PAF Base Rafiqui
| PAF Base Rafiqui | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jhang 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 | ||||||
| Website | Pakistan Air Force | ||||||
| Location | |||||||
| Coordinates | 30°45′29″N 72°16′57″E / 30.75806°N 72.28250°E | ||||||
| Site history | |||||||
| Built | 1968 | ||||||
| In use | 1968 - present | ||||||
| Battles/wars | |||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||
| Current commander | Air Commodore | ||||||
| Garrison | 34 Tactical Attack Wing | ||||||
| Occupants | 14 Squadron "Tail Choppers" 25 Squadron "Eagles" 27 Squadron "Zarrars" 50 Squadron "Saf Shikan" 83 SAR Squadron "Kites" | ||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||
| Identifiers | ICAO: OPRQ | ||||||
| Elevation | 150 metres (492 ft) AMSL | ||||||
| |||||||
Pakistan Air Force Base Rafiqui formerly known as PAF Base Shorkot (ICAO: OPRQ), is a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) airbase located near Shorkot, Jhang District, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is around 337 kilometres (209 mi) south of Islamabad. The base is served by a single 10,000-foot runway and a parallel taxiway that could be used for emergency landing and recovery of aircraft.
The base was renamed in honour of Squadron Leader Sarfaraz Ahmed Rafiqui, a highly decorated fighter pilot who led raids into enemy territory during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Rafiqui is famous for assisting his fellow pilots over enemy territory despite being heavily outnumbered even after the guns of his aircraft had jammed.
The base is home to the following squadrons: