PAF Base Kohat is an

airbase An airbase (stylised air base in American English), sometimes referred to as a military airbase, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base, is an aerodrome or airport used as a mi ...

of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) located in

Kohat Kohat (; ) is a city that serves as the capital of the Kohat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is regarded as a centre of the Bangash tribe of Pashtuns, who have lived in the region since the late 15th century. With a population o ...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. While it currently serves as a training base for PAF airmen, the facility was also used as a major operational base of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

during

British colonial rule The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts establish ...

History

In 1922, Royal Air Force Station Kohat was commissioned to meet the threats posed by tribesmen in the Northern and Western areas of the Frontier Province. RAF Kohat was one of three RAF stations in the area, the other being Peshawar and Risalpur. In the 1920s, Nos. 27 and 60 RAF Squadrons were based here with their Westland Wapitis. It served as the administrative wing and maintenance wing for fighter-bomber base. In 1925, the headquarters building, aircraft and supply hangars, Ml room, armory, and swimming pool were constructed in the base. In 1938, the No. 16 and No. 17 Squadrons were stationed in RAF Kohat. There was a rectangular grass landing field, which was expanded in 1939. However, the main hangar had to be demolished in order to expand the runway. RAF Kohat was also serviced by a control tower, which was called the ‘watch office’. An officer’s mess was constructed, and officers had their own horses. To accommodate the animals, a stables was constructed beside the officer’s mess.

World War II

When

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

begun, the airfield served as a major staging post for RAF and

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

squadrons during their deployment to the Burma front. On 19 December 1943, Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck visited the station and inspected a guard of honor formed by IAF airmen. Following the

independence of Pakistan The Pakistan Movement was a religiopolitical and social movement that emerged in the early 20th century as part of a campaign that advocated the creation of an Islamic state in parts of what was then British Raj. It was rooted in the two-nation th ...

in 1947, all RAF units were withdrawn and PAF Base Kohat was only commanded by Pakistani officers from then on. The airfield served as a flying base with an additional training function. In 1961, the No. 9 (Fury) Squadron was withdrawn and the base ceased its dual function in 1963. Afterwards, it has become a primary training base.

Notable incidents

* On 20 February 2003,

Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British i ...

Mushaf Ali Mir Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir (5 March 1947 – 20 February 2003) was an influential statesman and a four-star rank air officer who served as the ninth Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), appointed on 20 November 2000 until ...

and 16 others were killed when their

Fokker F27 The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner developed and manufactured by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. It is the most numerous post-war aircraft manufactured in the Netherlands; the F27 was also one of the most successful Europe ...

crashed into the hills near the airbase. The aircraft was inbound to

from

PAF Base Nur Khan PAF Base Nur Khan (originally founded as RAF Chaklala and formerly known as PAF Station Chaklala and PAF Base Chaklala) is a major Pakistan Air Force airbase located in Chaklala, Rawalpindi, Punjab province. The former Benazir Bhutto Internat ...

. Among the deceased were two Air Vice-Marshals and Mir's wife. * On 6 August 2007, two

Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...

personnel and a child accompanying them were injured when a bomb exploded near their vehicle on Kohat Road, near the PAF airbase.Two PAF men, child injured in bomb blast
''Dawn Newspaper''

References

External links

Military installations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

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