme sacrifice. Four decades later Sqn Ldr Alam Siddiqui’s wife approached the Indian Air Force for details and closure. What followed was a historic episode of camaraderie-in-arms when the IAF informed her that her husband’s aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed near IAF Base Jamnagar and invited her to visit the site for closure.

The painting visualises the last moments of the fateful B-57 bomber from Masroor Base Karachi after it was fatally damaged and was painted by Group Capt Hussaini as a tribute to these two unsung heroes of the PAF who sacrificed their lives on the very first day of war leaving a legacy of dedication beyond the call of duty which remains a hallmark of the PAF.
 
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What ???:woot:
Who told you all this !!! PAF landed 50 paratroopers to help those helpless, with guns and parachutes..!!
really someone has played a very cruel trick with you.
@topic: Operation gilbraltor was a covert operation in order to attack Indian posts, airbases and if possible also the civilian vehicles (it was claimed that pakistani paratrooper attacked the civilians and their vehicles), and you don't call it as attack and pointing towards IA of attacking Pakistan first.

Yes, Indian army was defending its territory by capturing pakistani area so that it can go for a deal to get the kem karan area back. And lahore was the best target for Indian army as it was close and it was important to pakistan.

I believe you are the one who has been played a trick with.
Operation Gibraltar was the name of the infiltration operation of commandos, regulars from Azad Kashmir regiment of the PA along with youths sourced from the Azad kashmir area.
Operation Grand Slam was the operation to follow up this.

the operation you refer to was part of the June war plan which had been thought up by then CinC Asghar Khan but had never been actually practised and so was doomed from the start.
The force was to launch with the commandos to take out enemy installations and airbases.
Instead it launched with commandos who were not the ones that had trained for this mission and others who were on leave. They went without current maps or equipment.

I suggest you read up before you make claims of being correct.
Your own history books will be the first to correct you.
 
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Squadron Leader Muhammad Iqbal SJ was the first OC, who later embraced shahadat being Officer Commanding of No.24 Elint Squadron along with his navigator Saifullah Lodhi SJ during a bombing practice mission on a PAF's radar unit near Rahwali in the 1965 War.

The current aircraft of 24 Sqn, DA-20, are named Iqbal and Lodhi in their honor.

800px-PAF_No_24_Blinders_Squadron_Falcon_DA-20_right_side_front1.jpg
 
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I Think with regards to the topic.. attention needs to be payed to the Bomber crews of the PAF. Their actions were decisive at many points during those days yet they went unsung

B-57 THE INTREPID BOMBER OF PAF


Columnist Gp Capt SULTAN M HALI writes about the B-57, the workhorse bomber of the PAF which served the country well

The B-57 Bomber was built under license by the American Martin Company during the 1950s for the USAF from the British Canberra Bomber. The first B-57 flew its maiden flight on 20 July 1953. The B-57 was a tandem two-seat night intruder and a tactical bomber. Its crew comprised a pilot and a navigator-cum-bombardier. Carrying a payload of 56 rockets and 8000 lbs. of bombs, 2 turbo jets, fired by cartridge starters powered the B-57. It was very large in size, having a length and wingspan of 65 feet, which meant virtually no maneuverability. Its speed was just 500 mph, and although it could fly at 50,000 feet, in war the bomber pilots hardly rose above 200 feet in order to avoid enemy radar. Once over the target they would pull up to about 8000 feet, from where they would release their payloads. Induction in PAF

After the 1955 Pak-US agreement, the PAF received 26 Martin B-57s including 2 training versions, which formed two squadrons, Nos. 7 and 8, of No 31 Bomber Wing on 11 May 1960. Squadron Leader Ayaz A Khan became the first Squadron Commander of No 7 Squadron while Squadron Leader Muhammad Iqbal, who later attained shahadat in the 1965 War, became No 8 Squadron's pioneering Squadron Commander. Subsequently, the PAF also received two modified Martin RB-57F high altitude reconnaissance aircraft.

World's First Formation Loop with B-57s

PAF's B-57 pilots soon mastered this heavy and unwieldy aircraft. under the command of the Bomber Wing's Officer Commanding, they became the first in the world to form a regular formation aerobatics team of 4 B-57s. On 27 October 1964, led by Wing Commander Nazir Latif with Flight Lieutenants Altaf Shaikh, Basit and Shams, the team performed aerobatics at Peshawar during an air display at which Air Marshal Omar Dani, the C-in-C of the Indonesian Air Force was the chief guest. The team coolly executed loops, rolls and wingovers in full view of disbelieving spectators. The maneuvers performed were till then unheard of in such a sluggish aircraft as the B-57, which was not really designed to perform aerobatics even singly. The precise but easy looking station-keeping throughout the demonstration effectively concealed the intense mental concentration, physical exertion, and high dexterity that was required of all the team members.

The 1965 War

When war came in 1965, PAF's Bomber aircrew were fully prepared. They carried out counter air operations against enemy airfields at Jamnagar and Jodhpur in the South and Ambala, Adampur, Halwara, Srinagar and Pathankot in the north. Undefended by fighters, and beyond the range of own radar to receive any support, these night intruders made a lasting contribution to PAF's total war effort. PAF's B-57 force remained committed to the night attack of Indian airfields as its principal task throughout the war. Its meager force of 22 aircraft undertook a total of 195 missions delivering more than 600 tons of bombs as compared to an estimated 92 night bombing sorties against PAF targets by more than 60 IAF Canberra’s.

After the first hectic night's operations, when the B-57 crew were extended to their limit by flying up to 3 sorties during the hours of darkness, no more than two missions per night were allowed. This was a fairly frequent commitment, however, and the B-57 crew still had a very long tour of duty each day. For the first week of operations when most missions against the northern Indian airfields originated from Peshawar, the centralized spares and servicing organization for the B-57s at Mauripur necessitated the bomber crew returning to their Karachi base at the conclusion of each night's mission. The northern bases were also considered too vulnerable to IAF attacks during the day.

To attack the close concentration of enemy airfields in the north, and to remain out of reach of the Indian fighter-bombers; the bomber wing remained on the hop throughout the war. The pattern often repeated was to set off from home base, strike inside Indian territory, recover to another base to rearm and refuel, and then to strike again before returning to base or to another safe airfield. This enabled them to be prepared to attack their targets night after night. By arriving over their targets in a stream at intervals of about fifteen minutes, the B-57s certainly succeeded, disregarding even the actual damage they inflicted, in achieving a major disruption of the overall IAF effort, disabling their optimum attack capability the next morning. The effect on the morale of the IAF personnel was devastating. The effect of fatigue caused to them was most pronounced on their air and ground crew while they were forced to keep shuttling in and out of air raid shelters and trenches. This made the task of PAF fighter pilots that much easier to fight them in the air the next morning.

PAF's B-57 Losses

Of its twenty-two B-57s, which fought the war, PAF lost three but out of these, only one due to enemy action. After the first strike on Jamnagar at 6 P.M. the bombing shuttle was maintained all night by single sorties. One such lone bomber flown by Squadron Leaders Shabbir Alam Siddiqui and Alam Qureshi, the navigator, was doing its third mission in less than nine hours. As an over-fatigued crew descended lower and lower to pin point its target, the bomber hit the ground and exploded with all its ordnance and the invaluable officers. The second bomber was lost as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire on 14 September. On their thirteenth mission of the war, Flight Lieutenants Altaf Shaikh and his navigator Bashir Chaudhri ran the gauntlet of concentrated flak thrown up by 50 to 60 guns at Adampur airfield. Both officers ejected in enemy territory and were repatriated after the war. The third B-57, piloted by Flight Lieutenants M A Butt and A S Z Khalid as navigator, was lost in the early hours of 17 September. While making an approach to land at Risalpur, the B-57 encountered adverse weather in the shape of strong wind shear coupled with reduced flight visibility. Unable to maintain height, the aircraft crashed south of the runway, instantly killing both pilot and navigator.

The Grand Finale

The PAF's B-57 campaign came to an end with a close support mission during the night of 22 September by four B-57s, which dropped 28,000 lbs. of bombs on enemy artillery and tank concentrations at Atari. Large enemy reinforcements had been seen that day moving towards Atari for a possible assault on the salient on the eastern bank of the BRB Canal. It was the task of the PAF to prevent these reinforcements from reaching their destination. The bombs from the B-57s dropped 'in train' engulfed the enemy armour and other vehicles concealed under the trees and in the bushes. Very few survived to reach Atari.

No 8 Squadron is Number Plated

In the post-65 period the B-57 squadrons trained hard to achieve even higher standards in the light of the lessons learned during the war. However, the dwindling spares support following the arms embargo imposed by USA necessitated the number plating of No 8 Squadron and its assets being amalgamated with No 7 Squadron. Thus ended an era of valor and grit but the values learnt would remain enshrined in the history of the squadron to be continued with renewed vigor when it would be reactivated in 1982 with Mirage V aircraft.

The War in 1971

The B-57 force of PAF gave its very best in the 1971 War too. Of the available strength of 16 B-57s at the outset of the war, 15 were launched the very first night as a follow up to the pre-emptive strike on 3rd December. Twelve IAF runways were targeted the first night and a total of 183 bombs were dropped. Although no immediate assessment of the damage was available, yet confirmation came much after the war from a very unlikely source. Air Chief Marshal P C Lal, the Chief of the Indian Air Force during the 1971 War, in his memoirs titled My Days with the IAF provides full details of the destruction caused by PAF, naming every IAF airfield attacked.

B-57 Crew who embraced Shahadat in 1971.

The PAF's night bombing campaign was continued with good effect throughout the war and reflected great credit upon the courage and perseverance of the B-57 crew, six of whom embraced shahadat over enemy airfields. Squadron Leaders Khusro and his navigator Peter Christy had both joined PIA but when war became imminent, they rejoined their squadron. Both displayed exemplary courage, determination and fighting spirit. On 6 December, their aircraft failed to return after a bombing mission to Jamnagar and they were declared missing in action. Squadron Leader Ishfaq Hameed Qureshi, who was recalled from PIA and his navigator Flight Lieutenant Zulfiqar Ahmad were unable to return from their second mission of the war on 5 December and were declared missing in action. Flight Lieutenants Javed Iqbal and his navigator Ghulam Murtaza Malik flew two missions against heavily defended Indian airfields and displayed great bravery. On 5 December, they failed to return after a bombing mission to Amritsar airfield and were officially declared missing in action.

Night Bomber on Day Light Raid

A serious situation had developed in the south when Indian ground forces advancing on four axes, penetrated along the Khokhrapar-Chor railway line up to Umarkot and Chachro and to Nagar Parkar itself. PAF was called upon to blunt this attack and prevent the enemy's further advance inland. B-57s from No 7 Squadron were also pressed into daring daylight raids to save Hyderabad from falling into enemy hands. F-86s and F-104s provided top cover. The armed reconnaissance and interdiction mission achieved the destruction of enemy trains and this virtually choked the flow of supplies vital to the enemy advance. Emboldened by their success, the B-57 crew followed their bombing attacks by several strafing runs on the freight wagons and stopped the enemy dead in his tracks forcing him to abandon his planned offensive.

Gallantry Awards

Bomber crews are traditionally known as the unsung heroes of war. The reason for this is simple. A fighter pilot's mission is at once spectacular and visible at least to our own radar, and the results of its success or failure are known almost immediately after the mission, either through some of the pilots within the formation or are recorded by own gun cameras; the bomber crew's exploits take place far away from their bases and are well outside the ranges of their own radar. Their missions are carried out mostly at night, with its inherent risks and dangers, and there are often no cameras to record their success or their failure. It is only recently that the results of bomber operations can be confirmed through satellite imagery and other sophisticated techniques.

PAF, however, did recognize the services of its bomber crew in both the wars. As a tribute to PAF's B-57 crew who valiantly faced the highest loss rate of the war, and persisted doggedly each night, and its navigators who, despite their rudimentary bomb aiming devices and the difficulty of map reading at low level on pitch dark nights, carried the war deep into the enemy's heartland, the Government of Pakistan awarded 15 Sitara-e-Jurats (6 posthumous) and 2 posthumous Tamgha-e-Jurats to B-57 pilots and navigators.

End of an Era

On 27 December 1983, a colorful ceremony was held at Masroor Air Base, the erstwhile home of the B-57s to mark the end of their service. A smartly turned out contingent of air and ground crew participated in a parade. No 7 Squadron was formally re-equipped with A-5s and bade farewell to the intrepid B-57s. At the ceremony's conclusion, 2 B-57s in close line astern formation flew past to mark the end of their era and in came three A-5s in close Vic formation depicting the new weapon system being inducted.


BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ansari, Farhan, Flight Lieutenant, 'A Tribute to the B-57 Bomber', published in The Pakistan Times, Rawalpindi, September 06, 1993.
Fricker, John, Battle for Pakistan: The Air War of 1965, Allan Printing Ltd, Shepperton, Surrey, UK, 1979.

Hali, Sultan M., Group Captain, 'The Air War in 1971-Revisited', published in Shaheen, Vol.XLVI Summer issue, 1997, Rear Air Headquarters, Peshawar.

Rafi, Rais A., Air Commodore (Retd), 'B-57s Over Ambala', published in The News, Islamabad, September 06, 1995.

Sheikh, Altaf, Air Commodore (Retd), 'Fateful Bomber Mission over Adampur-1965 War', published in The News, September 07, 1997.

The Story of the Pakistan Air Force, published by The Shaheen Foundation, Islamabad, 1988.
 
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PAF is undoubtedly most professional arm of all sub-continental forces (IA,PA,PN,IAF,IN etc) ....
Wooot! That's a real come down! Pakistanis always blabber that the PAF is the the most professional arm in the entire galaxy!! :woot: Yeah, right! :rofl:
 
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Wooot! That's a real come down! Pakistanis always blabber that the PAF is the the most professional arm in the entire galaxy!! :woot: Yeah, right! :rofl:

we have the records to prove our claim,even wikipedia shows this to be true :P
 
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Wooot! That's a real come down! Pakistanis always blabber that the PAF is the the most professional arm in the entire galaxy!! :woot: Yeah, right! :rofl:

Never claimed in the galaxy. For that , I'll put my money on USAF by far!!!!

So why don't stfu you indian? :lol:

By the way , record proves what I said .... PAF punked IAF's kaali arse EVERY single time two forces met in the sky..PAF remains 'unbeaten' force of sub-continent...

Your forces are riddled with corruption scandals , delays , embarrassments , accidents , and deaf general controversies...:rofl:
 
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