In 1965, the world witnessed unprecedented sagas of heroism through the success the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) achieved in a war with its Indian counterpart. During the 17-day war, in fierce aerial battles with the Indian Air Force (IAF), PAF led the nation out of the great odds of falling against a hostile, invading country, 5 times bigger than it in size.
From the very first air battle that broke out at the start of the month of September, PAF managed to attain air ascendency over its adversary. On 1st September, PAF inflicted heavy losses on the IAF by shooting down four Vampire MK 52 fighter-bombers, forcing IAF to ground the entire fleet of 130 Vampire Aircrafts. This initial morale boost for the PAF was attained as its F-86 Sabre Aircrafts became grim reapers for a whopping 35% of the total aircrafts in the IAF fleet.
Meanwhile, on the fateful day of September 6, a formation of three F-86 aircrafts, led by Squadron Leader Sarfaraz Ahmad Rafiqui, shot down a total of four Hunter aircrafts in the face of great odds. The leader ended up sacrificing his life for the motherland and setting an example of leadership. PAF’s airstrikes on the IAF installations at the locations of Adampur, Halwara, and Jodhpur incurred heavy damages. Furthermore, the airstrike on the Indian Air Base Pathankot is considered as one of the most successful air raids in contemporary war history, as it completely annihilated 13 Indian aircrafts. In total, over the span of just two days, from 6 to 7 September, PAF obliterated 50 aircrafts - both airborne and on ground - meanwhile multiple others sustained damages. In East Pakistan too, PAF - with only one squadron deployed there against 10 of India’s operational squadrons - was able to attack India’s Kalaikunda Air Base and wipe out an entire fleet of aircraft including Canberra bombers and Hawker Hunters C-119 aircraft. Meanwhile, by the time the war ended, the Indian Air Force had lost 110 aircrafts, with 18 bearing heavy damages.
While on one hand, air superiority is achieved by effectively deploying aerial assets over the battlefield, on the other hand, it is achieved by denying the enemy from doing the same. By virtue of being in the lead and forcing the IAF to play catch up, PAF masterfully executed the winning strategy of dictating the battle terms and leading the adversary in the decision cycle. Resultantly, PAF’s air supremacy denied IAF the ability to provide air support to ground forces.
A state’s forces’ firepower and manoeuvrability also get enhanced when it wields air superiority in battlefield. PAF’s support was the main reason that the 13 major attacks mounted by the Indian Army on the Lahore-Kasur front and the 15 attacks of mounted on Sialkot, along with incursions in areas like Rajasthan, were repulsed by the Pakistan Army.
Research also shows that air superiority has the biggest role to play when it comes to winning a war, over any other factor. Air superiority has also been believed to be a better indicator of victory in a war as compared to other indicators considered critical for predicting a war’s outcome, such as the use of military power, modern military equipment, etc.
Although having an overwhelming number of air assets apparently seems an easy way to victory, the training of the personnel, the tactics of the aircrew, and the adoption techniques of the available military equipment prove more determining than just mere numerical superiority. This is because it is these factors that contribute towards achieving air dominance. In the absence of professional excellence and strategic acumen, the aerial assets deployed in a battle - no matter what their number - essentially prove easy meat for the enemy. This is not to say that adoption of a modern military system isn’t an important part of winning a war, but it is the way these modern systems are employed that matters more than mere numbers.
While there’s no doubt in the capability and conduct of the PAF, it should be kept in mind that the geopolitical realities of today’s world continue to get bleaker by the day, presenting developing nations with newer security challenges. The inter-state competition is on a never-ending rise, and the onset of Cold War 2.0 stirs the graver risk of international conflicts. Moreover, the emergence of modern technologies has essentially changed the shape, size and characteristics of warfare, making keeping the latest defence equipment an uphill task for economically struggling nations. PAF is cognizant of these facts and the latest inductions of JF-17 Block III and J-10C, as well as the next-generation fighter aircraft programs like Project Azm are commendable and reaffirm PAF’s defence readiness and the capability to defend the nation’s boundaries at any time. Furthermore, PAF venturing into emerging technologies like aerospace sciences, cyber, and AI also merits mention as this indicates that PAF has been adapting to newly emerging realities by not only adopting advanced technologies, such as big data, predictive analytics, and machine learning, etc., but also by seeking to indigenously produce them.
Although surviving, let alone thriving, in a hostile environment with militarily advanced belligerent actors like India as a neighbour is extremely difficult, it is events like PAF’s role in the 1965 war that reassure the nation that no matter what the odds are, the sheer professionalism, passion, and perseverance of PAF will not let them down. PAF has proven time and again - most recently in the aftermath of the Balakot strike in 2019 - that it is perfectly capable of thwarting a much larger enemy. The professional excellence and unmatched commitment indicates that the PAF is indeed a force worthy of the title, Second to None.
-Khansa Qureshi is a researcher at the Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies (CASS), Islamabad, Pakistan. She can be reached at cass.thinkersgmail.com