| Conflict: | Pakistan–Soviet/DRA aerial conflict |
| Partof: | the Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan and Operation Cyclone |
| Date: | May 1986 – November 1988 |
| Place: | Airspace of Pakistan and Afghanistan |
| Result: | Pakistani victory
|
| Combatant1: | Soviet Union  Democratic Republic of Afghanistan |
| Combatant2: |  PakistanSupported by: |
| Units1: | Soviet Air Forces Afghan Air Force
|
| Units2: | |
| Casualties1: | |
| Casualties2: | F-16 lost (friendly fire per Pakistan, shot down per Soviets)[3] |
| Casualties3: | 300+ civilians killed[4] |
Pakistan–Soviet/DRA aerial conflict refers to the Soviet Air Forces and the Afghan Air Force occasionally crossing into Pakistani airspace to target Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan where refugees were being armed, dissuade the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) from supporting the Afghan mujahideen and to block their supply routes.[5] To counter the Soviet-Afghan jets, the United States began providing F-16 jets to Pakistan.[6] These F-16 jets lacked the capability to fire radar-guided beyond-visual range missiles, and thus they were required to get close to their opponents to use their AIM-9P and more advanced AIM-9L Sidewinder heat-seeking or their 20-millimeter Vulcan cannons.
During the war Soviet and DRA planes intruded many times into Pakistani airspace to bomb refugee camps set up in the Pakistani provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These bombing campaigns led to the deaths of 300+ Afghan refugees. It was reported that DRA and Soviet planes intruded into Pakistani airspace more than 1300 times.[7]
A Soviet Ilyushin Il-26 on 1st March 1980 entered Pakistani airspace and was intercepted by PAF squadron 15 but the pilots were instructed not to engage.
PAF fighters intercepted a couple of Mig-21s in February 1986. However, the PAF pilots were ordered not to engage them.
During the Second Battle of Zhawar, an Afghan aerial assault group accidentally landed inside Pakistan. 120 personnel and 6 Mi-8 were captured by Mujahideen forces.[8]
On 29 April 1986, the Afghan Air Force claimed to have shot down a Pakistani Air Force F-16 fighter jet after two jets intruded Afghanistan's airspace and crossed into Paktia Province, more specifically into Khost. Afghan authorities claimed that the F-16s were warned and then fired upon, whereas Pakistani authorities claimed they never violated Afghan airspace and that six Afghan aircraft violated Pakistani airspace which resulted in two F-16s being sent to intercept them.[9]
On 17 May 1986, two Pakistan Air Force (PAF) F-16 jets intercepted two Su-22M3K belonging to Democratic Republic of Afghanistan Air Force (DRAAF) near the Pakistani airspace. Pakistani officials insisted that both the fighter jets belonging to DRAAF were shot down while Afghan officials confirmed loss of only one fighter jet. Following the engagement, there was a major decline in the number of attacks on Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan.
On 16 April 1987, a group of PAF F-16s again chased down two DRAAF Su-22 and managed to shoot down one of them and capture its pilot.
See main article: Siege of Khost.
In 1987, the Soviet Union reported that Pakistani fighter jets were roaming in Afghan airspace, harassing attempts to aerial resupply the besieged Afghan Army and Soviet Army garrisons in the province of Khost.[10]
On 30 March 1987, two PAF F-16s shot down an An-26 cargo plane, killing all 39 personnel on board the aircraft.
Also in 1987, two PAF F-16 jets ambushed four Mig-23 which were bombing Mujahideen supply bases. In the clash, one PAF F-16 was lost after it was accidentally hit by an AIM-9 Sidewinder fired by the second PAF F-16. The PAF pilot landed in Afghanistan territory and was smuggled back to Pakistan along with wreckage of his aircraft by the Mujahideen. However, some Russian sources claim that the F-16 was shot down by a Mig-23, though the Soviet Mig-23 were not carrying air-to-air missiles.
On 8 August 1988, Colonel Alexander Rutskoy was leading a group of Sukhoi Su-25 fighter jets to attack a refugee camp in Miranshah, Pakistan. His fighter jet was intercepted and shot down by two PAF F-16. Colonel Alexander Rutskoy landed in Pakistani territory and was captured. He was later exchanged back to the Soviet Union.
In September 1987, around twelve Mig-23 crossed into Pakistani airspace with the aim to lure into ambush the Pakistani F-16s. Two PAF F-16s flew towards the Soviet fighter jets. The Soviet radars failed to detect the low flying F-16s, and the Sidewinder fired by one of the F-16s damaged one of the Mig-23. However, the damaged Mig-23 managed to return home. Two Mig-23 engaged the two PAF F-16s. The Pakistani officials state that both Mig-23 planes were shot down. However, Soviet records show that no additional aircraft were lost that day.
Another engagement took place on 3 November 1988, in which one Su-2M4K belonging to DRAAF was shot down by a Pakistani Air Force jet.
The Pakistan Army fired twenty-eight Stingers at Soviet aircraft near the border destroying two DRA transport planes and killing 79.[11] [12]
In the coming years, PAF claimed credit for shooting down several Mi-8 transport helicopters, and another An-26 which was on a reconnaissance mission in 1989.
During the conflict, Pakistan Air Force F-16 had shot down ten aircraft, belonging to Soviet Union, which had intruded into Pakistani territory. However, the Soviet record only confirmed five plane kills (three Su-22s, one Su-25 and one An-26) and 4 helicopter (Mi-8) kills. Some sources show that PAF had shot down at least a dozen more aircraft during the war. However, those kills were not officially acknowledged because they took place in Afghanistan's airspace and acknowledging those kills would mean that Afghan airspace was violated by PAF.[13] In all, Pakistan Air Force F-16s had downed 3 Su-22,1 Su-25,2 Mig-23,2 An-26, and Several Mi-8 while 1 Mig-23 was damaged.[3] Furthermore, 6 Mi-6 and 120 personnel were captured during the Second Battle of Zhawar by Haqqani mujahideen forces, a battle in which 100 Pakistani Special Service Group commandos took part in.
United States