Pakistan Air Force Base M.M. Alam is a

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 ...

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 ...

located at

Mianwali Mianwali (Saraiki language, Saraiki, ) city in Mianwali Tehsil is the capital city of Mianwali District in Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. The Largest cities of Pakistan, 81st most populous city of Pakistan, it is known for its diverse popu ...

, in the

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

province of

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# ...

. The base was renamed in 2014 after Pakistani fighter pilot

Muhammad Mahmood Alam Muhammad Mahmood Alam (; ) (6 July 1935 – 18 March 2013), popularly known as M. M. Alam, was a Pakistani fighter pilot and flying ace of the Pakistan Air Force. He is officially credited with having downed five Indian fighter aircraft in ...

. It was previously known as PAF Base Mianwali.

History

The base was originally named RAF Mianwali and was home to the following squadrons: *

No. 27 Squadron RAF No. 27 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Boeing Chinook from RAF Odiham. History First World War 27 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps formed at Hounslow Heath Aerodrome on 5 November 1915, being split off from 24 Squadron. Init ...

between 1 and 14 April 1920 with de Havilland DH.9A * Detachment from

No. 60 Squadron RAF No. 60 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1916 at HMS Sultan (shore establishment), Gosport. It is currently part of No. 1 Flying Training School RAF, No. 1 Flying Training School based at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire flying the Eurocop ...

between April 1920 and March 1923 with the Airco DH.10/10A Amiens * Detachment from

No. 97 Squadron RAF No. 97 (Straits Settlements) Squadron, was a Royal Air Force squadron formed on 1 December 1917 at RAF Waddington, Waddington, Lincolnshire, serving in France as a heavy bomber unit until the end of the First World War. The squadron refor ...

between November 1919 and March 1920 with the DH.10 * No. 99 Squadron RAF between 26 September 1919 and 1 April 1920 with the DH.9A Originally a

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 ...

airstrip, it was decided that Mianwali would be upgraded to a satellite airbase for

PAF Base Mushaf Pakistan Air Force Base Mushaf or more simply 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 ...

(then PAF Base Sargodha) during the 1965 Indo-Pak War to act as an alternate recovery airfield. The airbase became operational in October 1971 and was first commanded by

Group Captain Group captain (Gp Capt or G/C) is a senior 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 influence. Group cap ...

S. M. Dutta. Aircraft of different types, including the

Shenyang F-6 The Shenyang J-6 ( Chinese: 歼-6; designated F-6 for export versions; NATO reporting name: Farmer) is the Chinese version of the Soviet MiG-19 'Farmer' fighter, the world's first mass-produced supersonic aircraft. Design and development ...

, were operated from the base during the 1971 Indo-Pak War. Pilots and anti-aircraft gunners of Mianwali airbase shot down 5 enemy aircraft during that conflict, during the first three days of which the base came under regular attacks. The airbase was again upgraded to a permanent operational airbase in August 1974, although construction of facilities was not completed for another three years. The first base commander was

Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr or W/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Wing commander is immediately se ...

Sultan Muhammad. During November 1975, the No.1 Fighter Conversion Unit (FCU) was transferred to Mianwali airbase from

PAF Base Masroor Pakistan Air Force Base Masroor or more simply PAF Base Masroor is the largest airbase operated by the Pakistan Air Force. It is located in the Mauripur area of Karachi, in the Sindh province. The base was originally known as RIAF Base Mau ...

where it began fighter conversion training using the FT-5 dual-seat training aircraft. Over 500 fighter pilots have since graduated. In November 1976, No.14 Squadron was transferred to Mianwali airbase for operational conversion of graduates of the No.1 Fighter Conversion Unit from dual-seat to the

single-seat fighter aircraft. When No.14 Squadron was selected to operate the

F-16 The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it e ...

in August 1986, it was transferred away from Mianwali airbase and replaced by No.25 Squadron. Further construction of facilities and transfer of units to the base took place during the 1980s. On January 5, 2012, No. 1 Fighter Conversion Unit re-equipped, after end of long and illustrious services rendered by veteran Chinese FT-5 fighter trainer aircraft. No 1 FCU, is now being re-equipped with modern state-of-the-art K-8P fighter trainer aircraft. Air Chief Marshal

Rao Qamar Suleman Rao Qamar Suleman () was the 12th Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force. The four-star ranked general commanded the PAF from 2009 to 2012. Earlier, Suleman served as Deputy Chief of Air Staff of Operations. He was succeeded by Air Chie ...

, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force was the Chief Guest at the occasion. In this regard the advanced and focused training at No 1 FCU on K-8P aircraft would assist Pakistan Air Force to remain an air force second to none.

Base Commander

Renaming of airbase

The airbase was renamed as "PAF Base M.M. Alam" on 20 March 2014 after the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 veteran

References

* {{authority control

M.M. Alam Muhammad Mahmood Alam (; ) (6 July 1935 – 18 March 2013), popularly known as M. M. Alam, was a Pakistani fighter pilot and flying ace of the Pakistan Air Force. He is officially credited with having downed five Indian fighter aircraft in ...

Mianwali District Military installations in Punjab, Pakistan Royal Air Force stations in Pakistan