No. 14 Squadron (Pakistan Air Force)

No. 14 Squadron, nicknamed the Tail Choppers, is an air superiority fighter squadron of the Pakistan Air Force. The Squadron is currently based at PAF Base Rafiqui and is equipped with the Indigenous JF-17 Thunder Block-2 and Chengdu F-7P Jets. The squadron got it's nickname after a daring strike mission on Kalaikunda Air Force Station during the 1965 War in which pilots from the No.14 Squadron Chopped off the tails from Indian English Electric Canberra Bombers parked at the base.[2][3][4]

No. 14 Squadron
Tail Choppers
Active1 November 1948 – Present
Country Pakistan
Allegiance Pakistan
Branch Pakistan Air Force
TypeFighter squadron
RoleMulti-role
Part ofCentral Air Command
AirbasePAF Base Rafiqui
Nickname(s)Tail Choppers
Motto(s)شاه ، مردان ریدار یزدان قرون پروردگار
Engagements
  • Indo-Pakisani war 1965
  • Indo Pakistani war 1971
Battle honours
  • Indo-Pakistani Air war of 1965
  • Sole Defending of East Pakistan
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Squadron Leader Sarfaraz Rafiqui, Squadron leader Shabbir,Air Commodore Sajjad Haider
Insignia
Identification
symbol		Hand Holding a Sword
Aircraft flown
FighterJF17A Thunder Block-2, F-86 Sabre, Hawker Tempest, Hawker Fury [1]
InterceptorF-7P Fishcan

History

The No.14 Squadron was formed on the 1st of November 1948 in Peshawar with Hawker Fury and Tempest planes in it's inventory and were later equipped with F-86 Sabres in the 1950s. They participated extensively in the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistani wars. Today the Squadron operates F-7P and JF-17 Thunders. [5]

Indo-Pakistani war of 1965

The No.14 squadron carried out airstrikes on Indian Airbases at kalikunda and other air stations after India invaded Lahore to slow down the Pakistani advance in Kashmir during Operation Gibraltar. The squadron also got it's nickname "Tail Choppers" through these strikes since F-86 Sabre pilots would chop of the tails from Indian Canberra Bombers that were parked in the Airbases.

Pakistani Civil War and subsequent Indo-Pakistani war of 1971

The No.14 squadron carried out numerous CAS missions all around then East Pakistan during the civil uprising in 1971. After India intervened in the Conflict, the Squadron was the sole squadron of PAF defending East Pakistani Airspace. It faught till the last until subsequently the Dhaka Airbase was destroyed by Indian Bombers and overrun by Indian forces alongside bengali separatists.[6]

See also

References
  1. https://twitter.com/DGPR_PAF/status/1455212660828540932?t=q975_z0Q_NfFgtgWtdFNzg&s=19
  2. Dawn.com (2017-02-16). "PAF No.14 'Tail choppers' Squadron re-equipped with JF-17 Thunder jets". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
  3. Herk, Hans van. "Pakistan JF-17 Thunder unit shuffles". www.scramble.nl. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  4. "Pakistan JF-17 Thunder unit shuffles".
  5. https://twitter.com/DGPR_PAF/status/1455212660828540932?t=q975_z0Q_NfFgtgWtdFNzg&s=19
  6. https://www.reddit.com/r/pakistan/comments/dea00e/the_story_of_16_paf_jets_facing_150_iaf_jets_no/


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