The Pakistan Naval Air Arm, (unofficial:Pakistan Naval Aviation), is the naval aviation branch of the Pakistan Navy which is tasked to carryout air surveillance, limited aerial warfare, and reconnaissance military operations. The Naval Air Arm was created after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and it is designed to operate in all the facets of naval operations ranging from surveillance, tracking and subsequent destruction of enemy units.
[1]
Apart from this the naval air arm also take part in operations other than war such as search and rescue, casualty evacuation, relief operations.[2][3] Early in its inception the Naval Air Arm Naval Air Arm was dependent upon the Air Force and the Army to meet its training requirement of air and ground crew.[4]
History
Formation
The Naval Air Arm was created after the careful analysis of Operation Trident during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. It was established that lack of early warning from seaward, for example the absence of a naval air surveillance capability, had allowed the Indian Navy to close Karachi harbour for attacks. After studying various available options, the French Breguet Atlantique was selected and acquisition formalities were completed in 1974. Finally the first squadron was raised in 1976, with three Atlantiques.
Naval Air Squadrons
On 28 September 1974, the first of the six Westland Sea King helicopters was also acquired from the United Kingdom, marking the introduction of naval aviation and rotary wing aircraft in the service. 111 Squadron was established for these rotary wing aircraft.
To support the Naval Air Fleet, the naval base, P.N.S. Mehran was commissioned on 26 September 1975 as Naval aviation's headquarters. The base is approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Jinnah Terminal. Seaking helicopters were the first machines to fly from this base. Atlantique and Aérospatiale Alouette III helicopters soon joined the Naval Air Arm. As the raising year of 1976 coincided with 29th year of Pakistani independence, the first squadron of Atlantiques was named 29 ASW Squadron. In 1977, six Alouette helicopters were acquired from France leading to the formation of 333 Squadron. In 1982 Fokker F-27 Aircraft were acquired, leading to the formation of 27 Squadron.
In early 1994, three Lynx helicopters were acquired from the United Kingdom leading to the formation of 222 Squadron. In 1996, three P3-C Orion aircraft were acquired from United States and were inducted into 28 Squadron of the Naval Air Arm. The delivery of these long range Maritime patrol aircraft had earlier been withheld due to the application of the Pressler Amendment in 1990. One of these planes was lost due to an accident while carrying out routine exercises in own coastal waters on 29 October 1999.
An Atlantique plane belonging to the Italian Navy. The downed Pakistan Navy plane was an identical one.
The Atlantique Incident was a major international incident that occurred on 10 August 1999 when a Pakistan Naval Air Arm patrol aircraft—a Breguet Atlantique with 16 personnel on board—was shot down in the border area of the Kutch region by Indian Air Force jets. Pakistan and India both claimed the aircraft to be in their respective airspace. However, the wreckage fell well within Pakistani territory, giving credence to the Pakistani claim.
The Indian Air Force stated that the Atlantique was trying to return to Pakistani airspace after intruding more than 10 nautical miles (19 km) and as such was headed towards Pakistan. At the speed of 400 knots at which the shoot-down occurred most of the wreckage could have been expected to land at least 25 miles (40 km) away; the fact that all of the wreckage fell in Pakistani territory would tend to vindicate Pakistani claims that the aircraft did not violate Indian airspace. This incident resulted in escalated tensions between the two neighbouring countries.
Westland Sea King Mk.45 – anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare version of Sea King HAS Mk.1, modified to be armed with the AM39 Exocet anti-ship missile. A total of six were built for the Pakistan Navy.[5][6]
Template:Standard table
! style="text-align: left; background: ;"|Squadron
! style="text-align: left; background: ;"|Operational
! style="text-align: left; background: ;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: ;"|Role
! style="text-align: left; background: ;"|Comments
|-valign="top"
| Squadron No. 27 Mehran
| 1982
| Fokker F27 Aircraft
| Surveillance/Transport
|
|-valign="top"
| Squadron No. 28 Orion
| 1996
| P-3C Orion Aircraft
| MPA
|Future supply of 7 more under an agreement with Lockheed Martin signed in 2006[9]. Two upgraded P-3C Orion delivered on 7th Jan 2010 while one was delivered in Nov 2009. Another two advanced P-3C Orion aircrafts to be delivered soon [10].
|-valign="top"
| Squadron No. 29 Atlantic
| 1976
| Breguet Atlantique Aircraft
| MPA
|
|-valign="top"
| Squadron No. 93 Defender
| 1985
|Britten-Norman Defender
| MPA/Serveillance
|The one of the Sqd. No. 93 was shot down by Indian Air Force in 1999. (See Atlantique Incident)
|-valign="top"
|-valign="top"
| Squadron No. 100 War Hawker
| 1985
|Raytheon Hawker 800[11]
| MPA/Serveillance/Transportation
|Pakistan Naval Air Arm received and operated one Raytheon Hawker 850XP aircraft. The aircraft is used for Information warfare.
|-valign="top"
| Squadron No. 111 Sea King
| 1974
| Westland Sea King
| ASW/Attack
|
|-valign="top"
| Squadron No. 222 Lynx
| 1982
| Westland Lynx
| Surveillance/ASW/SAR
|
|-valign="top"
| Squadron No. 333 Aero
| 1982
| Aérospatiale Alouette III SA-316
| Surveillance/ASW/SAR
|
|-valign="top"
| Squadron No. 659 UAV
| 2007
| SATUMA Mukhbar UAV
| Surveillance/Reconnaissance
|
|-valign="top"
| No. 18 Squadron War Hawks
| 2007
| Mirage V
| Ground-attack/ASW
|An anti-ship attack aircrafts flown by PAF which are based at PAF Base Masroor in Karachi which areoperated by the Pakistan Air Force.
|-valign="top"
| No. 9 Squadron Harbin
| 2009
| 100pxHarbin Z-9C
| ASW
|Z-9EC ASW variant inducted 23 September 2009, configured with pulse-compression radar, low frequency dipping sonar, radar warning receiver and doppler navigation system. Armed with torpedoes.[12] To be carried on the F-22P Zulfiquar-class frigates.[13]
|}
Inactive squadrons
Template:Standard table
! style="text-align: left; background: ;"|Squadron
! style="text-align: left; background: ;"|Operational
! style="text-align: left; background: ;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: ;"|Role
! style="text-align: left; background: ;"|Comments
|-valign="top"
| No. 16 Squadron Hawks
| 1980-1981
| Grumman Albatross
| SAR
|Inherited to Navy by Air Force tasked with the SAR. It is believed that the aircraft are retired in 1981[14].
Pakistan
Pakistan Navy
