Crescent Wings

摘要

Formed on August 15, 1947, with only a handful of aircraft and men, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) now comprises around 330 combat aircraft and 45,000 uniformed personnel. Under the Chief and Vice Chief of Air Staff, PAF Air HQ has five Deputy Chiefs responsible for operations, engineering, personnel, administration and training respectively. Geographically, the PAF is divided into three regional commands - Northern (HQ at Peshawar), Central (HQ at Sargodha) and Southern (HQ at Masroor, Karachi). These serve as the equivalent of the RAF Fighter Command groups during the Battle of Britain. Within the Commands are four sector operations centres (SOCs) - North (Peshawar), West (Quetta), Centre (Sargodha) and South (Karachi) - with seven subordinate control and reporting centres. As in so many other ways, if you want to see how the British military once did business, you need look no further than the Indian subcontinent.