PAF Base Mushaf explained

Mushaf Air Force Base, Sargodha
Iata:MSF
Icao:OPMH
Type:Military
Owner:Ministry of Defence (Pakistan)
Operator:Pakistan Air Force
Location:Sargodha-40180, Punjab, Pakistan
Commander: Air Commodore Hassan Faisal
Occupants:
Elevation-F:614
Elevation-M:187
R1-Number:06/24
R1-Length-F:7,956
R1-Length-M:2,424
R1-Surface:Asphalt
R2-Number:14/32
R2-Length-F:10,253
R2-Length-M:3,124
R2-Surface:Asphalt

PAF Base Mushaf (formerly PAF Station Sargodha and 'PAF Base Sargodha),), is a Pakistan Air Force airbase situated at Sargodha in Punjab, Pakistan. It is designated as a "Major Operational Base" (MOB) by the PAF.[1]

It was known as PAF Base Sargodha until 2003, when it was renamed in honour of the former Base Commander and Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir, whose aircraft crashed on a routine flight near Kohat in February 2003.[2] [3]

The PAF's Central Air Command (CAC), the Combat Commanders' School (CCS), and the PAF Airpower Centre of Excellence (PAF ACE) are based at PAF Base Mushaf, PAF Base Mushaf is the most elite and widely operational base in Pakistan, consisting of the highest equipped aircraft and squadrons and the best trained pilots and commanders.

Incidents

On 1 November 2007, a suicide bomber struck the 50-seat bus carrying PAF officers to nearby Kirana Ammunition Depot, killing 11 people (including 7 officers) and injuring 28. The bombing took place on Faisalabad Road, where a motorcycle loaded with explosives rammed the bus and triggered the blast. All the officers were new recruits posted to PAFB Mushaf for training.[4]

This was the last major attack before the 2007 state of emergency was imposed on the country.

See also

Notes and References

  1. https://www.scramble.nl/planning/orbats/pakistan/pakistan-air-force PAF Base Mushaf on Scramble (Dutch Aviation Society) website
  2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2787061.stm Funeral held for Pakistan air chief (Mushaf Ali Mir)
  3. https://www.dawn.com/news/99652/sargodha-air-base-named-after-mushaf Sargodha Air Base named after Mushaf
  4. News: Seven PAF officers among 11 dead in suicide attack . Dawn (newspaper). 2 November 2007. 30 September 2021.