Pakistan Army Aviation Corps Explained

Unit Name:	Pakistan Army Aviation Corps
Country:	Pakistan
Type:	Combined and Combat support service
Role:	Administrative and staffing oversight.
Garrison:	Army GHQ in Rawalpindi, Punjab in Pakistan.
Garrison Label:	HQ/Garrison
Nickname:	AVN
Colors:	Purple, White, Yellow
Colors Label:	Colors identification
Battles:	Military history of Pakistan
Anniversaries:	1958
Commander1 Label:	Director-General
Notable Commanders:	Brigadier Zakaullah Bhangoo
Identification Symbol Label:	War Flag
Identification Symbol 2 Label:	Patch
Aircraft Helicopter Attack:	AH-1 Cobra Mi-35M Hind-E Z-10ME Bell AH-1Z Viper
Aircraft Helicopter Multirole:	AW139 Bell 412 Eurocopter Fennec
Aircraft Helicopter Utility:	Mi-17/171 SA 330 Puma Alouette III Eurocopter Écureuil SA 315B Lama UH-1 Huey
Aircraft Helicopter Trainer:	206 JetRanger Enstrom 280FX Schweizer 300C
Aircraft Recon:	Super King Air 350i
Aircraft Transport:	Super King Air 350 Y-12 Turbo Commander 690C 206 Stationair 208 Caravan Citation V Citation Bravo G450

The Pakistan Army Corps of Aviation is a military administrative and combined arms service branch of the Pakistan Army.

The Aviation Corps is tasked with configuration of all army aviation aircraft and provides principle close aerial combat support and aerial logistics for the Pakistan Army.^[1]

Overview

Originally formed by the British Army Air Corps in 1942, the partition in 1947 of the former British Indian Army allowed the entire unit of the British Army's Air Corps to be transferred to the Pakistan Army.^[1] Initially, the Aviation Corps was part of the Pakistan Air Force but was commissioned in the Pakistan Army after its personnel were trained and certified in the United States in 1958.^{[2] [3]} The Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering started to maintain the aircraft and helicopters given by the U.S. Army's Aviation Branch, opening its own aviation school in 1959.^[4] Since the 1960s, the corps expanded in momentum, manpower, and its operational scope has widened.^[4] The Aviation Corps became a combat support branch when it inducted its first attack helicopters from Iran in 1970.^[4] The Aviation Corps is commanded by an active-duty two star major-general, who serves as its director-general and functions directly under the Chief of the General Staff at the Army GHQ in Rawalpindi, Punjab.^[5]

Aircraft inventory

The Pakistan Army operates 314+ helicopters alongside several fixed-wing aircraft.

3 CAIC Z-10 attack helicopters of China were delivered for trial use so that orders could be made in the future. However, as of 2018, no orders have been made further and replaced by TAI/AgustaWestland T129 ATAK, this could mean that these 3 helicopters were returned with no follow-up order.

15 Bell AH-1Z Viper with Hellfire missiles, equipment and support worth $952 million were on order but are on hold due to political tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan.^[6]

30 TAI/AgustaWestland T129 ATAK worth $1.5 billion is on order however production is still on hold due to the United States not giving export license for the engine, which is of American origin. New Turkish indigenous engine as a replacement is currently on trials.^[7]

After the United States failed to deliver the AH-1Z and the problems with the Turkish T129, the Pakistan Army again is showing interests in Chinese all-weather, multirole CAIC Z-10ME which is the advanced and upgraded variant of the CAIC Z-10.^[8]

Aircraft/System	Photo	Origin	Role	Variant	Quantity	Note	Service period
Helicopters 314, 92 Attack
Bell AH-1 Cobra			Attack	AH-1F	50^[9]		1985–present
Mil Mi-35			Attack	Mi-35M3	4		2018–present
CAIC Z-10			Attack	Z-10ME	3^[10]	17 on order.^[11]	2023–
Eurocopter Fennec			Armed / Scout		35^[12]		2009–present
Mil Mi-17			SAR Utility Transport	Mi-171	48		1996–present
AgustaWestland AW139			SAR Utility Transport	AW139M	7^[13]	Also used as VIP transport.	2017–present
Aérospatiale/IAR SA 330 Puma			SAR Utility Transport	330L	43		1977–present
Bell 412			Liaison Utility	412EP	31		2004–present
Bell UH-1 Iroquois			Liaison Utility	UH-1H	1		1970s
Aérospatiale Alouette III			Light Utility	SA 316B	13		1967–present
Aérospatiale Lama			Light Utility	SA 315B	17		1986–present
Bell 206 JetRanger			Trainer	206B	18		1975–present
Enstrom F-28			Trainer	280FX	19		2018–present
Schweizer 300			Trainer	300C	25		1993–present
Fixed-wing Aircraft
PAC MFI-17 Mushshak			Trainer		214
Harbin Y-12			Utility	Y-12(II)/F	4
Beechcraft Super King Air			Reconnaissance	350i	3	for SIGINT & ISR
			Transport	350ER	6
Turbo Commander			Transport	690C	2
Cessna 208 Caravan			MEDEVAC	208B	13
Cessna 206 Stationair			MEDEVAC	T206H	4^[14]
Cessna Citation II			VIP Transport	Citation Bravo	1
Cessna Citation V			VIP Transport	Citation Ultra	1^[15]
Gulfstream IV			VIP Transport	G450	1^[16]

Retired Aircraft

• Auster 5 1947–1957
• Auster AOP.6 1947–1957
• Cessna O-1 Bird Dog 1957–1990
• Beechcraft U-8F Seminole 1963–1983
• Bell Model 47 1964–1990
• Bell OH-13 Sioux 1964–1990
• Mil Mi-8 1969–1998

Notable accidents and incidents

• 2022 Pakistan Army helicopter incident
• 29 March 2022 – Eight UN peacekeepers, six Pakistanis, a Russian and a Serb, part of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were killed in a crash of a Puma helicopter operated by the Pakistan Army Aviation Corps while on a reconnaissance mission in the troubled eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Cause of the crash is yet to be ascertained.^{[17] [18] [19] [20]}
• 2019 Pakistan Army military plane crash
• 2015 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash
• 2009 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash

See also

• Pakistan Air Force
• List of active Pakistan Air Force aircraft
• Pakistan Naval Air Arm
• Equipment of the Pakistan Army

External links

• Web site: ISPR. History of Pakistan Army Aviation. YouTube. 21 December 2011.

Notes and References

1. Web site: PA. Pakistan Army. Army Aviation-Pakistan Army. Pakistan Army. Pakistan Army Aviation Corps. 21 December 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20121117054707/http://www.pakistanarmy.gov.pk/AWPReview/TextContent.aspx?pId=24&rnd=454#History. 17 November 2012. dead. dmy-all.
2. Book: Karim . Afsir . Indo-Pak Relations: Viewpoints, 1989-1996 . 1996 . Lancer Publishers . 978-1-897829-23-3 . 15 December 2023 . en.
3. Web site: Global Security. Army Aviation Corps. Global Security inc. 21 December 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110723173843/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/pakistan/aviation-corps.htm. 23 July 2011. live. dmy-all.
4. Book: The United States Government (CIA Fact Book). Pakistan Intelligence and Security Activities Army Aviation Corps. 2011. U.S. Government. Washington D.C.. 978-0-7397-1194-1. 259. 2016-11-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20140704192059/http://books.google.com/books?id=ud8TM7Pc67sC&pg=PA147&dq=pakistan+army+aviation+corps&hl=en&ei=HoLxTvrhHsKqiQKG0M2yDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-thumbnail&resnum=2&ved=0CDgQ6wEwAQ#v=onepage&q=pakistan%20army%20aviation%20corps&f=false. 2014-07-04. live.
5. Book: Alam . Dr Shah . Pakistan Army: Modernisation, Arms Procurement and Capacity Building . 1 July 2012 . Vij Books India Pvt Ltd . 978-93-81411-79-7 . 15 December 2023 . en.
6. . May 2019 . Nine Pakistan AH-1Z now stored at AMARG . . Key Publishing . 26.
7. Web site: Turkey First Indigenous Helicopter Engine to be Ready for Integration This Year. 2020-12-12. 2020-12-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20201212182031/https://www.defenseworld.net/news/27249/Turkey_First_Indigenous_Helicopter_Engine_to_be_Ready_for_Integration_This_Year#.X9T1X1NRU0M. live.
8. Web site: Janes | Latest defence and security news . 2020-03-02 . 2020-03-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200302154124/https://www.janes.com/article/94566/pakistan-to-buy-chinese-attack-helicopters-if-turkey-and-us-fail-to-deliver . live .
9. Web site: World Air Forces 2022. Flightglobal Insight. 2022. 2 August 2022. registration. 19 August 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130819141428/http://https/. dead.
10. Web site: 2022 . World Air Forces 2022 . registration . 2 August 2022 . Flightglobal Insight . 19 August 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130819141428/http://https/ . dead .
11. Web site: 2022 . World Air Forces 2022 . registration . 2 August 2022 . Flightglobal Insight . 19 August 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130819141428/http://https/ . dead .
12. Web site: 2023 World Air Forces directory . 2022-12-16 . Flight Global . en . 2022-12-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221207235701/https://www.flightglobal.com/reports/2023-world-air-forces-directory/151088.article . live .
13. Web site: List of AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters in Pakistan. 2022-01-09. Helis.com. en. 2022-01-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20220109030010/https://www.helis.com/database/model/AW139/cn?filc=PK#cns. live.
14. News: Siddiqui. Naveed. 31 March 2017. Pakistan Army receives six Cessna aircraft from US. dawn.com. 31 August 2018. 25 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170925225752/https://www.dawn.com/news/1323994. live.
15. Web site: Cessna 560 Citation V – Pakistan – Army . airliners.net . 4 September 2018 . 4 September 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180904153756/https://www.airliners.net/photo/Pakistan-Army/Cessna-560-Citation-V/2710948 . live .
16. Web site: Gulfstream G450 . jetphotos.com . 4 September 2018 . 4 September 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180904121115/https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/8850015 . live .
17. Web site: Eight killed as UN helicopter crashes in eastern DRC . 2022-03-31 . www.aljazeera.com . en . 2022-03-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220330203316/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/30/dr-congo-8-un-peacekeepers-killed-in-helicopter-crash . live .
18. Web site: 2022-03-29 . Six Pakistan Army officers, soldiers martyred in UN copter crash . 2022-03-31 . The Express Tribune . en . 2022-03-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220329195629/https://tribune.com.pk/story/2350160/six-pakistani-officers-soldiers-among-un-peacekeepers-martyred-in-copter-crash . live .
19. Web site: Siddiqui . Naveed . 2022-03-29 . Six Pakistani officers, soldiers martyred in helicopter crash in Congo: ISPR . 2022-03-31 . DAWN.COM . en . 2022-03-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220330204431/https://www.dawn.com/news/1682422 . live .
20. Web site: Agence France-Presse . 2022-03-29 . Eight UN peacekeepers killed in helicopter crash in DRC . 2022-03-31 . The Guardian . en . 2022-03-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220330232536/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/29/eight-un-peacekeepers-killed-in-helicopter-crash-in-drc . live .