PAF Base Qadri, (Urdu: پی اے ایف بیس قادری) is a main operating base of the Pakistan Air Force's Northern Air Command which located near the city of Skardu in the Baltistan region of Pakistan.[1][2][3][4] It is named after Air Commodore Qadri.[5]
Qadri Airbase | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skardu, Baltistan in Pakistan | |||||||||
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  Qadri Airbase Location of Qadri Airbase in Pakistan  Qadri Airbase Qadri Airbase (Pakistan) | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 35°20′30″N 75°31′21″E / 35.34167°N 75.52250°E | ||||||||
| Type | Forward operating base | ||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||
| Owner | Ministry of Defense | ||||||||
| Operator |  Pakistan Air Force | ||||||||
| Controlled by | Northern Air Command | ||||||||
| Open to the public | Yes | ||||||||
| Condition | Operational | ||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||
| Built | 1949 | ||||||||
| Built by |  Pakistan | ||||||||
| In use | Since 1949 | ||||||||
| Battles/wars | Pak Indo War 1965
Pak Indo War 1971 Kargil War 1999 Kashmir Conflict 2019 | ||||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||||
| Occupants | No. 488 Mission Control Center No. 909 MRR Squadron No. 5 AJT Squadron PAF College Chaklala | ||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||
| Identifiers | IATA: KDU, ICAO: OPSD | ||||||||
| Elevation | 2,230 metres (7,316 ft) AMSL | ||||||||
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History
editIt was originally built in 1949 as an emergency airstrip together by the Pakistan Air Force and the balti locals in the area to establish a logistic supply line to Pakistani troops engaged with Indian military in post war skirmishes. It continued to function as PAF Skardu, a satellite of PAF Base Minhas. As time passed, the PAF felt the need for a base in Northern Pakistan as it could only employ F-16s from PAF Base Sargodha and PAF Base Minhas to carry out effective aerial operations over the northern parts of the country.[5]
In 2002, the base commander of Minhas airbase was killed after his Chengdu F-7P Skybolt crashed.[6] PAF Skardu was renamed PAF Qadri in his honor in 2003. By this time, it was hosting Exercise Mountain Camp annually.[5]
In the late 2010s, the camp received major infrastructure upgrades and its status was changed to an FOB+ with its role and task revised accordingly.[7] TPS-77 and SPADA-2000 squadrons were also deployed there for air defense.[5]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ Khan, Mona (2017-03-24). "PAF chief warns against any aggression; all forward airbases made operational". Geo News.
- ^ "AIR CHIEF VISITS A FORWARD OPERATING BASE" (PDF) (Press release). DGPR Pakistan Air Force. 2017-05-24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-03.
- ^ Altaf, Arhama (2020-07-25). "Air Chief visits Skardu to witness operational activities at PAF Base". Bol news.
- ^ "Air chief witnesses operational exercise at PAF Base QADRI". Daily times. 2020-07-25.
- ^ a b c d Khan, Farhat; Hashmi, Qadeer (2024). History of the Pakistan Air Force (2014-2023): The Next Generation Air Force (1st ed.). pp. 235–237. ISBN 978-969-7518-01-2.
- ^ Malik, Yaqoob (2002-07-20). "PAF Minhas Base commander dies in plane crash". Dawn.
- ^ "Pak upgrading Skardu airbase". The Pakistan Military Monitor. 2024-05-09.