Air Force Day
JF-17 flying overhead silhouette
Also calledYoum-e-Fizaya
Observed byPakistan
CelebrationsFlag hoisting, Airshows, Airforce exhibitions, award ceremonies, singing patriotic songs, entertainment and military programmes, speeches, etc
Date7 September
Next time7 September 2024 (2024-09-07)
Frequencyannual

Air Force Day (Urdu: یوم فضائیه or Youm-e-Fizaya) is celebrated in Pakistan as a national day on 7 September, after the annual celebration of the Defence Day. Airshows and other programs mark the Pakistan Air Force's (PAF) role in defending the nation in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.[1][2]

Indo-Pakistani war of 1965

On 6 September, both countries openly went to war following a series of minor skirmishes that preceded the 6th, when Pakistan was attacked by India from the Lahore-Burki sector during the dead of night (at 5 am). The war began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was designed to infiltrate forces into Jammu and Kashmir to precipitate an insurgency against rule by India. The five-week war caused thousands of casualties on both sides. It ended in a United Nations (UN) mandated ceasefire and the subsequent issuance of the Tashkent Declaration.

Notable decorations

A notable event of the war was that Pakistan Air Force flying ace Muhammad Mahmood Alam shot down five Indian Air Force Hawker Hunter Mk.56 fighters in less than a minute, four being in first 30 seconds and became one of the few aviators who became ace in a day and the only jet age ace-in-a-day. He was awarded the Sitara-e-Jurat ("The star of courage") and bar for his actions.[3][4][5]

Outcome of war for PAF

Pakistan Air Force gained a lot of credibility and reliability among Pakistan military and international war writers for successful defence of Lahore and other important areas of Pakistan and heavy retaliation to India on the next day. The alertness of the air force was also related to the fact that some pilots were scrambled six times in less than an hour on indication of Indian air raids.[6][7]

Airshows and celebrations

  • Flag hoisting
  • Parade
  • Military exhibitions
  • Award ceremonies
  • Singing patriotic songs
  • Entertainment and military programmes
  • Speeches.

References

  1. ↑ "Home". paf.gov.pk.
  2. ↑ "Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Day,September 7". ~www.apnimarzi.com~. Archived from the original on 2011-10-13. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
  3. ↑ Air Cdre M Kaiser Tufail. "Alam's Speed-shooting Classic". Defencejournal.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
  4. ↑ Fricker, John (1979). Battle for Pakistan: the air war of 1965. I. Allan. pp. 15–17. ISBN 9780711009295. before we had completed more than of about 270 degree of the turn, at around 12 degree per second, all four hunters had been shot down." -- "My fifth victim of this sortie started spewing smoke and then rolled on to his back at about 1000 feet.
  5. ↑ Polmar, Norman; Dana Bell (2003). One hundred years of world military aircraft. Naval Institute Press. p. 354. ISBN 978-1-59114-686-5. Mohammed Mahmood Alam claimed five victories against Indian Air Force Hawker Hunters, four of them in less than one minute! Alam, who ended the conflict with 1 1 kills, became history's only jet "ace-in-a-day."
  6. ↑ John Fricker (1979). Battle for Pakistan: The Air War of 1965. I. Allan. ISBN 978-0-7110-0929-5.
  7. ↑ "Pakistan's Air Power", Flight International, issue published 5 May 1984 (page 1208). Can be viewed at FlightGlobal.com archives Retrieved: 22 October 2009
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