Pakistan Army Aviation Corps

The Pakistan Army Aviation Corps (Urdu: ﺁرمى ایویشن كور; Army Aviation Corps), abbreviated as Avn, is the aviation corps of the Pakistan Army, tasked with providing close aerial combat support and aerial logistics for the Pakistan Army.[1]

Pakistan Army aviation squadron's Mi-17 helicopter at the Skardu Airport.
Pakistan Army Aviation Corps
Urdu: ﺁرمى ایویشن كور
Formation Sign of Army Aviation Command
Founded14 August 1947 – present
Country Pakistan
Branch Pakistan Army
TypeArmy aviation
Headquarters/GarrisonArmy Aviation Command, Rawalpindi
Engagementssee Military history of Pakistan
Decorations9×Sitara-i-Jurat
13×Sitara-i-Basalat
15xTamgha-i-Basalat
COAS Commendation Cards
Imtiazi Sanads
Battle honoursChumak (Siachin) Saviours
Commanders
General Officer CommandingMaj Gen Nadeem Yousaf
Notable
commanders		Lt Gen AB Awan
Brigadier Jabbar
Maj Gen Azam
Brigadier Zaka Bhangoo
Maj Gen Waqar Ahmed Kingravi
Maj Gen Arif Nazir
Maj Gen Nasir Dilawar Shah
Brigadier Muhammad Ahmed Raashid TBt & Bar
Aircraft flown
Attack helicopterAH-1 Cobra
Mi-35M Hind-E
Z-10ME
Bell AH-1Z Viper
Multirole helicopterAW139
Bell 412
Eurocopter Fennec
Trainer helicopter206 JetRanger
Enstrom 280FX
Schweizer 300C
Utility helicopterMi-17/171
SA 330 Puma
Alouette III
Eurocopter Écureuil
SA 315B Lama
UH-1 Huey
ReconnaissanceSuper King Air 350i
TransportSuper King Air 350
Y-12
Turbo Commander 690C
206 Stationair
208 Caravan
Citation V
Citation Bravo
G450

History

Originally formed by British Army Air Corps in 1942, the entire unit was transferred to Pakistan in 1947.[1] The officers and personnel were part of the air observation post who were deployed in support of Punjab Boundary Force. Later the entire group was stationed at Chaklala Air Force Base before the partition of India.[1]

Initially part of Pakistan Air Force, the Corps was split into the new service and became part of Pakistan Army in 1958.[2] The Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering started to maintain the aircraft and helicopters given by the United States Army Aviation Branch, opening its own aviation school in 1959.[3]

Since the 1960s, the corps expanded in momentum, manpower, and its operational scope has widened.[3] By the 1970s, the Corps became a fighting air component of the Pakistan Army, with its attack helicopters becoming the backbone of military operations.[3] The Corps has become an integral part of Pakistan Army's every imitated operations, and came to public and international notice in the 1970s after initiating, and successfully quelling, the serious civil war in Balochistan.[2]

It is also a most decorated Corps of Pakistan Army, with more national citations and awards conferred and bestowed to this Corps than any combatant corps of Pakistan Army. Although it came into existence in 1947, the corps was given a full commission in 1977.[2]

Combat operations

As for its war capabilities, the Corps has a long history; participating in every conflict and war with India, they also led and flew bombing and combat missions in the Afghanistan war, Somalian War, Sierra Leone war, Mozambique war, Sri Lankan war Bosnian war, and recently, the War in North-West Pakistan. The corps has actively participated in Siachin Conflict, Kargil Conflict and War on Terror. The daring pilots of Pakistan Army Aviation have conducted some of the most historic and difficult missions in Aviation history, in pursuit of which some of them laid down their lives. They are known for their professionalism for high altitude flying, combat, assault and rescue missions.[1]

The Corps also initiated the non-combatant operations in 2005, when it led a massive airlift and re-location mission after the Kashmir earthquake.[2] In 1991, the Corps was stationed in Bangladesh, where they completed its non-combat mission after the country was hit with a cyclone.[2] Since its inception, the Corps has become a significant combatant arm of the Pakistan Army, poised for a definite and critical role be it peace or war.[1]

Aircraft inventory

Pakistan Army operates 314+ helicopters alongside several fixed-wing aircraft.

3 CAIC Z-10 attack helicopters of China were delivered for trial use so that orders could be made in the future. However, as of 2018, no orders have been made further and replaced by TAI/AgustaWestland T129 ATAK, this could mean that these 3 helicopters were returned with no follow-up order.

15 Bell AH-1Z Viper with Hellfire missiles, equipment and support worth $952 million were on order but were not delivered due to political tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan.[4]

30 TAI/AgustaWestland T129 ATAK worth $1.5 billion is on order however production is still on hold due to the United States not giving export license for the engine, which is of American origin. New Turkish indigenous engine as a replacement is currently on trials.[5]

After the United States fail to deliver the AH-1Z and the problems with the Turkish T129, Pakistan Army again is showing interests in Chinese all-weather, multirole CAIC Z-10ME which is the advanced & upgraded variant of CAIC Z-10[6]

Aircraft/System Photo Origin Role Variant Quantity Note Service period
Helicopters 314, 92 Attack
Bell AH-1 Cobra  United States Attack AH-1F 50[7] 1985–present
Mil Mi-35  Russia Attack Mi-35M3 4[7] 2018–present
Eurocopter Fennec  France Attack AS550 C335[7][8]2009–present
CAIC Z-10  China Attack Z-10ME 3[9] 17 on order.[10] 2023–
Mil Mi-17  Russia SAR
Utility
Transport		 Mi-171 48[7] 1996–present
AgustaWestland AW139  Italy SAR
Utility
Transport		 AW139M 7[7][11] Also used as VIP transport. 2017–present
Aérospatiale/IAR SA 330 Puma  France
 Romania		 SAR
Utility
Transport		 330L 43[7] 1977–present
Bell 412  United States Liaison
Utility		 412EP 31[7] 2004–present
Bell UH-1 Iroquois  United States Liaison
Utility		 UH-1H 1[7] 1970s
Aérospatiale Alouette III  France Light Utility SA 316B 13[7] 1967–present
Aérospatiale Lama  France Light Utility SA 315B 17[7] 1986–present
Bell 206 JetRanger  United States Trainer 206B 18[7] 1975–present
Enstrom F-28  United States Trainer 280FX 19[7] 2018–present
Schweizer 300  United States Trainer 300C 25[7] 1993–present
Fixed-wing Aircraft
PAC MFI-17 Mushshak  Sweden  Pakistan Trainer 214[7]
Harbin Y-12  China Utility Y-12(II)/F 4[7]
Beechcraft Super King Air  United States Reconnaissance 350i 3[7] for SIGINT & ISR
 United States Transport 350ER 6[7]
Turbo Commander  United States Transport 690C 2[7]
Cessna 208 Caravan  United States MEDEVAC
 208B 13[7]
Cessna 206 Stationair  United States MEDEVAC T206H 4[12]
Cessna Citation II  United States VIP Transport Citation Bravo 1[7]
Cessna Citation V  United States VIP Transport Citation Ultra 1[13]
Gulfstream IV  United States VIP Transport G450 1[14]

Retired Aircraft

Notable accidents and incidents

Units
  • 31 Army Aviation Combat Squadron
    * 33 Army Aviation Squadron
    * 6 Aviation Squadron (ERC)[19]

See also

References
  1. PA, Pakistan Army. "Army Aviation-Pakistan Army". Pakistan Army. Pakistan Army Aviation Corps. Archived from the original on 17 November 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
  2. Global Security. "Army Aviation Corps". Global Security inc. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
  3. The United States Government (CIA Fact Book) (2011). Pakistan Intelligence and Security Activities Army Aviation Corps. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government. p. 259. ISBN 978-0-7397-1194-1. Archived from the original on 2014-07-04. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  4. "Nine Pakistan AH-1Z now stored at AMARG". AirForces Monthly. Key Publishing. May 2019. p. 26.
  5. "Turkey First Indigenous Helicopter Engine to be Ready for Integration This Year". Archived from the original on 2020-12-12. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  6. "Janes | Latest defence and security news". Archived from the original on 2020-03-02. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  7. "World Air Forces 2022". Flightglobal Insight. 2022. Archived from the original on 19 August 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  8. "2023 World Air Forces directory". Flight Global. Archived from the original on 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  9. "World Air Forces 2022". Flightglobal Insight. 2022. Archived from the original on 19 August 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  10. "World Air Forces 2022". Flightglobal Insight. 2022. Archived from the original on 19 August 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  11. "List of AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters in Pakistan". Helis.com. Archived from the original on 2022-01-09. Retrieved 2022-01-09.
  12. Siddiqui, Naveed (31 March 2017). "Pakistan Army receives six Cessna aircraft from US". dawn.com. Archived from the original on 25 September 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  13. "Cessna 560 Citation V – Pakistan – Army". airliners.net. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  14. "Gulfstream G450". jetphotos.com. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  15. "Eight killed as UN helicopter crashes in eastern DRC". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 2022-03-30. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  16. "Six Pakistan Army officers, soldiers martyred in UN copter crash". The Express Tribune. 2022-03-29. Archived from the original on 2022-03-29. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  17. Siddiqui, Naveed (2022-03-29). "Six Pakistani officers, soldiers martyred in helicopter crash in Congo: ISPR". DAWN.COM. Archived from the original on 2022-03-30. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  18. "Eight UN peacekeepers killed in helicopter crash in DRC". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 2022-03-29. Archived from the original on 2022-03-30. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  19. "The Gazette of Pakistan. Part II" (PDF). Government of Pakistan. 8 April 2020. p. 155. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
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