PAF Base Minhas | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
پی اے ایف بیس منہاس | |||||||||
| Attock District, Punjab in Pakistan | |||||||||
 | |||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||
| Type | Air Force base | ||||||||
| Owner | Ministry of Defense | ||||||||
| Operator | Pakistan Air Force | ||||||||
| Controlled by | Northern Air Command | ||||||||
| Condition | Operational | ||||||||
Other site facilities | Air University Kamra Campus Pakistan Aeronautical Complex NASTP Kamra | ||||||||
| Website | Pakistan Air Force | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
PAF Base Minhas PAF Base Minhas (Pakistan) Show map of Pakistan | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 33°52′8″N 72°24′3″E / 33.86889°N 72.40083°E / 33.86889; 72.40083 | ||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||
| Built | 1942 (1942) (established) 1984 (upgradation) | ||||||||
| Built for | British India Pakistan Air Force | ||||||||
| Built by | British Raj (foundation) Pakistan Air Force (later upgradation) | ||||||||
| In use | 1942 - present | ||||||||
| Battles/wars | Soviet–Afghan War Operation Sentinel War on terror Operation Swift Retort | ||||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||||
Current commander |   Air Commodore Asad | ||||||||
| Garrison | 33 Tactical Wing | ||||||||
| Occupants | 3 AEW&C Squadron "Angels" 15 MR Squadron "Cobras" 16 MR Squadron "Black Panthers" 87 Combat Support Squadron "Dragonflies" | ||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: ATG, ICAO: OPMS | ||||||||
| Elevation | 312 metres (1,024 ft) AMSL | ||||||||
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| Reference(s):12 | |||||||||
Pakistan Air Force Base Minhas (IATA: ATG, ICAO: OPMS) is a Pakistan Air Force airbase located at (Kamra Cantt) Attock District, Punjab, Pakistan. It was named in the honour of Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas, who was awarded the Nishan-e-Haider for valor in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Pakistan Aeronautical Complex is located in Minhas Airbase which manufactures aircraft like CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder, PAC MFI-17 Mushshak, and Hongdu JL-8. It also rebuilds aircraft like the Dassault Mirage and Chengdu F-7.3 Currently, PAF Base Minhas is equipped with JF-17 aircraft operated by No.16 Squadron also called "Black Panthers".
2012 terrorist attack
On 16 August 2012, nine Tehrik-e-Taliban militants assaulted PAF Base Minhas at about 2 am. After a pitched battle all nine attackers were killed while two Pakistani security officials also died.4 The base commander, Air Commodore Muhammad Azam, who led the operation against the attackers, was also shot in the shoulder, but his injury was not serious.53 The militants also destroyed one Saab 2000 Erieye plane6 and damaged one7 or two others.8
References
References
- Khan, Farhat; Hashmi, Qadeer (2024). History of the Pakistan Air Force (2014-2023): The Next Generation Air Force (1st ed.). ISBN 978-969-7518-01-2.
- "METAR OPMS · Minhas Air Base".
- "Operation completed at Kamra base, all 8 militants killed". Geo TV News website. 1 July 2011. Archived from the original on 18 August 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- "Kamra base attack: Soldier succumbs to injuries, takes death toll to 2". The Express Tribune (newspaper). 17 August 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- "Taliban attacks major Pakistani air base, 10 dead". The Christian Science Monitor (newspaper). 16 August 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- "Tax-payers kept in the dark about loss of plane worth $250m". The News International. 9 February 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
- Ansari, Usman (1 April 2014). "Pakistani Air Force Wary of Terrorist Threat to Airbases". Defense News website. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - "Aerial Eyes: Pakistan's New AWACS Fleets". defenseindustrydaily.com. 10 April 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2022.