India attacks THESE Pakistan Air Force bases during Operation Sindoor

In the brief combat between India and Pakistan, the Indian Air Force claims to have attacked eight of Pakistan's air bases and four of its radar and air defence system bases. India retaliated after the Pakistan Air Force targeted military installations in India on May 7. Here are the bases attacked by the IAF.

PAF Base Nur Khan 

Lying at the heart of the Pakistani military establishment, the Pakistan Air Force base at Chakalala was the prime target of the Indian Air Force that was caught in the combat after it struck the terrorist hideouts. It houses transport aircraft like the Lockheed C-130 Hercules and Ilyushin Il-78 refuelers and trainers like the Karakoram-8. Situated near the Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters and the Strategic Plans Division in Rawalpindi, the PAF Base Nur Khan was hit hard. 

PAF Base Murid, Chakwal

The base of Pakistan’s growing fleet of combat drones is one of the PAF’s most important forward operational flying bases. The PAF base at Murid in Chakwal has more than eight hangars of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The indigenously developed GIDS Shahpar and NESCOM Burraq, the Chinese Chengdu Wing Loong II, and the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 are some of the drones kept here.

PAF Base Sukkur

Situated on the bank of the Indus River, this is used also for civilian purposes. It houses the Begum Nusrat Bhutto International Airport Sukkur, the second major civilian airport operational in Sindh after Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport. It was constructed as a civilian airport during the World War II, it operates under the Southern Air Command of the PAF. 

PAF Base Rahim Yar Khan

Hit hard by the IAF during the combat, PAF Base Rahim Yar Khan has been closed for repair. A massive crater on the runway was created in the IAF strike. A forward operational base of the PAF’s Central Command, its only runway is also used by the Sheikh Zayed International Airport, named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first President of the UAE.

PAF Base Mushaf, Sargodha

The Sargodha base is the most strategic air base of the PAF, as it houses Pakistan’s best fighter aircraft and pilots. It is also the headquarters of the Central Air Command, the Combat Commanders’ School, and the Airpower Centre of Excellence. It houses the best fighter jets, like the SU-made F-16 Falcon, Chinese Chengdu J-7, JF-17 Thunder, and French-made Mirage 5. It was the main target of the IAF in the India-Pakistan War of 1965, when its ten aircraft were destroyed. 

PAF Base Shahbaz, Jacobabad

It was the prime air base of NATO in its war against terrorism. It houses some of PAF’s most advanced aircraft and equipment, like the latest JF-17 Block II, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the Italian Leonardo AW139 helicopters of the 88 Search and Rescue Squadron.

The Indian Air Force also targeted PAF Base Rafiqui, Shorkot, and PAF Base Bholari, Jamshoro. 

Besides, India also hit the radar bases of Pasrur, Sialkot district, Chunian, Kasur district, Lahore, and Malir Cantt in Karachi, Sindh.