A new F-16D Block 52+ taxies behind one of the Mirages it is replacing during the re-equipment ceremony.
The squadron was established as part of the Royal Pakistan Air Force on 15 August 1947, equipped with eight Hawker Tempest II fighters and commanded by Squadron Leader Zaheer Ahmad. The unit was based at Miranshah and was suffering from inadequate numbers of technical staff. Most of the squadron's personnel were inherited from the Royal Indian Air Force No. 1 Squadron. In December 1947 the squadron provided cover to the Pakistan Army units pulling out from Razmak during 'Operation Curzon.'[2]
The squadron's F-86 Sabres were replaced in 1967 with the Dassault Mirage IIIE and its role changed to tactical attack. The unit was made fully operational and, during the 1971 Indo-Pak War, over 200 missions were flown in day and night.
The squadron's reconnaissance role is performed year-round along the entire eastern border with Mirage III/5 reconnaissance variants and reconnaissance pods supported by other PAF aircraft and ground-based radars. These duties require the squadron to be split up and deployed at different locations throughout the year. Reconnaissance duties are in addition to monthly Air Defence Alert (ADA) and training.[citation needed]
In 2010 the squadron was re-equipped with the F-16C/D Block 52+, the old Mirage III/5 being transferred to other units. As well as air-to-air and air-to-ground armaments such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM, the new F-16s are also equipped with new Goodrich DB-110 reconnaissance pods. These have seen service in the skies over North West Pakistan against the insurgency there, providing high resolution infra-red imagery and maps to the Pakistani forces.
Operated four variants of the Mirage III/5 during the 1990s. Trans-frontier reconnaissance sorties with reconnaissance pods flown throughout the year in peace-time, supported by other equipment[citation needed] such as electronic warfare aircraft of No. 24 Blinders squadron.
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This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages Some of this article s listed sources may not be reliable Please help this article by looking for better more reliable sources Unreliable citations may be challenged or deleted November 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources No 5 Squadron PAF news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article relies excessively on references to primary sources Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources Find sources No 5 Squadron PAF news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article possibly contains original research Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations Statements consisting only of original research should be removed November 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message No 5 Squadron named the Falcons is a Pakistan Air Force fighter squadron the second oldest fighter squadron since the PAF s creation in 1947 1 No 5 Squadron FalconsActive15 August 1947 PresentCountry PakistanAllegiancePakistan Armed ForcesBranch Pakistan Air ForceTypeFighter squadronRoleMulti rolePart ofSouthern Air CommandAirbasePAF Base ShahbazMotto s The blue sky vast boundless is mineMascot s A falcon in flight carrying a weapon AircraftF 16 Fighting FalconF 16C D Block 52 Engagements1947 Indo Pakistani War 1965 Indo Pak War 1971 Indo Pak WarCommandersNotablecommandersWing Commander Hakimullah KhanSquadron Leader Sarfaraz Ahmed RafiquiAircraft flownFighterHawker Tempest II Hawker Sea Fury F 86 Sabre F 104 Starfighter Dassault Mirage III F 16C D Block 52 2010 Present ReconnaissanceDassault Mirage III RP 1967 2010 Contents 1 History 1 1 Awards 2 Gallery 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksHistory Edit A new F 16D Block 52 taxies behind one of the Mirages it is replacing during the re equipment ceremony The squadron was established as part of the Royal Pakistan Air Force on 15 August 1947 equipped with eight Hawker Tempest II fighters and commanded by Squadron Leader Zaheer Ahmad The unit was based at Miranshah and was suffering from inadequate numbers of technical staff Most of the squadron s personnel were inherited from the Royal Indian Air Force No 1 Squadron In December 1947 the squadron provided cover to the Pakistan Army units pulling out from Razmak during Operation Curzon 2 In the early 1950s the unit was converted to fly the Hawker Sea Fury citation needed The squadron s F 86 Sabres were replaced in 1967 with the Dassault Mirage IIIE and its role changed to tactical attack The unit was made fully operational and during the 1971 Indo Pak War over 200 missions were flown in day and night The squadron s reconnaissance role is performed year round along the entire eastern border with Mirage III 5 reconnaissance variants and reconnaissance pods supported by other PAF aircraft and ground based radars These duties require the squadron to be split up and deployed at different locations throughout the year Reconnaissance duties are in addition to monthly Air Defence Alert ADA and training citation needed In 2010 the squadron was re equipped with the F 16C D Block 52 the old Mirage III 5 being transferred to other units As well as air to air and air to ground armaments such as the AIM 120 AMRAAM the new F 16s are also equipped with new Goodrich DB 110 reconnaissance pods These have seen service in the skies over North West Pakistan against the insurgency there providing high resolution infra red imagery and maps to the Pakistani forces No 5 Squadron FalconsRole Operational Aircraft Notes1947 1950s Hawker Tempest II 1950s 56 Hawker Sea Fury 1956 69 F 104 Starfighter 1967 F 86 SabreTactical attack and reconnaissance 1967 2010 Dassault Mirage III Operated four variants of the Mirage III 5 during the 1990s Trans frontier reconnaissance sorties with reconnaissance pods flown throughout the year in peace time supported by other equipment citation needed such as electronic warfare aircraft of No 24 Blinders squadron Multi role 2010 F 16 Fighting FalconF 16C D Block 52 Awards Edit The Pakistani Inter Squadron Armament Trophy 1952 citation needed The Pakistani Inter Squadron Maintenance Efficiency Trophy 1991 1992 1995 citation needed The Pakistani Inter Squadron Armament Competition ISAC 1996 fourth place overall citation needed Gallery Edit A Pakistani F 16 Block 52 from the No 5 Squadron A Pakistani F 16 Block 52 from the No 5 Squadron A Pakistani F 16 Block 52 from the No 5 Squadron A Pakistani F 16 Block 52 from the No 5 SquadronSee also EditList of Pakistan Air Force squadrons No 9 Squadron Pakistan Air Force References Edit Pakistan receives last batch of F 16 combat jets www f 16 net Retrieved 2020 04 04 5 Squadron External links Edit Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title No 5 Squadron PAF amp oldid 1132585228, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
