No. 11 Squadron PAF
Encyclopedia
No. 11 Squadron, named the Arrows, is a Pakistan Air Force (PAF)
fighter squadron assigned to the No. 38 Multi-Role Wing of the PAF Central Air Command. It operates the Block 15 model of the F-16 Fighting Falcon
with a multi-role
tasking and is also an Operational Conversion Unit (OCU)
.
The squadron crest has an arrow pointing upwards, circled by 11 stars, and symbolises the pursuit of professional excellence.
. First commanded by Squadron Leader A. Rahim Khan, the unit was to remain the PAF's only jet squadron until 18 January 1956 when the unit was re-equipped with the F-86F Sabre
and its role changed to a Fighter Bomber squadron.
The squadron took part in the 1965 Indo-Pak War as part of the No. 33 Wing at PAF Base Sargodha (now PAF Base Mushaf). The Arrows flew 227 sorties, including Air Defence and Close Air Support missions, during the 17 day war. Ten Hawker Hunter
s and three Folland Gnat
s of the Indian Air Force
were shot down during these missions, with a further three Hawker Hunters damaged. One F-86 was shot down in Indian territory during a fighter sweep mission, flown by Flying Officer Shaukat.
When sanctions and an arms embargo was placed on Pakistan by the U.S. after the war, the Arrows were re-equipped with the Shenyang F-6 in 1966 and their role changed to Air Superiority. The unit moved to PAF Base Rafiqui in January 1971, moving back to Sargodha during the 1971 Indo-Pak War. Again, the squadron flew Air Defence and Close Air Support missions during which a Sukhoi Su-7
and a MiG-21 were shot down. One of the squadron's F-6 fighters were shot down over India. After the war the squadron returned to PAF Base Rafiqui.
During these wars the Arrows were credited with the highest number of kills of any PAF squadron. In January 1983 the unit was again moved to PAF Base Sargodha and became the first squadron to re-equip with the F-16 Fighting Falcon, becoming a Multi-Role unit with introduction of the F-16A/B Block 15.
The squadron was termed as "exceptional" after an inspection by the Inspectorate team on 28 October 1991. In early 1992 an imminent threat to Pakistani nuclear facilities lead to the squadron flying missions under a national contingency plan named Thunderbolt from 19 February 1992. After nuclear tests by India in May 1998, the squadron was deployed on 24 May 1998 to its wartime location at a satellite base to perform day/night Air Defence Alert (ADA) duties until 28 May 1998 when the Pakistani nuclear tests were completed.
! style="text-align: middle; background: white;" colspan="4" | No. 11 Squadron
Arrows
|-
! style="text-align: left; background: lavender;" width="160" | Role
! style="text-align: left; background: lavender;" width=" " | Operational
! style="text-align: left; background: lavender;" width="180" | Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: lavender;" width=" " | Notes
|-valign="top"
|Fighter Interceptor
| 1951—1956
| Supermarine Attacker
Type 538 Attacker
| A land-based variant of the naval Attacker, powered by RR Nene 4, 36 built for the PAF, first delivered in 1953.
|-
|Fighter Bomber
| 1956—1966
| F-86 Sabre
F-86F
|
|-
|Air Superiority
| 1966—1983
| Shenyang F-6
F-6A
|
|-
| Multi-role
Operational Conversion Unit
| 1983—Present
| F-16 Fighting Falcon
F-16A/B Block 15
| The PAF's first F-16 squadron.
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force is the leading air arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces and is primarily tasked with the aerial defence of Pakistan with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Navy. The PAF also has a tertiary role of providing strategic air transport...
fighter squadron assigned to the No. 38 Multi-Role Wing of the PAF Central Air Command. It operates the Block 15 model of the F-16 Fighting Falcon
F-16 Fighting Falcon
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
with a multi-role
Multirole combat aircraft
A multirole combat aircraft is an aircraft designed to act in at least two different roles in combat. The primary role is usually a fighter—hence, it is as often called a multirole fighter—while the secondary role is usually air-to-surface attack. More roles are added, such as air reconnaissance,...
tasking and is also an Operational Conversion Unit (OCU)
Operational Conversion Unit
An Operational Conversion Unit is a unit within an air force whose role is to support preparation for the operational missions of a specific aircraft type by providing trained personnel. OCUs teach pilots how to fly an aircraft and which tactics best exploit the performance of their aircraft and...
.
The squadron crest has an arrow pointing upwards, circled by 11 stars, and symbolises the pursuit of professional excellence.
History
The squadron was first established at 1 January 1949 at RPAF Station Mauripur as a light bomber unit. It was supposed to be equipped with the Bristol Brigand but the first aircraft crashed before arriving in Pakistan. The type's procurement was subsequently halted and the unit was disbanded in February 1949. In June 1951 the unit was restored as a fighter interceptor squadron and became the PAF's first jet squadron with the introduction of the Supermarine AttackerSupermarine Attacker
The Supermarine Attacker was a British single-seat naval jet fighter built by Supermarine for the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm . It was the FAA's first jet fighter.-Design and development:...
. First commanded by Squadron Leader A. Rahim Khan, the unit was to remain the PAF's only jet squadron until 18 January 1956 when the unit was re-equipped with the F-86F Sabre
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
and its role changed to a Fighter Bomber squadron.
The squadron took part in the 1965 Indo-Pak War as part of the No. 33 Wing at PAF Base Sargodha (now PAF Base Mushaf). The Arrows flew 227 sorties, including Air Defence and Close Air Support missions, during the 17 day war. Ten Hawker Hunter
Hawker Hunter
The Hawker Hunter is a subsonic British jet aircraft developed in the 1950s. The single-seat Hunter entered service as a manoeuvrable fighter aircraft, and later operated in fighter-bomber and reconnaissance roles in numerous conflicts. Two-seat variants remained in use for training and secondary...
s and three Folland Gnat
Folland Gnat
The Folland Gnat was a small, swept-wing British subsonic jet trainer and light fighter aircraft developed by Folland Aircraft for the Royal Air Force, and flown extensively by the Indian Air Force....
s of the Indian Air Force
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
were shot down during these missions, with a further three Hawker Hunters damaged. One F-86 was shot down in Indian territory during a fighter sweep mission, flown by Flying Officer Shaukat.
When sanctions and an arms embargo was placed on Pakistan by the U.S. after the war, the Arrows were re-equipped with the Shenyang F-6 in 1966 and their role changed to Air Superiority. The unit moved to PAF Base Rafiqui in January 1971, moving back to Sargodha during the 1971 Indo-Pak War. Again, the squadron flew Air Defence and Close Air Support missions during which a Sukhoi Su-7
Sukhoi Su-7
The Sukhoi Su-7 was a swept wing, supersonic fighter aircraft developed by the Soviet Union in 1955. Originally, it was designed as tactical, low-level dogfighter, but was not successful in this role. On the other hand, soon-introduced Su-7B series became the main Soviet fighter-bomber and...
and a MiG-21 were shot down. One of the squadron's F-6 fighters were shot down over India. After the war the squadron returned to PAF Base Rafiqui.
During these wars the Arrows were credited with the highest number of kills of any PAF squadron. In January 1983 the unit was again moved to PAF Base Sargodha and became the first squadron to re-equip with the F-16 Fighting Falcon, becoming a Multi-Role unit with introduction of the F-16A/B Block 15.
The squadron was termed as "exceptional" after an inspection by the Inspectorate team on 28 October 1991. In early 1992 an imminent threat to Pakistani nuclear facilities lead to the squadron flying missions under a national contingency plan named Thunderbolt from 19 February 1992. After nuclear tests by India in May 1998, the squadron was deployed on 24 May 1998 to its wartime location at a satellite base to perform day/night Air Defence Alert (ADA) duties until 28 May 1998 when the Pakistani nuclear tests were completed.
! style="text-align: middle; background: white;" colspan="4" | No. 11 Squadron
Arrows
|-
! style="text-align: left; background: lavender;" width="160" | Role
! style="text-align: left; background: lavender;" width=" " | Operational
! style="text-align: left; background: lavender;" width="180" | Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: lavender;" width=" " | Notes
|-valign="top"
|Fighter Interceptor
| 1951—1956
| Supermarine Attacker
Supermarine Attacker
The Supermarine Attacker was a British single-seat naval jet fighter built by Supermarine for the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm . It was the FAA's first jet fighter.-Design and development:...
Type 538 Attacker
| A land-based variant of the naval Attacker, powered by RR Nene 4, 36 built for the PAF, first delivered in 1953.
|-
|Fighter Bomber
| 1956—1966
| F-86 Sabre
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
F-86F
|
|-
|Air Superiority
| 1966—1983
| Shenyang F-6
F-6A
|
|-
| Multi-role
Multirole combat aircraft
A multirole combat aircraft is an aircraft designed to act in at least two different roles in combat. The primary role is usually a fighter—hence, it is as often called a multirole fighter—while the secondary role is usually air-to-surface attack. More roles are added, such as air reconnaissance,...
Operational Conversion Unit
Operational Conversion Unit
An Operational Conversion Unit is a unit within an air force whose role is to support preparation for the operational missions of a specific aircraft type by providing trained personnel. OCUs teach pilots how to fly an aircraft and which tactics best exploit the performance of their aircraft and...
| 1983—Present
| F-16 Fighting Falcon
F-16 Fighting Falcon
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
F-16A/B Block 15
| The PAF's first F-16 squadron.
National
- Jetstream 1981 - awarded with Professionals Trophy.
- Exercise Hit Hard XII (1990) - Deployed to PAF Base Masroor to take part in the exercise and also completed guided bomb trials at Sonmiani Test Range.
- July 1991 - participated in a DACT Camp with No. 5, 18 and 20 Squadrons.
- High Mark 1993 - 225 kills awarded, 100% mission success rate achieved, 100% accuracy achieved using ATLIS IIATLIS IIThe Thomson-CSF ATLIS II is a French laser/electro-optical targeting pod for fighter bomber and attack aircraft.ATLIS was developed starting in 1976, entering service in 1980...
targeting pod and laser-guided bombs.
- ACES (Air Combat Evaluations)
- PAF Top Guns 1993
- PAF Top Guns 1994
- PAF Top Guns 1995
- Inter-Squadron Armament Competition (ISAC)
- 1996 - held at PAF Base Masroor, 11 squadron achieved 3rd place.
International
- Anatolian Eagle 07Anatolian EagleAnatolian Eagle is an air force exercise hosted by the Turkish Air Force and held in Konya, Turkey. There are both national and international exercises held, the international exercises usually involving air arms of the USA, other NATO forces and Asian countries.-History:With modernisation of...
- Konya, Turkey. - Al-Saqoor II - An exercise with the Royal Saudi Air ForceRoyal Saudi Air ForceThe Royal Saudi Air Force , is the aviation branch of the Saudi Arabian armed forces. The RSAF has developed from a largely defensive military force into one with an advanced offensive capability...
that was carried out in January 2011. As well as F-16s from the Arrows, the PAF also sent Dassault Mirage 5 fighters as part of the contingent.