| Unit Name: | Combat Commanders' School |
| Dates: | 5 May 1976 – present |
| Country: |  Pakistan |
| Allegiance: | Pakistan |
| Type: | Advanced Air Combat Tactics Development and Training School |
| Role: | Advanced Air Combat Tactics Development and Training |
| Size: | 4 Fighter Squadrons |
| Command Structure: | PAF Airpower Centre of Excellence, Central Air Command |
| Garrison: | PAF Base Mushaf |
| Nickname: | Top Guns |
| Motto: | Shamsheer-o-Sana Awal (Urdu) (Translation: "At first sword and spear") |
| Battles: | 1979-1989 Soviet-Afghan War 2019 Operation Swift Retort[1] |
| Decorations: | Sitara-i-Jurat, Tamgha-i-Jurat |
| Battle Honours: | 1979-1989 Soviet-Afghan War 2019 Operation Swift Retort[2] |
The Combat Commanders' School or CCS is the advanced air combat tactics development and training school of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) based at PAF Base Mushaf, Sargodha, Pakistan.[3] [4] [5]
CCS is a part of the PAF Airpower Centre of Excellence (PAF ACE) under the PAF's Central Air Command (CAC).[6] Operationally, PAF ACE has the status of a Wing under the CAC, with four fighter squadrons of the CCS under its command.[7]
CCS is geared primarily towards the mid-career advanced air combat training of PAF fighter squadron commanders, air defence controllers, and instructors and for the development of advanced air combat tactics.
The CCS has its origins in the PAF's Flight Leaders' School (FLS) established at PAF Base Masroor at Karachi in April 1958 under the PAF's first Pakistani Commander-in-Chief, Air Marshal Asghar Khan, with Wing Commander M.Z. Masud (later Air Commodore) as the FLS's first commanding officer. After the 1965 India-Pakistan War, the FLS underwent periodic closures due to various constraints and faded from the scene in the early 1970s.[4]
In late 1974, the PAF decided to establish an institution that would not only revive the FLS but surpass it.[4]
Consequently, the CCS was established on 5 May 1976 at PAF Base Sargodha with Wing Commander Hakimullah (later Air Chief Marshal) as its first commanding officer. It was inaugurated officially by Air Chief Marshal Zulfiqar Ali Khan on 15 August 1977. At its inception, the CCS was equipped with two fighter squadrons comprising Mirage III and F-6 fighters. On 16 July 1988, an F-16 squadron was added. In 1993, the F-6 squadron was re-equipped with F-7Ps. On 26 January 2015, a fourth squadron equipped with JF-17s was raised.[4] [8]
In 2016, CCS was made a part of the newly-formed PAF ACE under the CAC.[6]
In 2021, the CCS F-7P Squadron was decommissioned after the retirement of all F-7Ps/FT-7Ps from PAF service.
In February 2023, No. 23 Air Superiority (AS) Squadron 'Talons', equipped with the newer and more advanced F-7PGs/FT-7PGs, was transferred to CCS from 31 AS Wing (Western Air Command), PAF Base Samungli (Quetta) to serve as the new CCS F-7PG Squadron.
The CCS has the following mission:[9]
The CCS conducts Combat Commanders' Courses (CCCs) for combat pilots and combat controllers.[10] Previously, Fighter Weapon Instructors' Courses (FWICs) were also conducted for junior leaders. Subsequently, however, FWICs were discontinued to accommodate the more urgent need for imparting training to commanding officers, who would, in turn, impart training to junior officers.[11] [5]
As of February 2023, the CCS has conducted 57 CCCs.[10] [12] [13]
Pilots are normally selected to undergo rigorous training at the CCS after around 9 to 12 years of service with the PAF. Once selected by Air Headquarters, they undergo three courses: a 4–5 month Combat Commanders' Course (CCC), a 3 month Weapons Course (WC), and a 4–5 week Fighter Integration Course (FIC). The courses are reputed to be very tough and not all CCS students pass. Successful graduates can go on to attain the rank of Wing Commander and command a squadron.
Dissimilar air combat training (DACT) at the CCS is renowned "throughout the world" for giving complete freedom and responsibility to participating pilots for forming and executing their mission plans. Combat missions are regularly flown at tree-top height and pilots are also responsible for their own post-flight learning. Foreign Chiefs of Air Staff visiting the base have been "most impressed" and "showed surprise at the freedom allotted to the student DACT pilots."
CCS staff pay annual visits to all PAF fighter squadrons to evaluate and enhance combat capabilities and ensure standards. In June 1990, the Squadron Combat Upgradation Programme (SCUP) was initiated and four-month-long cycles were conducted by October 1990, each involving two fighter squadrons, F-16 pilots and ground controllers. In 1992, SCUP was replaced with the regular Exercise Saffron Bandit, which is a more demanding and complicated near-realistic environment for participating fighter pilots and air defence controllers. Exercise Saffron Bandit is still supervised and its syllabus constantly improved by the CCS.[14]
The CCS has three active fighter squadrons under its command:
| CCS F-16 Squadron (No. 29 Squadron) | Aggressors | Advanced Air Combat Tactics Development & Training | Central Air Command | PAF Airpower Centre of Excellence | 16 July 1988 | PAF Base Mushaf | F-16A/B MLU | [15] [16] |
| CCS JF-17 Squadron | Fierce Dragons | Advanced Air Combat Tactics Development & Training | Central Air Command | PAF Airpower Centre of Excellence | 26 January 2015 | PAF Base Mushaf | JF-17A/B | [17] [18] |
| CCS F-7PG Squadron (No. 23 Squadron) | Talons | Advanced Air Combat Tactics Development & Training | Central Air Command | PAF Airpower Centre of Excellence | 16 March 1961 (transferred to CCS from 31 AS Wing (Western Air Command), PAF Base Samungli (Quetta) in February 2023) | PAF Base Mushaf | F-7PG/FT-7PG | |
| CCS Mirage Squadron | Sky Bolts | Advanced Air Combat Tactics Development & Training | Central Air Command | PAF Airpower Centre of Excellence | 5 May 1976 | PAF Base Mushaf | Dassault Mirage IIIEA, Dassault Mirage 5PA | Squadron number-plated in January 2024. |
| CCS F-7 Squadron | Dashings | Advanced Air Combat Tactics Development & Training | Central Air Command | PAF Airpower Centre of Excellence | Raised as "CCS F-6 Squadron" on 5 May 1976. Re-equipped with F-7Ps in 1993 and name changed to "CCS F-7 Squadron". | PAF Base Mushaf | F-7P/FT-7P | Squadron decommissioned in 2021 after retirement of all PAF F-7Ps/FT-7Ps in 2020.[19] |