Pakistan Air Force Base Murid or more simply PAF Base Murid () is an
operational flying base of the
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 ...
located near the village of
Murid
In Sufism, a (Arabic ) is a novice committed to spiritual enlightenment by (traversing a path) under a spiritual guide, who may take the title , or . A or Sufi follower only becomes a when he makes a pledge () to a . The equivalent Pers ...
in the
Chakwal District
Chakwal District () is a district located on the Pothohar Plateau in Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the northwestern area of the Punjab province, bordered by Talagang to its west, Rawalpindi to its northeast, Jhelum to its east. The distr ...
of
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 ...
. It houses the
UCAV
An unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), also known as a combat drone, fighter drone or battlefield UAV, is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is used for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance and carries aircr ...
and
UAV
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft with no human pilot, crew, or passengers onboard, but rather is controlled remotely or is autonomous.De Gruyter Handbook of Drone ...
fleet of the PAF.
History
The airfield was established by the British in 1942 as an RIAF Air Station. After Pakistan gained independence in 1947, the airfield was renamed as the No. 784 Readiness Flight and served as a
Forward operating base
A forward operating base (FOB) is any secured forward operational level military position, commonly a military base, that is used to support strategic goals and tactical objectives. A FOB may contain an airbase, hospital, machine shop, and othe ...
for the PAF.
[
Gradually, the airfield was installed with Airfield Lightening Systems (AFLS) and ]PAR
Par may refer to:
Finance
* Par value, stated value or face value in finance and accounting
* Par yield or par rate, in finance
Games
* Par (score), the number of strokes a proficient golfer should require to complete a hole, round or tournament ...
systems. In 2013, the airfield was re-structured and subsequently named ''PAF Base Murid'' with its operational status being upgraded to Main operating base in December 2014. As the PAF's drone fleet expands, the No. 42 Flying Wing has been established at the base with major infrastructure plans to transform the base.[ 8 hangars constructed to house various kinds of combat drones. 3 were under construction.
]
2025 Indian Airstrikes
Amidst the 2025 India–Pakistan conflict
The 2025 India–Pakistan conflict was a brief armed conflict between India and Pakistan that began on 7 May 2025, after India launched missile strikes on Pakistan, in a military campaign codenamed Operation Sindoor. India said that the operat ...
, Murid airbase was amongst three bases that were targeted by the Indian Air Force during the midnight hours of 10 May 2025. The airbase faced targeted missile attacks however, the Pakistan Armed Forces
The Pakistan Armed Forces (; ) are the military forces of Pakistan. It is the world's sixth-largest military measured by active military personnel and consists of three uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are backe ...
claimed it's air defense systems had intercepted the incoming Indian missiles and reported all assets at the base safe and operational.
Satellite imagery released by Indian MEA showed a nearly 3-metre-wide crater just 30 metres from the entrance of a heavily fortified sub-complex within the Murid air base. The crater’s proximity to what is believed to be an underground structure had raised speculation that India aimed to strike deep-buried assets, possibly linked to command-and-control functions or drone operations. The strike appears to have breached the perimeter defenses of this high-value zone, hinting at the use of precision-guided munitions and deep-penetration targeting.
On 2 June 2025, satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies
Maxar Technologies Inc. is an American space technology company headquartered in Westminster, Colorado, United States, specializing in geospatial intelligence, Earth observation, and on-orbit servicing satellites, satellite products, and relate ...
claimed that a green tarpaulin was hiding what appeared to be repair work on a command and control centre that was struck on 10 May.
Units
Various UAV and UCAV squadrons of the 42 Flying Wing operate out of Murid Airbase.[
* No. 60 Strategic Squadron — Operates Shahpar-1 UAVs
* No. 61 Strategic Squadron — Formerly operated 5 ]NESCOM Burraq
The Burraq () is an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) jointly developed and built by the National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM) and the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).
Development
Since 2004, the United States (US) has been con ...
s. Currently undergoing training on Shahpar-I.
* No. 64 CUAS Squadron — Operates Bayraktar TB2
Bayraktar TB2 (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Standard-bearer TB2'') is a Medium-altitude long-endurance UAV, medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operati ...
UCAVs.
* No. 65 MR UAS Squadron — Operates Baykar Bayraktar Akıncı
Bayraktar Akıncı (, Raider lit. "Akinji") is a high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) being manufactured by the Turkish defence company Baykar. The first three units entered service with the Turkish Armed Forc ...
HALE UCAVs.
See also
* List of Pakistan Air Force bases
References
External links
Pakistan AviationChart at Pakistan AviationPakistani Nuclear Forces at Global Security
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paf Base Mujtaba
Murid
In Sufism, a (Arabic ) is a novice committed to spiritual enlightenment by (traversing a path) under a spiritual guide, who may take the title , or . A or Sufi follower only becomes a when he makes a pledge () to a . The equivalent Pers ...
Military installations in Punjab, Pakistan
World War II sites in Pakistan