| Unit Name: | No. 26 Squadron Black Spiders |
| Dates: | 30 August 1967 — Present |
| Allegiance: | Pakistan Armed Forces |
| Type: | Fighter squadron |
| Role: | Multi-role |
| Command Structure: | Northern Air Command |
| Garrison: | PAF Base Peshawar |
| Garrison Label: | Airbase |
| Nickname: | Black Spiders |
| Motto: | [1] |
| Mascot: | A Black Spider |
| Equipment: | PAC JF-17 Thunder |
| Equipment Label: | Aircraft |
| Battles: | |
| Decorations: | 2× Sitara-e-Jurat |
| Notable Commanders: | Wing Commander Sharbat Ali Changezi |
| Identification Symbol: | Spider Vinyl on the nose (For A-5C) |
| Identification Symbol 2: | A Black Spider or Spider Web decal on the Tail (For JF-17) |
| Identification Symbol 3 Label: | Patch |
| Aircraft Attack: | Nanchang A-5C (1984–2010) |
| Aircraft Fighter: |
|
The No. 26 Squadron, nicknamed the Black Spiders, is a multi-role squadron of the Pakistan Air Force's Northern Air Command. It is currently based at Peshawar Airbase and operates the PAC JF-17 Thunder multirole fighter jets.[2] [3]
The No. 26 Squadron was raised on 30 August 1967 at PAF Base Masroor under the command of Wing Commander Rehmat Khan. Equipped with the F-86 Sabre, the squadron was assigned the role of operational conversion unit and trained pilots on the F-86 Sabre.
The squadron later shifted to PAF Base Peshawar from where it is still currently operating. For the next 10 years, more than 300 Pakistani and 150 foreign pilots were trained.[4] [2]
During the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War, the Squadron under the command of Wing Commander Sharbat Ali Changezi flew over 300 air defence, counter air strike, and close air support missions. Counter air sorties were often targeted at the Indian Air Force bases in Srinagar and Awantipur. Close air support sorties were flown over Chumb and Shakargarh. At the end of the war, the Squadron had shot down 7 Indian aircraft and damaged 2 more. (Kills by No. 16 Squadron pilots serving with the No. 26 squadron also included).[5] [6] [2] [4]
On 4 December 1971, Wing Commander Changezi shot down a Hawker Hunter over Peshawar. Later that day, during a low altitude dogfight, Flight Lieutenant Khalid Razzak damaged an IAF Hunter while his wingman Flight Lieutenant Salim Baig Mirza shot down another Hunter which were attacking the Peshawar Airport.On 14 December, a formation of four F-86F Sabres consisting of Wing Commander Changezi & Flight Lieutenants H K Dotani, Amjad Andrabi, and Maroof Mir took of from Peshawar Airbase with Flight Lieutenants Salim Baig and Rahim Yusufzai providing escort. They headed towards Indian-controlled Kashmir to execute airstrikes on the IAF base in Srinagar. The formation flew at low level through the Pir Panjal range to avoid detection by Indian observation posts. After reaching the IAF Base, the formation dropped their payload of Mk.84 bombs and cratered the runway preventing any Indian fighters from taking off.[7]
Though two Folland Gnats had managed to take off before the runway was disabled, one of the Gnats strayed away from the area allegedly due to low visibility while the second Gnat (flown by Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh) engaged the No. 26 Squadron's formation but was shot down by Flight Lieutenant Salim Baig after an intense high G dogfight.[8] [9] [10] [11] During the war however, the squadron lost two Sabres along with their pilots.
After flying 15 sorties, Squadron Leader M. Aslam Chaudhary's F-86F (S.No. 3856) was shot down on 10 December 1971 during a close air support mission over Chumb when his section of two F-86 were bounced by six Indian Hawker Hunters. Flight Lieutenant Fazal Elahi's F-86F (S.N. 4109) was shot down by ground fire on 8 December 1971 during a close air support sortie over Zafarwal. Both Mirza and Elahi were posthumously awarded the Sitara-i-Juraat for their services.[12]
By December 1980, the F-86 Sabre had become obsolete, thus the squadron was assigned the role of Air superiority and re-equipped with the Shenyang F-6 air superiority fighter.[2] [4]
In 1984, the squadron was re-equipped with the Nanchang A-5C, thus the unit became a Tactical Attack squadron. In 1985 it was awarded with the Flight Safety, Command Armament, and the Professionals Trophies. In April 1989, the squadron provided pilots to ferry A-5C fighters requiring overhaul to China. In 1991, the first four of the squadron's aircraft were fitted with new Martin-Baker ejection seats.[4] [2] [13]
See main article: Afghanistan-Pakistan Skirmishes. During the Soviet Afghan War, the squadron's Officer Commanding "Wing Commander Wali Mughni" was scrambled to investigate an unidentified aircraft which was loitering at a no-fly zone on the border. Wali was later informed that the aircraft was an SU-25 and had defected from an 8-ship formation which was on a bombing run near the border. After being intercepted, the Su-25 lowered its landing gear and wiggled its wings as a sign of surrender. It later made a forced landing.[13]
thumb|No. 26 squadron's JF-17 Thunder armed with captive PL-5E and SD-10 missiles flies over the Nanga ParbatOn 18 February 2010, the Black Spiders was re-equipped with 14 JF-17 thunders and thus became the PAF's first squadron to be equipped with the new aircraft resultantly attaining the role of multirole squadron. A special ceremony was held at the airbase in which then COAS "Rao Qamar Suleman" was also present. The Squadron also bid farewell to the A-5C during which it led two JF-17s in a spectacular flypast.[14] [15] Before their official induction however, the squadron's JF-17s were used in Operation Rah-e-Nijat against militants to test its weapons and effectiveness.[16] [17]
In 2015, 8 JF-17s from the No. 16 and No. 26 Squadrons escorted President Xi's Boeing-747 during his official visit to Pakistan.[18]
| No. 26 Squadron Black Spiders | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Role | Operational | Aircraft | Notes | |
| Fighter | 1967–1981 | F-86 Sabre | ||
| Air Superiority | 1981–1984 | F-6C Farmer | [19] | |
| Tactical Attack | 1984–2010 | A-5C Fantan | ||
| Multi-role | 2010—Present | JF-17A Thunder (Block 1) | The PAF's first JF-17 squadron, formed from the JF-17 Test and Evaluation Flight.[20] | |
In 2019, the No. 26 Squadron was featured in the military combat flight simulator, DCS World. The No. 26 Squadron Livery was and is one of the base liveries available for the DCS: JF-17 module.
In 2021, the No. 26 Squadron was featured in the military combat video game, War Thunder, through a premium Nanchang A-5C. It came with the livery of the No. 26 Squadron "Black Spiders".[21] [22]
