No. 11 Squadron
Arrows
Active1 January 1949
Country Pakistan
Allegiance Pakistan
Branch Pakistan Air Force
TypeFighter squadron
RoleMulti-role, Operational Conversion Unit (OCU)
Part ofNo. 39 Multi-Role Wing
Southern Air Command
AirbasePAF Base Shahbaz (Jacobabad)
Nickname(s)Arrows
Motto(s)Your destination is above everyone else’s destination.[1]
Mascot(s)An arrow pointing up through a circle of stars.[1]
AircraftF-16A/B Block 15 MLU
Engagements [2]
Battle honoursSargodha 65
Commanders
Notable
commanders		ACM Zulfiqar Ali Khan
ACM Anwar Shamim
Air Mshl Nur Khan
Air Mshl Abdul Rahim Khan
Air Cdre Mitty Masud
Air Cdre MM Alam
Air Cdre Sattar Alvi
Air Cdre W. J. M. Turowicz
Air Cdre Yousuf Ali Khan
Air Cdre Rizwan Ullah Khan[3]
Aircraft flown
FighterSupermarine Attacker (1951–1956)
F-86F Sabre (1956–1966)
Shenyang F-6 (1966–1983)
F-16 Fighting Falcon (1983–present)

No. 11 Squadron, named the Arrows, is a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) fighter squadron assigned to the No. 39 Multi-Role Wing of the PAF Southern Air Command. It operates the Block 15 MLU 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.

History

Pakistani Supermarine Attackers

The squadron was first established on 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 Attacker. 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.

1965 War

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 Hunters and three Folland Gnats 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.

1971 War

Shenyang F-6 (Serial#1825), this particular aircraft scored a sidewinder kill on an Indian Mig-21 over Shakargarh

When sanctions and an arms embargo was placed on Pakistan by the U.S. after the 1965 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 fighter was 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.[4]

1982 - 1998

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 the 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 led 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.

2019 Jammu and Kashmir Airstrikes

The F-16BM which supposedly shot down an Indian warplane in 2019 (Indian flag as kill mark visible on the nose)

The No. 11 Squadron played a vital role during hostilities in 2019 with India. An F-16B Block-20 MLU (S. No. 84606) flown by Squadron Leader Hasan Siddiqui also supposedly shot down an Indian SU-30MKI from the No. 221 Squadron IAF with an AIM-120 BVR missile.[5]

Aircraft Flown

No. 11 Squadron
Arrows
Role Operational Aircraft Notes
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.[6]
Fighter Bomber 1956–1966 F-86 Sabre
F-86F
Air Superiority 1966–1983 Shenyang F-6
F-6A		 [4]
Multi-role
Operational Conversion Unit		 1983—Present F-16 Fighting Falcon
F-16A/B Block 15		 The PAF's first F-16 squadron.

Exercises

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 II 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)

International

  • Anatolian Eagle – Participated multiple times. Turkey.[7]
  • Al-Saqoor II – An exercise with the Royal Saudi Air Force that was carried out in January 2011.[8] As well as F-16s from the Arrows, the PAF also sent Dassault Mirage 5 fighters as part of the contingent.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "F-16 Units - PAF 11th squadron". F-16.net. 19 June 2007. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  2. ↑ "F-16 vs. SU-25". Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  3. ↑ Shaikh, A. R. (2000). The Story of the Pakistan Air Force, 1988-1998: A Battle Against Odds. (p. 373)
  4. 1 2 "Final Salute to F-6". Archived from the original on 26 March 2008. Retrieved 8 February 2008.
  5. ↑ Alan Warnes. "Operation Swift Retort one year on". Key Military.com.
  6. ↑ Bingham, Victor (31 May 2004). Supermarine Fighter Aircraft. Ramsbury, UK: The Crowood Press, 2004. ISBN 1-86126-649-9.
  7. ↑ "Military Aircraft Photography - Anatolian Eagle".
  8. ↑ "Al-Saqoor II" (PDF). Retrieved 6 July 2012.


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