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Pakistan Naval Aviation

The Pakistan Navy has a diverse air arm that enables it to carryout air surveillance and provides ASW/ASV cover over the area of interest. Ever since its inception in the early 70's, Naval Aviation has progressed to become a highly effective and potent force. The professional competence of PN aviators operating some of the highly advanced platforms is well acknowledged and time tested. Naval Aviation is a force multiplier with its inherent flexibility and advanced weaponry.The main operating base for naval aviation; PNS MEHRAN is located at Karachi. It houses all maintenance facilities, Command HQ's, and training centers. The aviation base established in the mid seventies is fully equipped and geared to undertake flight operations for a variety of aircraft including helicopters and fixed wing aircraft.

On 28 Sep 1974 the first of the six Westland Sea King helicopters was acquired from UK marking the introduction of naval aviation and rotary wing aircraft in the service. III squadron was established for these rotary wing aircraft. PNS MEHRAN was subsequently commissioned as the base for the Naval Air Arm on 26 Sep 75. Rest of these helicopters also arrived in subsequent year.

In 1975 four Atlantic LRMP aircraft were acquired from France marking the introduction of fixed wing aircraft in the service and establishment of 29 Squadron. One plane while on a routine training mission in Aug 1999 was shot down by an Indian Air Force fighter jet in a display of naked Indian aggression.

In 1977 six Alouette helicopters were acquired from France leading to the formation of 333 Squadron. In 1982 Fokker F-27 Aircraft were acquired leading to the formation of 27 Squadron.

In 1994 three Lynx helicopters were acquired from UK leading to the formation of 222 Squadron.

In 1996 three P3-C Orion aircraft were acquired from United States and were inducted into the 28 Squadron of the naval air arm. The delivery of these Long Range Maritime patrol aircraft had earlier been withheld due to the application of the Pressler Amendment in 1990. One of these planes was lost due to an accident while carrying out routine exercises in own coastal waters on 29 Oct 1999.

Just a month after the Kargil War, the Indian Air Force (IAF) shot down a Pakistan Navy MRASW/ELINT Atlantique on August 10, 1999, over the Rann of Kutch. All 16 Pakistani personnel, including five officers, on board, were killed in the crash. Tthis was the biggest loss the Pakistani navy suffered in a single day since the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war. The 1991 air agreement between India and Pakistan requires all aircraft (other than helicopters) of the two countries to maintain a minimum distance of 10 km from the border; on two occasions the PN Atlantique actually violated Indian airspace at two points.

"It was a routine training flight, ruthlessly shot out of the sky without a single provocation," Pakistan's Information Minister, Mushahid Hussain, said in a telephone interview. ''The Indians seem to be in a very provocative and belligerent mood." A sharply contradictory version was delivered by India's Defense Minister, George Fernandes. He said that when the Pakistani plane, a French-built Breguet Atlantic-1, had been intercepted and commanded to land at an Indian base, it "indulged in a hostile act by taking a turn toward the Indian fighter aircraft and challenging it." Pakistan took the attaches to the site of the August 10 crash to prove its claim the plane was shot down in Pakistani territory. Military attaches from embassies of 28 countries, including the United States, Britain, Canada, Germany and France, flew to the site.

Public hearings by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case titled 'Aerial incident of August 10, 1999 (Pakistan vs India)' lasted four days ending April 6, 2000. A 16-judge bench of the court on June 21, 2000 voted 14-2 to dismiss Pakistan's claim. The decision was announced by bench president Gilbert Guillaume of France at a public sitting. The ICJ found that it has no jurisdiction to entertain the application filed by Pakistan on September 21, 1999. The verdict was final and there was no appeal.

Pakistan Naval Aviation has been able to keep itself abreast with the changing technology and grew from a fledgling force besieged with seemingly insurmountable problems into a mature professional service of today. In aviation, the professional competence and excellence of aircrew merely depends upon its training standards. To fulfill the requirements of aircrew training, today, by the grace of Allah, the Naval Air Arm has its own Naval Aviation Training School fully equipped to take up this challenge.

The first Naval Air Station, PNS MEHRAN, was commissioned on 26 September 1975 to support Fleet Operations. This base is situated in Karachi, 10 KM from Quaid-e-Azam International Airport. Seaking helicopter was the first machine to fly from this Base. Atlantic and Alouette soon joined the Naval Air Arm. Taking a start in 1975, Naval Aviation has grown to its present inventory of 27 multi role aircraft. The latest addition in the Air Arm is Lynx helicopter and P-3C Orion Maritime Patrol aircraft. In early years of its establishment in 1975, Naval Air Arm depended upon Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Army to meet the training requirement of air and ground crew. In April 1988, Naval Aviation Training School (NATS) was established to impart training to air and ground crew of Pakistan Naval Air Arm. The school is also geared to train surface fleet officers and men to meet the various requirements of shipborne flight operations.

Naval Air Station PNS MEHRAN operates multi type aircraft over the blue waters of Indian Ocean. To overcome the survival training of aircrew, PN has been utilizing the available facilities in UK, FRANCE and USA. The ever-growing operations of PN Air Arm demanded regular survival practice, which was only possible with facilities at home. This was the time to cope up with the ever-challenging survival at sea. This necessitated the establishment of an underwater escape training facility. Thus, Pakistan Navy Underwater Escape Trainer was installed within the premises of PNS MEHRAN and was commissioned as PNUET on 31 Oct, 1996. The facility has latest equipment that includes DUNKER, SWET and covered swimming pool. Since then, PNUET is not only fulfilling the training requirement but is regularly conducting refresher courses for the aircrew.

On February 13th, 2007 the U.S. Navy's Naval Air Systems Command awarded Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] a $186.5 million Foreign Military Sale contract to continue providing mission system upgrades and sustainment work for seven P-3C Orion maritime surveillance aircraft for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Lockheed Martin will continue to support the Pakistan Navy's P-3C Upgrade Program, which began in March 2006. Lockheed Martin has delivered one upgraded surveillance aircraft, which was inducted into the Pakistan Navy in January. A second aircraft joined the fleet in March 2007. The modified P-3Cs will further enhance the Pakistan Navy's capabilities to conduct maritime surveillance in littoral and deep water environments, supporting anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare operations.

On December 07 2006 the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Pakistan for refurbishment and modification of three excess P-3 aircraft with the E-2C HAWKEYE 2000 Airborne Early Warning (AEW) Suite, as well as associated equipment and services. The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $855million. The Government of Pakistan requested a possible sale for refurbishment and modification of three excess P-3 aircraft with the E-2C HAWKEYE 2000 Airborne Early Warning (AEW) Suite, spare and repairs parts, simulators, support equipment, personnel training and training equipment, publications and technical data, system software development and installation, ground/flight testing of new systems and system modifications, U.S. Government and contractor engineering and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics support. The estimated cost is $855 million.

This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country that has been and continues to be an important force for economic progress in South Asia and a partner in the global war on terrorism. The command-and-control capabilities of these aircraft will improve Pakistan's ability to restrict the littoral movement of terrorists along Pakistan's southern border and ensure Pakistan's overall ability to maintain integrity of its borders.

Pakistan intends to use the proposed equipment to develop an effective air defense network for its naval forces and provide an AEW surveillance and enhanced command, control, and communications capability. The addition of the AEW suites will provide Pakistan with search surveillance, and control capability in support of maritime interdiction operations. These aircraft will also increase Pakistan's ability to support the U.S. Operation Enduring Freedom operations, and provide anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare capabilities; and a control capability over land against transnational terrorists and narcotics smugglers. The modernization will enhance the capabilities of the Pakistani Navy and support its regional influence and meet its legitimate self-defense needs. Pakistan will have no difficulty absorbing the AEW platform into its armed forces.

On 08 June 2017 the Pakistan Navy acquired 7 former Royal Navy Sea Kings. Three were refurbished by Vector Aerospace at its Fleetlands facility in Gosport, UK in order to return to service. Vector Aerospace Corporation, a global independent provider of aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, commenced a contract with the Pakistan Navy for the return to service of three Leonardo Helicopters Sea Kings at its Fleetlands facility in Gosport, United Kingdom. Work on the contract is being performed by Vector’s U.K.-based aviation services team, previously responsible for depth maintenance of the UK Ministry of Defence’s Sea King helicopter fleet. A total of seven former UK MoD Sea King aircraft had been acquired by the Pakistan Navy under a separate contract last signed in 2016.

Speaking after the formal handover ceremony, Owen McClave, managing director for Vector Aerospace UK, said: “Vector has a long history of supporting the Sea King fleet, and we are delighted that this significant program to refurbish these aircraft for return to service has now started. We are very proud of the responsive maintenance support provided by our skilled associates here at Fleetlands, and we look forward to seeing these aircraft back in service with their new owner later in the year.”

The RAS-72 Sea Eagle is among the Pakistan Navy’s (PN) newer inductions. The RAS-72 is a maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) based on the ATR-72, a commercially available commuter aircraft. The PN initiated the RAS-72 MPA program in 2016 by contracting a German aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul company – Rheinland Air Service (RAS) GmbH – to carry out the integration and testing work. It seems that the PN ordered the RAS-72 to replace its Fokker F27s. Compared to this predecessor, the RAS-72 is a significant capability upgrade. The RAS-72 consists of a new-generation subsystem and sensor suite. Moreover, unlike the Fokker F27, the RAS-72 can also carry torpedoes and anti-ship missiles. Currently, the PN operates two RAS-72s, with a third aircraft on order. According to the main contractor, Rheinland Air Service (RAS), the PN planned to acquire a total of four RAS-72s.

In May 2020 Pakistan Navy (PN) Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, outlined in an interview that the PN is working to acquire long-range maritime patrol aircraft (LRMPA), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and multi-mission helicopters.[1] The CNS did not reveal the status of any of these programs, or the expected procurement timeline. However, the PN rarely seems to comment on potential acquisitions prior to signing a contract or starting a project.

The PN currently had four Type 054A/P frigates, four MILGEM corvettes, and two Yarmouk-class corvettes on order. The PN was aiming to procure its 10 new ships by the mid-2020s, which will join its four Zulfiquar-class/F-22P frigates and, likely, replace its three remaining Babur-class/Type-21 frigates. In terms of shipborne anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters that can operate from ships in the 2,000-ton to 4,000-ton displacement range, the PN relied on only six Z-9ECs. These operated with the PN’s four F-22P frigates.

The CNS’ comments on UAVs built on an official PN news release in January 2020, stating, “Pakistan Navy’s developmental plans include acquisition of Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAV) in support of maritime operations.” The PN already operates unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for surveillance – e.g., the EMT Penzberg LUNA NG – but the CNS’ statements imply that a larger system is in the pipeline.

Outgoing naval chief Adm. Adm. Zafar Mahmood Abbasi announced 06 October 2020 that the Navy would replace its P-3C Orion fleet with 10 converted commercial jets, the first of which has been ordered. Pakistan’s Navy had selected the Embraer Lineage 1000 jetliner as anti-ship warfare (AShW) and ASW-capable Long-Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft [LRMPA]. With a required maximum take-off-weight (MTOW) of 120,000 lbs to 140,000 lbs, the PN had been seeking a large aircraft, which could point to a desire to deploy heavy munition and sensor loads. The Ministry of Defence Production would handle the acquisition. With only a single aircraft ordered thus far, the program was in its early stages. When converted for Pakistani service, the aircraft will be called Sea Sultan.

The Embraer lineage 1000 stopped being manufactured by Embraer in August 2020. It is a failed product. Long term support and cost of the platform will have massive issues as there are not enough units of the platform to support a critical mass of cheap spare parts over the lifespan of the product. Manufacturer support may be expensive as there will be no economies of scale, as there were only 28 units of this specific platform in total. But the Lineage 1000 is a biz-jet conversion of one of Embraer's most successful lines of aircraft, and one of the most successful regional jets in contemporary history.