Indo-Pakistani Air War of 1965: Difference between revisions

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{{short description|Armed conflict between India and Pakistan}}
#REDIRECT [[Indo-Pakistani air war of 1965]]
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{{main|Indo-Pakistani War of 1965}}
{{Warbox
|conflict=Indo-Pakistani Aerial War of 1965
|partof=the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]]
|date=August<!--Specific date differs due to several reasons--> – 23 September 1965
|place=[[South Asia]]
|result=Stalemate
*Neither side was able to achieve victory.<ref name="Wings That Stay on">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MG5wioBJyK0C |title=Wings That Stay on |last1=Coggins |first1=Edward V. |last2=Coggins |first2=Ed |publisher=Turner Publishing Company |year=2000 |isbn=9781563115684 |edition=illustrated |pages=163–164}}</ref>
*[[United Nations]] mandated ceasefire.<ref name=global/> No permanent territorial changes (See [[Tashkent Declaration]]).
|territorial changes=[[status quo ante bellum]] due to [[Tashkent Declaration]].
|combatant1={{IND}}
|combatant2={{PAK}}
|commander1=[[File:Air Force Ensign of India.svg|20px]] [[Air Chief Marshal|ACM]] [[Arjan Singh]]
|commander2=[[File:Pakistani Air Force Ensign.svg|20px]] [[Air Marshal|AM]] [[Malik Nur Khan|Noor Khan]]
|units1={{air force|IND}}
|units2={{air force|PAK}}
|casualties1='''Neutral claim'''<ref name="Encyclopedia of the developing world">{{cite book |first=Thomas M. |last=Leonard |title=Encyclopedia of the developing world |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pWRjGZ9H7hYC&pg=PA806 |access-date=14 April 2011 |year=2006 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-415-97663-3 |pages=806–}}</ref>
* 60–75 aircraft<ref name="Encyclopedia of the developing world" />
'''Indian claim'''
* 35<ref name="The Age of Airpower"/>-59 aircraft lost <ref name="Official History of IAF in 65 War">{{cite web |url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/Army/History/1965War/PDF/1965Chapter09.pdf |title=Official History of IAF in 65 War |access-date=27 July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929074854/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/LAND-FORCES/Army/History/1965War/PDF/1965Chapter09.pdf |archive-date=29 September 2012 }}</ref> ''In addition, Indian sources claim that there were 13 IAF aircraft lost in accidents, and 3 Indian civilian aircraft shot down.''<ref name="bharat-rakshak.com">Bharat-Rakshak.com {{cite web |url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/Misc/Loss1965.html |title=Indian Air Force Losses -1965 War |access-date=2014-02-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927185738/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/Misc/Loss1965.html |archive-date=2013-09-27 }}</ref>
'''Pakistani claim'''
* 110<ref name=1965p6/>-113<ref name="Nordeen's Indo-Pak 1965 Conflict">{{cite book |last=O' Nordeen |first=Lon |title=Air Warfare in the Missile Age |year=1985 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press |location=Washington, D.C. |isbn=978-0-87474-680-8 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/airwarfareinmiss00nord/page/84 84–87] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/airwarfareinmiss00nord/page/84}}</ref> aircraft destroyed
|casualties2= '''Neutral claim'''<ref name="Encyclopedia of the developing world" />
* 20 aircraft<ref name="Encyclopedia of the developing world" />
'''Pakistani claim'''
* 19 aircraft lost<ref name=1965p6/>
'''Indian claim'''
* 43<ref name="tribune IAF's ground reality">[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070506/spectrum/main1.htm The Sunday Tribune – Spectrum]. Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-14.</ref>-73 aircraft destroyed<ref name="The Age of Airpower"/><ref name="Nordeen's Indo-Pak 1965 Conflict" />
}}
}}
{{Campaignbox Indo-Pakistani War of 1965}}
{{Campaignbox Indo-Pakistani Wars}}
The [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]] saw the [[Indian Air Force|Indian]] and [[Pakistani Air Force]]s engaged in large-scale aerial combat against each other for the first time since the Partition of India in 1947. The war took place during the course of September 1965 and saw both air forces conduct defensive and offensive operations over Indian and Pakistani airspace. The aerial war saw both sides conducting thousands of sorties in a single month.<ref name=tribune>Singh, Jasjit. [http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070506/spectrum/main1.htm "The 1965 India-Pakistan War: IAF's Ground Reality".] ''The Sunday Tribune'', 6 May 2007.</ref> Both sides claimed victory in the air war;<ref name="The Age of Airpower">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=khM5DgAAQBAJ&pg=PA286 |title=The Age of Airpower |last=Creveld |first=Martin Van |publisher=PublicAffairs |year=2012 |isbn=9781610391085 |edition=illustrated, reprint |pages=286–287 }}</ref> Pakistan claimed to have destroyed 104 enemy aircraft against its own losses of 19, while India claimed to have destroyed 73 enemy aircraft and lost 35 of its own.<ref name="The Age of Airpower"/> Despite the intense fighting, the conflict was effectively a stalemate.
==Background==
The war began in early August 1965 and initially the fighting was confined mainly to the ground.<ref name=global>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/indo-pak_1965.htm |title=Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 |publisher=Global Security.org |access-date=2009-06-10}}</ref> Later, however, as the war progressed, the war took on another dimension as the two sides began air operations against each other. Although the two forces had previously taken part in the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947|First Kashmir War]] which had occurred shortly after the [[Partition of India]] in 1947,<ref name="The United Nations Security Council and War: The Evolution of Thought and Practice since 1945">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i9zyRYYIJK4C |title=The United Nations Security Council and War: The Evolution of Thought and Practice since 1945 |publisher=OUP |year=2010 |isbn=9780191614934 |editor1=Vaughan Lowe |editor2=Adam Roberts |editor3=Jennifer Welsh |editor4=Dominik Zaum |quote=Since the partition of British India in mid-1947, India and Pakistan have fought 'three-and-a-half' wars with each other. Within months of partition, the first war over Kashmir took place (26 October 1947 – 1 January 1949)}}</ref> that engagement had been limited in scale compared to the 1965 conflict and the air operations that both sides had undertaken were limited<ref>{{cite book |last=Leonard |first=Thomas |title=Encyclopedia of the Developing World |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2006 |pages=805–806 |isbn=978-0-415-97663-3}}</ref> and largely confined to [[interdiction]] and other strategic purposes such as re-supply and troop transport operations.<ref>{{cite book |last=Harkavy |first=Robert |author2=Neuman, Stephanie |title= Warfare and the Third World |year=2001 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |page=181 |isbn=978-0-312-24012-7}}</ref> Although there had been one incident where Indian fighter aircraft intercepted a Pakistani transport, there had been no significant air-to-air combat.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_321.shtml |title=Indo-Pakistani War, 1947–1949 |last=Cooper |first=Tom |publisher=Air Combat Information Group |access-date=2009-06-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060613025308/http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_321.shtml |archive-date=13 June 2006 }}</ref> During the 1965 conflict, however, the PAF flew a total 2,364 sorties while the IAF flew 3,937 sorties.<ref name=tribune1>{{cite web |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070506/spectrum/main1.htm |title=The 1965 India-Pakistan War: IAF's Ground Reality |last=Singh |first=Jasjit |publisher=The Sunday Tribune, 6 May 2007 |year=2007 |access-date=2009-06-10}}</ref>
==Main battle==
[[File:PAF Sabre being shot down in combat by an IAF Gnat in September 1965.jpg |thumb|Pakistani Sabre being shot down in combat by an Indian Gnat in September 1965 as seen from the Indian aircraft.]]
The aerial phase of the war began on 1 September 1965 when the Indian Air Force (IAF) responded to an urgent call for air strikes against the [[Pakistani Army]], which had launched an attack known as [[Operation Grand Slam]]. In response to an SOS from the Indian Army, IAF hastily launched 26 aeroplanes (12 [[de Havilland Vampire]]s and 14 [[Dassault Mystère IV]]s) to blunt the Pakistan Army's offensive in [[Chamb|Chhamb]].<ref>https://idsa.in/system/files/jds/jds_9_3_2015_AirPowerinthe1965IndoPakistanWar_0.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref> The IAF's 45 Sqn was tasked to carry out Close air Support missions in support of Indian troops. The squadron had recently been moved from [[Pune]] to [[Pathankot]], after a merger of No 220 Sqn into it, under the command of Sqn. Ldr. S.K. "Marshal" Dhar. Gp Capt Roshan Suri, the station commander painted a grim situation of Indian army's position at [[Akhnoor]] and the Pakistan Army armour's thrust at [[Chamb|Chhamb]] on the river Tawi (near Jammu). Twenty eight aircraft (12 Vampires and 16 Mysteres) were tasked, with the first planes taking off at 1719 hours.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1965War/Chapter3.html |title=Air Attack - Outbreak of the War (Sept 1st - 6th) |access-date=16 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130706030406/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1965War/Chapter3.html |archive-date=6 July 2013 }}</ref>  These 26 planes flying in Finger-four formation strafed Pakistani positions and attacked Pakistani tanks and ground targets, though a lot of damage from "friendly fire" was also reported later on. When these Indian aircraft were sighted, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) scrambled two F-86 Sabres, flown by S/L [[Sarfraz Rafiqui]] of No 5 Sqn and F/L [[Imtiaz Bhatti]] of No 15 Sqn to intercept.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://theprint.in/defence/1965-india-pakistan-war-how-iafs-heroes-slayed-pafs-superior-sabre-fighter-jets/287642/ |title=1965 India-Pakistan war: How IAF's heroes slayed PAF's superior Sabre fighter jets |work=ThePrint.in|date=6 September 2019 }}</ref> In the ensuing dogfight over [[Chamb|Chhamb]] where S/L Sarfraz Rafiqui took on flight leader and wingman and F/L Imtiaz Bhatti went after element leader and element wingman India lost four aeroplanes, all 4 IAF Vampires,<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=https://idsa.in/system/files/jds/jds_9_3_2015_AirPowerinthe1965IndoPakistanWar_0.pdf |title=Air Power in the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War An Assessment |work=Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses}}</ref> flown by Squadron Leader Aspi Kekobad Bhagwagar<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/5284 |title=Squadron Leader Aspi Kekobad Bhagwagar |publisher=Bharat-Rakshak.com |access-date=2019-09-21}}</ref> (flight leader),  Flight Lieutenant Vijay Madhav Joshi<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/6019 |title=Flight Lieutenant Vijay Madhav Joshi |publisher=Bharat-Rakshak.com |access-date=2019-09-21}}</ref> (element leader), Flight Lieutenant Satish Bharadwaj<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/6348 |title=Flight Lieutenant Satish Bharadwaj |publisher=Bharat-Rakshak.com |access-date=2019-09-21}}</ref> (element wingman) and Flight Lieutenant (later Group Captain) Shrikrishna Vishnu Phatak (wingman)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/6358 |title=Group Captain Shrlkrishna Vishnu Phatak |publisher=Bharat-Rakshak.com |access-date=2019-09-21}}</ref> with both Pakistani pilots claiming two aircraft kills each.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1965War/Tango-Chamb.html |title=Tank Busting In The Chamb |date=August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130105022240/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1965War/Tango-Chamb.html |archive-date=5 January 2013 }}</ref>
[[File:Indian Air Force vampire wreckage.jpg|thumb|Wreckage of one of the four Indian vampires that were shot down by Pakistani Sabres over chamb]]
This swift action forced the IAF to immediately withdraw about 130 Vampires, together with over 50 [[Dassault Ouragan|Ouragons]], from front-line service.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.defencejournal.com/sept98/sarfaraz.htm |title= SQN LDR SARFARAZ AHMED RIAFIQUI |publisher=Defence Journal |date=September 1998}}</ref> Though IAF's use of fixed-winged Vampires invited criticism, later on, eight of the 12 Vampires successfully completed their tasks, 14 Mysteres also returned unscathed and IAF claimed success in greatly reducing Pakistan Army's momentum.<ref name=":0" />
On 2 September, both sides flew in support of their ground forces, however no major aerial engagement was observed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.paffalcons.com/1965war/september2.php |title=PAF Falcons – The Glorious Seventeen Days September 1965 War |work=paffalcons.com |access-date=11 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120605023602/http://www.paffalcons.com/1965war/september2.php |archive-date=5 June 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
The appearance of the Sabres necessitated a move by the IAF to send the [[Folland Gnat]] fighters to the forward base of [[Pathankot]]
. IAF used Mysteres flying at slow speed as bait to lure Sabres to attack where the waiting Gnats would take them on. Two Sabres were scrambled but one had to turn back without entering the fight when the pilot could not jettison the fuel tanks. The other one flown by [[Flight Lieutenant|Flt Lt]] [[Yusaf Ali Khan]], spotted the IAF planes and tried positioning himself behind them before attacking. Just as he got his cross-hairs on them he felt thuds on his own jet, as he was surrounded in a cloud of Gnats repeatedly being attacked. A [[Lockheed F-104 Starfighter]] lurking in the area was pointed to the dog fight by base control along with scrambling another one from base. The first [[Lockheed F-104 Starfighter|Starfighter]] crossed through the dog fight at supersonic speed. The Gnats after scoring a kill started egressing. IAF's [[Squadron Leader]] [[Trevor Keelor|Trevor J. Keelor]] of [[No. 23 Squadron, Indian Air Force|No. 23 Squadron]] claimed to have shot down the F-86 Sabre on that day (3 September), claiming the first air combat victory for the IAF of the war and subsequently received the [[Vir Chakra]] and the title of 'Sabre Slayer'. However the sabre he 'shot down' was somehow flown in badly damaged condition and rough landed back at the base. The Sabre pilot, [[Flight Lieutenant|Flt Lt]] [[Yusaf Ali Khan]], was given [[Sitara-e-Jurat]] for surviving dog fight alone (while his wingman was ordered to leave since he couldn't jettison his fuel tanks) with six Gnats and bringing the damaged Sabre back home. In the same incident, an [[Indian Air Force|IAF]] Gnat pilot was overheard warning others of the incoming Starfighter.<ref name="Run… It’s a 104">{{cite news |title=Run… It's a 104. |url=http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/spedition/defence_day_supp_05/p5.html |newspaper=Jang News |author=Air Commodore M. Kaiser Tufail |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070319114802/http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/spedition/defence_day_supp_05/p5.html |archive-date=2007-03-19}}</ref> Also, a Gnat piloted by [[Squadron Leader]] [[Brij Pal Singh Sikand]], mistakingly landed at an abandoned [[airstrip]] in [[Pasrur]], when he thought he had safely crossed the border. On realising his mistake, his subsequent takeoff attempt was aborted due to presence of a Pakistan army jeep on the runway. He was taken POW and later handed over to PAF. A [[Lockheed F-104 Starfighter]] flown by Flt Lt Hakimullah Khan chasing in at super sonic speed was also credited with forcing the Gnat down.<ref name="Run… It’s a 104"/><ref>[http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1965War/Chapter3.html "1965 War, Chapter 3."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130706030406/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1965War/Chapter3.html |date=6 July 2013 }} ''bharat-rakshak.com.'' Retrieved: 4 November 2010.</ref> This Gnat is displayed as a war trophy in the [[PAF Museum, Karachi|Pakistan Air Force Museum, Karachi]].<ref name="Run… It’s a 104"/> after it was flown from [[Pasrur]] by [[Squadron Leader|Sqn Ldr]] [[Saad Hatmi]] who flew the captured aircraft back to [[Sargodha]], and later tested and evaluated its flight performance, was of the personal view that Gnat was no 'Sabre Slayer' when it came to dog fighting.<ref name="Run… It’s a 104"/>
On 4 September, an F-86 Sabre was lost. The PAF claimed the cause to be friendly ground fire<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.paffalcons.com/1965war/september4.php |title=PAF Falcons – The Glorious Seventeen Days September 1965 War |work=paffalcons.com |access-date=11 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926022431/http://paffalcons.com/1965war/september4.php |archive-date=26 September 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> while the IAF claimed to have shot it down by Flight Lieutenant Pathania.
[[File:PAF gallery.jpg|thumb|Indian [[Folland Gnat]] on display at the [[PAF Museum]] Gallery.]]
Rafiqui was shot down over [[Halwara]] on 6 September, while Bhatti ended the war with 34 combat missions to his credit, the maximum combat missions flown by any pilot during the war.<ref>{{cite book |last=Tufail |first=M.Kaiser |title=Great Air Battles for Pakistan Air Force |year=2008 |publisher=Ferozesons |location=Deadly Stroke |isbn= 9789690018922|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Rn_fAAAAMAAJ}}</ref> According to official Pakistani sources<ref name="pakofficial"/> during the conflict, the Pakistani [[F-86 Sabre]] [[Flying Ace]], [[Muhammad Mahmood Alam]] allegedly shot down seven Indian aircraft including claims of two as 'probable'. According to PAF, during a sortie on 7 September 1965, five attacking [[Indian Air Force|IAF]] [[Hawker Hunter]] aircraft were shot down by Alam over [[PAF Base Mushaf|Sargodha airbase]] in one minute, of which Alam claimed victories over four in 30 seconds.<ref name="defencejournal2001">{{cite web |url=http://www.defencejournal.com/2001/september/alam.htm |title=Alam's Speed-shooting Classic |publisher=Defencejournal.com |date=1965-09-06 |access-date=2011-11-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927040737/http://www.defencejournal.com/2001/september/alam.htm |archive-date=2011-09-27 }}</ref><ref name="pakofficial">{{cite web |url=http://www.paf.gov.pk/mmalam.html |title=PAKISTAN AIR FORCE – Official website |publisher=Paf.gov.pk |access-date=2011-11-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013074101/http://www.paf.gov.pk/mmalam.html |archive-date=13 October 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Fricker |first=John |title=Battle for Pakistan: the air war of 1965 |year=1979 |isbn=9780711009295 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RPttAAAAMAAJ |quote=before we had completed more than about 270 degree of the turn, at around 12 degree per second, all four Hunters had been shot down.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yespakistan.com/memorialday/Rebirth%20of%20MMAlam.asp |title=Re-birth of Pakistan's Record-holder Air Fighter as a New Man: Mohmammad M. Alam |publisher=Yespakistan.com |access-date=2011-12-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111117032228/http://yespakistan.com/memorialday/Rebirth%20of%20MMAlam.asp |archive-date=2011-11-17 }}</ref><ref name="Nordeen's Indo-Pak 1965 Conflict 2010">{{Cite book|last=Nordeen|first=Lon O.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=88JvDwAAQBAJ&q=Alam+under+one+minute+hawker+hunter&pg=PA68|title=Air Warfare in the Missile Age|date=2010|publisher=Smithsonian Institution|isbn=978-1-58834-282-9|pages=66–68|language=en}}</ref> Alam's claim regarding the sortie on 7 September 1965 has been contested by the Indian Air Force, which has denied losing five Hawker Hunter aircraft on the said day,<ref name="Nordeen's Indo-Pak 1965 Conflict 2010"/> several experts including retired [[Pakistan Air Force|PAF]] [[Air commodore|Air Commodore]] Sajad S. Haider, have also discredited Alam's claim regarding the sortie on 7 September 1965.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Koshy|first=Rakesh|date=15 February 2014|title=Thirty Seconds over Sargodha|url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1965War/1161-Koshy.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927205555/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/history/1965war/1161-koshy.html#gsc.tab=0|archive-date=2020-09-27|access-date=|website=Bharat Rakshak}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Krishnan|first=Rakesh|date=April 7, 2019|title=Falcon down: Why Pakistan is desperate to fake the F-16 dogfight|work=Business Today|url=https://m.businesstoday.in/story/falcon-down-why-pakistan-desperate-fake-f-16-dogfight/1/334901.html|url-status=live|access-date=December 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408160118/https://m.businesstoday.in/story/falcon-down-why-pakistan-desperate-fake-f-16-dogfight/1/334901.html|archive-date=April 8, 2022}}</ref><ref name=avhist>''Pakistan's Sabre Ace'' by Jon Guttman, Aviation History, Sept 1998.</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Singh |first=Pushpindar |title=Fiza ya, Psyche of the Pakistan Air Force |publisher=Himalayan Books |year=1991 |isbn=81-7002-038-7|page=30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/Flight_of_the_Falcon_Sajad_S_Haider|title=Flight of the Falcon- Demolishing Myths of Indo Pak Wars 1965-1971|last=Haider|first=Sajad S.|publisher=Vanguard Books Pvt Ltd.|year=2009|isbn=9789694025261|location=Lahore, Pakistan|pages=[https://archive.org/details/Flight_of_the_Falcon_Sajad_S_Haider/page/n4 69]|quote=<blockquote>It is tactically and mathematically very difficult to resurrect the incident in which all five Hunters in a hard turn were claimed to have been shot down in a 270-degree turn in 23 seconds.</blockquote>}}</ref> Also, the fact that no verifiable [[gun camera]] footage of Alam's kills was ever made public by the Pakistani authorities, further discredits Alam's claim.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bowman|first=Martin W.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jliqCwAAQBAJ&q=gun%20camera%20footage%20of%20Alam%20kill&pg=PT196|title=Cold War Jet Combat: Air-to-Air Jet Fighter Operations, 1950–1972|date=2016-01-30|publisher=Pen and Sword|isbn=978-1-4738-7462-6|language=en}}</ref>
[[File:1965 Airstrikes on Pathankot.jpg|thumb|Smoke rises from India's [[Pathankot Airport|Pathankot airbase]] during the devastating [[airstrikes]] of PAF's [[List of Pakistan Air Force squadrons|No. 19 Squadron]].]]
On 6 September, the [[Indian Army]] crossed the border at [[Lahore]] to relieve pressure on the [[Chamb Jaurian]] sector. On the evening of the same day, the PAF responded with preemptive attacks on Indian airfields at [[Pathankot]], [[Adampur]] and [[Halwara]]. The attack on Pathankot was great success, as the IAF lost almost ten aircraft on the ground at Pathankot, while the attacks on Adampur and Halwara were failures. The Adampur strike led by Sqn Ldr [[M. M. Alam]] turned back before even reaching Adampur while the even later Halwara strike led by Sqn Ldr [[Sarfraz Rafiqi]] somehow evaded all IAF aeroplanes and managed to reach Halwara airfield at night where preemptive bombing couldn't be carried out due to CAP flown by IAF. Though heavily outnumbered, deep in enemy territory two of the three attacking raiders were shot down for the confirmed loss of two Indian Hunters in air combat. As per IAF, both the Indian pilots survived as they ejected over their base, whereas both the intruding Pakistani pilots were killed in action. This included Flt Lt Yunus and Pakistani flying ace Squadron Leader [[Sarfraz Rafiqui]] who couldn't survive low level ejection. Sqn Ldr Rafiqui had earlier shot down two Vampires on 1 September, before being shot down, Sqn Ldr Rafiqui is credited with shooting down first of the Hunters, bringing his total kills to three.<ref name=Pakvictories/> He was later posthumously awarded the [[Sitara-e-Jurat]] for the Chamb action and the [[Hilal-i-Jurat]] for the Halwara action.<ref name="Singh2002">{{cite book |author=Ranbir Singh |title=Marshal Arjan Singh, DFC: life and times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kg1RKjGoZdkC&pg=RA1-PT41 |access-date=21 November 2011 |year=2002 |publisher=Ocean Books |isbn=978-81-88322-04-6 |page=175}}</ref> Only Flt Lt [[Cecil Chaudhry]] somehow managed to come back alive from this suicidal pursuit.
According to Indian sources, on 7 September 1965, the PAF [[parachute]]d 135 [[Special Services Group]] (SSG) para commandos<ref>{{cite news |title=The 1965 War: A view from the east |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/oct/05war.htm |access-date=21 November 2011 |newspaper=Rediff news}}</ref> at three Indian airfields (Halwara, Pathankot and Adampur).<ref name="Lal1986"/> The daring attempt proved to be an "unmitigated disaster". Only ten commandos were able to return to Pakistan,<ref name="Lal1986"/> the rest were taken as prisoners of war (including one of the Commanders of the operations, Major Khalid Butt). At Halwara and Adampur these troops landed in residential areas where the villagers caught and handed them over to police.<ref name="Lal1986">{{cite book |author=Pratap Chandra Lal |title=My years with the IAF |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vvTM-xbW41MC&pg=PA138 |access-date=22 November 2011 |year=1986 |publisher=Lancer Publishers |isbn=978-81-7062-008-2 |pages=138–}}</ref>{{Verification needed |date=May 2020 |Reason=Neutral source required for verification}}
Also on 7 September, the IAF mounted 33 [[sortie]]s against the heavily guarded PAF airfield complex at [[Sargodha]].<ref name=idrTiwari>{{cite web |last=Tiwary |first=Air Vice Marshal AK |title=IAF defeated PAF in 1965 War |url=http://www.indiandefencereview.com/military-and-space/IAF-defeated-PAF-in-1965-War.html |work=Vol 22.1 Jan – Mar 2007 |access-date=21 November 2022}}</ref> The IAF lost two Mysteres and three Hunters due to the defence mounted by the PAF's local squadrons. One of the Indian Hunter pilots, who ejected near Sargodha, was made POW and released after the war. One of the crippled Mysteres flying solo got involved in a dogfight with an [[F-104 Starfighter]] and each somehow shot the other down; the Pakistani pilot safely ejected, while the Indian pilot, Squadron Leader [[Ajjamada B Devaiah|Ajamada B. Devayya]], was killed.<ref name=Pakvictories>{{cite web |url=http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_324.shtml |title=Pakistani Air-to-Air Victories |publisher=Air Combat Information Group |access-date=2009-06-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121221231409/http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_324.shtml |archive-date=21 December 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Indianvictories>{{cite web |url=http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_327.shtml |title=Indian Air-to-Air Victories since 1948 |publisher=Air Combat Information Group |access-date=2009-06-10}}</ref> Squadron Leader [[Ajjamada B Devaiah|Devayya]] was awarded the [[Maha Vir Chakra]] for his bravery<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.defenceindia.com/defenceind/mahavir_chakra.html |title=Indian Defence Awards : Maha Vir Chakra |access-date=2009-06-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502014813/http://www.defenceindia.com/defenceind/mahavir_chakra.html |archive-date=2 May 2009 }}</ref> 23 years later, after his feat was revealed by an author appointed by the PAF to write its official history of the 1965 war.{{Citation needed |date=May 2022}}
The seventh of September also marked the day when the PAF attacked IAF airfields in the Eastern Sector.{{Citation needed |date=June 2022}} During the PAF's raid on [[Kalaikunda]], Indian pilot Flight Lieutenant [[Alfred Tyrone Cooke|A T Cooke]] engaged 3 PAF Sabres, shooting down one and badly damaging the second sabre, by this time, Cooke had no ammunition left but he successfully chased away the third sabre. His wingman engaged the remaining one sabre and shoot it down.<ref name=Indianvictories/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/history/1965war/1334-alfred-cooke.html|title=One Vs Four : The complete story of Alfred Cooke's epic air combat}}</ref><ref name=aw65>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FAhuAAAAMAAJ&q=shot+Cooke |title=The India-Pakistan Air War of 1965 |year=2005 |publisher=Manohar Books |isbn=9788173046414 |access-date=2009-07-03}}</ref>
On 8 September 1965 an Indian [[S-75 Dvina|S-75 dvina]] was fired against an unidentified target believed to have been on a night mission above [[Ghaziabad]] near [[Delhi]],it must be remembered that this was during the height of paratrooper scare. Later on subsequent news reports would claim the destruction of a Pakistani [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules|C-130]] west of delhi which turned out to be baseless. According to Indian sources no Pakistani air craft managed to penetrate so deeply into Indian territory, the subsequent publication of the photograph of the wreckage on TV broad cast happened to be the photograph of the self destructed missile being shown as the shot down transport aircraft.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The S-75 Dvina-India's first surface to air guided weapon |url=https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/aircraft/past/949-s75-dvina-sagw.html |website=Bharat rakshak }}</ref>
The war lessened in intensity after 8 September, with occasional clashes between the IAF and the PAF. Both air forces now changed their doctrine from air interdictions to ground attack and concentrated their efforts on knocking out soft skin targets and supply lines, such as wagons carrying ammunition; and armoured vehicles. During the conflict IAF [[English Electric Canberra]]s raided a few of the Pakistani bases.
On 10 September there was another air battle involving eight aeroplanes over [[Beas River|River Beas]]. It involved two PAF F-86 Sabres flown by Sqn Ldr Muniruddin Ahmad and Flt Lt [[Imtiaz Bhatti]] and six IAF planes involving four Mystere and two Gnats loaded with two 30&nbsp;mm Aden cannons led by Flt Lt V Kapila and Flt Lt Harry Sidhu, where both IAF pilots claimed gun stopping during combat with Sabres with Gnats behind Sabres.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.indiandefencereview.com/spotlights/iaf-defeated-paf-in-1965-war/ |title=IAF defeated PAF in 1965 War |website=Indian Defence Review |language=en-US |access-date=2019-09-17}}</ref> Both PAF pilots claimed victories of shooting and damaging 1 IAF aeroplane each. Same day IAF records acknowledge losing one Mystere with the pilot Flying Officer D P Chinoy safely ejecting over Pakistan side of the border during evening and walking back to safety at night.
On 13 September  another encounter happened between PAF Sabres from Sargodha and IAF Gnats from No. 2 Squadron,<ref>{{cite book |last=Jagan Mohan |first=P.V.S |author2=Chopra, Samir |title=The India-Pakistan air war of 1965 |year=2005 |publisher= Manohar |isbn=978-81-7304-641-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?ei=luJsUsrQDYPD4wTgioCABw}} pages=240–241</ref> an Indian Gnat was shot down by a PAF F-86 Sabre flown by Flt Lt [[Yusaf Ali Khan]]<ref name="Pakvictories" /> although the Indian pilot managed to eject safely. The other Gnat was engaged and damaged in air combat by Flt Lt [[Imtiaz Bhatti]]. The experienced pilot somehow managed to return to base, where according to All India Radio the Gnat's pilot later died of wounds sustained during the combat.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jackson |first=Robert |title=F-86 Sabre: the operational record |year=1994 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution Press |isbn=9781560985310 |page=107}}</ref> He was said to have brought his damaged aircraft back to base and to have died during landing. His funeral was attended by the Indian President.<ref>{{cite book |last=Fricker |first=John |title=Battle for Pakistan: The Air War of 1965 |year=1979 |publisher=Ian Allan Ltd. |isbn=9780711009295 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RPttAAAAMAAJ}} page=150</ref> Yusaf Ali Khan was credited with a kill whereas, [[Imtiaz Bhatti]] was credited with damaging the IAF Gnat<ref name="Pakvictories" /> despite the later confirmation that the pilot died of wounds and the Gnat crashed during its landing attempt.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/Country-By-Country/India.htm |title=Chronological Listing of Indian Air Force, Naval Air Force and related Losses & Ejections |date=October 2013 |access-date=27 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081222165653/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/Country-By-Country/India.htm |archive-date=22 December 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Later in the night of 13/14 September, Indian Canberras undertook the deepest penetration of Pakistani airspace of the war, attacking Pakistani bases around [[Peshawar]] and [[Kohat]]. Rather than bombing the Peshawer runway, however, IAF bombers mistook the mall road in Peshawer as the runway and dropped their bombs there instead. The Canberras were intercepted by a Pakistani F-104 near Lahore but they managed to evade the Starfighter and return home safely. They also had an encounter with F-86 Sabres, one of which fired at the Canberras, which sustained some damage.<ref name="Pakvictories" /> A Pakistani F-86 Sabre crashed while conducting an evasive maneuver in an attempt to escape pursuit, from an escorting Gnat as it tried to defend the Canberra bombers; the PAF pilot was killed. The Gnat pilot, W/C Singh, was later credited with an aerial victory for this incident near Amritsar.<ref name="Indianvictories" /> Pakistan acknowledges losing one PAF F-86 Sabre downed and the pilot Sqn Ldr Allaudin "Butch" Ahmad killed in action while leading four aeroplanes attacking ammunition train near [[Gurdaspur]], [[Amritsar]].
On 14 September, one Pakistani B-57 was shot down by anti-aircraft fire over Adampur, although both of its crew managed to eject safely and remained POWs.{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}}
On 15 September, the PAF employed a number of its [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules]] transport aircraft as bombers, which proved unsuccessful; two of them were shot down by the IAF.{{Citation needed |date=December 2022}} The following day, one IAF Hunter<ref name="Pakvictories" /> and a PAF F-86 Sabre<ref name="Pakvictories" /> were shot down over Halwara. The IAF pilot was killed in the encounter, although the Pakistani pilot ejected and spent the rest of the war as a POW.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jagan Mohan |first=P.V.S |author2=Chopra, Samir |title=The India-Pakistan air war of 1965 |year=2005 |publisher= Manohar |isbn=978-81-7304-641-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FAhuAAAAMAAJ&q=shaukat}} pages=257–259</ref> A Pakistani [[Cessna]] was also shot down that day, as well as an [[Auster]] observation aircraft.<ref name="Indianvictories" />
On 18 September a Sabre was shot down by a Gnat over Amritsar; the matter was reported by the Collector, who had witnessed the entire dogfight.<ref name="Indianvictories" /> The same day a Pakistani Sabre shot down a civilian Indian aircraft even after the civilian plane indicated its identity, the PAF pilot assuming it to be a reconnaissance mission. Years later, the PAF pilot wrote a letter to the Indian pilot's daughter to apologize for shooting down the aircraft.<ref name="independentUK" /> The aircraft had been carrying the then Gujarat Chief Minister [[Balwantrai Mehta|Balwant Rai]] and his family.<ref name="independentUK">{{cite news |title=Fighter pilot says sorry to daughter of man he shot down |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/fighter-pilot-says-sorry-to-daughter-of-man-he-shot-down-2336256.html |access-date=21 November 2011 |newspaper=The Independent UK |date=12 August 2022}}</ref><ref name="zeebalwant">{{cite news |title=Pak pilot says sorry for 1965 downing of plane |url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/pak-pilot-says-sorry-for-1965-downing-of-plane_725412.html |access-date=21 November 2011 |newspaper=Zee News |date=10 August 2022}}</ref>
On 19 September, a Gnat<ref name=Pakvictories/> and two Sabres<ref name=Indianvictories/> were downed over Chawinda. One of the Sabres that were shot down was credited to Squadron Leader [[Denzil Keelor]],<ref name=Indianvictories/> the brother of Trevor Keelor, who was credited with the first Indian aerial victory of the war.<ref name=keelor>{{cite web |url=http://mangalorean.com/browsearticles.php?arttype=Feature&articleid=637 |title=Sabre Killers: Keelor Brothers |last=Lalwani |first=Ramesh |access-date=2009-06-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927220140/http://mangalorean.com/browsearticles.php?arttype=Feature&articleid=637 |archive-date=27 September 2007 }}</ref> The following day, another two Hunters<ref name=Pakvictories/> and an F-86 Sabre<ref name=Indianvictories/> were lost over Kasur, Pakistan.
The F-86 was vulnerable to the diminutive [[Folland Gnat]], nicknamed "[[Folland Gnat#"Sabre Slayer"|Sabre Slayer]]."<ref>See the main article [[Folland Gnat#"Sabre Slayer"|Sabre Slayer]] for the complete list on this issue including sources.</ref> The Gnat is credited by many independent and Indian sources as having shot down seven [[Pakistan]]i [[Canadair Sabre]]s{{Efn |Licence-built [[North American F-86 Sabre]]s with Canadian engines.}} in the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|1965 war]]<ref name="Rakshak">Rakshak, Bharat. [http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/Misc/Kill1965.html "Indian Air Force Combat Kills, Indo Pakistan War 1965."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061105015854/http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/Misc/Kill1965.html |date=2006-11-05 }} ''History.'' Retrieved 4 November 2010.</ref><ref name="Directory">Spick 2002, p. 161.</ref> while two Gnats were downed by PAF fighters.
At one stage the IAF was operating 200 air missions simultaneously. IAF [[Folland Gnat]]s of Nos [[No. 9 Squadron, Indian Air Force|9]] and [[No. 23 Squadron, Indian Air Force|23]] squadrons played a significant role in major air battles.
On 21 September, IAF Canberras carried out a successful daylight strike into Pakistan against the radar complex in Badin.<ref name=bladin>{{cite web |url= http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_325.shtml |title=The Kashmir War, 1965: Raid on Badin |last=Gupta |first=Aditya |publisher=Air Combat Information Group |access-date=2009-06-10}}</ref> Under the command of Wing Commander Peter Wilson, six Canberras from [[No. 16 Squadron, Indian Air Force|No. 16 Squadron]] took off from Agra, over 1,000&nbsp;km from Badin and proceeded towards the radar complex at low level.<ref name=bladin/> About {{convert|80|mile|km}} short of the target, one Canberra climbed to an altitude of 10,000 feet in order to act as a decoy, before returning to base. The other five Canberras continued on towards the target. The flight then separated and four of the aircraft approached the target in two sections, each two minutes apart, at low level; before climbing to 7,000 feet from where they carried out bombing runs, dropping approximately 10,000&nbsp;lbs of explosives. Wilson then approached from the south at an altitude of just 30 feet firing a salvo of 68mm rockets at the radar dome.<ref name=bladin/>
On the same day a PAF F-104 intercepted a Canberra bomber on its way back from [[Sargodha]] and shot it down,<ref name=Pakvictories/> while one Hunter pilot Flight Lieutenant (later Air Marshal) [[K. C. Cariappa]] who was son of [[Field Marshal (India)|Field Marshal]] [[K. M. Cariappa]], the first Indian Army Commander-in-Chief was shot down by anti-aircraft fire; he ejected and was taken POW.<ref>{{cite book |last=Fricker |first=John |title=Battle for Pakistan: the air war of 1965 |year=1979 |publisher=I. Allan |isbn= 9788173046414|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=FAhuAAAAMAAJ&q=cariappa}}page=130</ref> On realizing the identity of the wounded soldier at Kargil, [[Radio Pakistan]] immediately announced the capture of the younger Cariappa. General Ayub Khan himself contacted General Cariappa, who was living a retired life at [[Madikeri|Mercara]], his hometown, with information about his son's safety. When Ayub Khan offered to release his son immediately, Cariappa is reported to have scoffed at the idea and told him to give his son no better treatment than any other POW. Singh recounts that Cariappa replied, "He is my son no longer. He is the child of this country, a soldier fighting for his motherland like a true patriot. My many thanks for your kind gesture, but I request you to release all or release none. Give him no special treatment."<ref>{{cite book |first1=Vijay Kumar |last1=Singh |title=Leadership in the Indian Army: Biographies of Twelve Soldiers |author-link=Vijay Kumar Singh |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-7619-3322-9 |publisher=SAGE |page=45}}</ref>
The [[ceasefire]] was declared on the night of 22 September 1965.<ref name="global" />
==Outcome==
There are conflicting claims by either side on this issue. Pakistani sources suggest that Indian losses were in the range of 59–110 and Pakistani losses were around 18–43.<ref name=1965p6>{{cite web |url=http://pakistaniat.com/2007/09/06/1965-war-a-different-legacy/comment-page-6/ |title=1965 War: A Different Legacy |last=Osama |first=Athar |date=7 September 2007 |access-date=2009-06-10}}</ref><ref name=tribune1/>
Indian sources also claim that in terms of aircraft lost to sorties flown, the Indian Air Force's attrition rate (1.5%) was lower than the Pakistani attrition rate (1.82%).<ref name=tribune1/>
Another factor which makes it difficult to determine the outcome of the 1965 air war is the issue of aircraft lost in the air in air-to-air combat or to ground fire as opposed to aircraft lost on the ground due to bombing.<ref name=tribune1/> A large number of Indian aircraft losses occurred on the ground during the attacks on Kalaikkunda and Pathankot—up to 60 per cent by some accounts.<ref>{{cite book |last=Khan |first=J A |title=Air Power and Challenges to IAF |year=2004 |publisher=APH Publishing |page=185|isbn= 978-81-7648-593-7}}</ref> —while most of the Pakistani losses were in aerial combat.
India's air chief marshal [[Arjan Singh]] claimed that despite having been qualitatively inferior, his air force achieved air superiority in three days.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/india/1965-war-we-achieved-air-superiority-in-three-days-says-air-force-marshal-arjan-singh_1805797.html|title = 1965 war: We achieved air superiority in three days, says Air Force Marshal Arjan Singh|date = 4 October 2022}}</ref>  According to Kenneth Werrell, the Pakistan Air Force "did well in the conflict and probably had the edge".<ref name="Werrell"/> When hostilities broke out, the Pakistan Air Force with around 100 F-86s faced an enemy with five times as many combat aircraft; the Indians were also equipped with comparatively modern aircraft inventory. Despite this, Werrell credits the PAF as having the advantage of a "decade's experience with the Sabre" and pilots with long flight hours experience.<ref name="Werrell">{{cite book |last1=Werrell |first1=Kenneth |title=Sabres Over MiG Alley: The F-86 and the Battle for Air Superiority in Korea |date=2013 |publisher=[[Naval Institute Press]] |isbn=978-1-61251-344-7 |page=188}}</ref>
===Assessment of losses===
{{POV section|talk=Pakistani edge?|date=May 2022}}
India and Pakistan both made disputed claims of losses in the aerial war.
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 0.90em; margin-right: 0;"
|+
!
!Indian claims
!Pakistani claims
!Independent Sources
|-
|Combat flying effort
| 4,073+ combat sorties
| 2,279 combat sorties
|–
|-
|Aircraft lost
|59 [[Indian Air Force|IAF]], 43 [[Pakistan Air Force|PAF]]. In addition, Indian sources claim that there were 13 IAF aircraft lost in accidents.
|19 [[Pakistan Air Force|PAF]], 104 [[Indian Air Force|IAF]]
|20 [[Pakistan Air Force|PAF]], 60–75 [[Indian Air Force|IAF]]<ref>[http://www.chowk.com/show_article.cgi?aid=00001093&channel=civic%20center Group Captain Cecil Chaudhry, SJ – Chowk: India Pakistan Ideas Identities.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050511105610/http://chowk.com/show_article.cgi?aid=00001093 |date=11 May 2005 }}. Chowk (9 December 2007). Retrieved on 2011-04-14.</ref><ref>{{citation |last1=Singh |first1=Pushpindar |last2=Rikhye |first2=Ravi |last3=Steinemann |first3=Peter |title=Fiza'ya: psyche of the Pakistan Air Force |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_JS4AAAAIAAJ |year=1991 |publisher=Society for Aerospace Studies |isbn=978-81-7002-038-7}}</ref>
|-
|Aerial victories
|17 + 3 (post war)
|30
|&nbsp;–
|}
===Effect on future wars===
The lessons of the 1965 war led India to refine its tactics which proved decisive in the 1971 war. Pakistani forces failed to take account of the extent to which they had relied on two factors which the IAF could not take for granted – complete ground-based defensive radar coverage and an adequate supply of air-to-air missiles. Much effort was expended in India to remedy these deficiencies before 1971.
With Soviet aid, India established a modern early warning radar system, including the recently introduced 'Fansong-E' low-level radar, linked with SA-2 'Guideline' surface-to-air missiles and a large number of AA guns. By December 1971 the IAF comprised a total of 36 squadrons (of which 10 were deployed in the Bengal sector) with some 650 combat aircraft.
Moreover, the 1965 war resulted in the USA imposing a 10-year arms embargo on both sides. This had no effect on India, which had always looked to Britain, France and even Russia for arms, but was disastrous for Pakistan, which was forced to acquire 90 obsolete second hand Sabres via Iran, 28 Mirage IIIs from France and 74 maintenance intensive Shenyang F-6s. It was unable to replace losses among its (already weak) force of B-57s, or to acquire a modern interceptor in realistic numbers.<ref>''The Encyclopedia of 20th Century Air Warfare'', edited by Chris Bishop (Amber Publishing 1997, republished 2004, pages 384–387 {{ISBN|1-904687-26-1}})</ref>
==Notes==
{{notelist}}
==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
==External links==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK7klDGDzbo 1965, IAF Claimed its First Air-to-Air Kill] documentary published by IAF
* {{citation |last=Ganguly |first=Sumit |chapter=Indo-Pakistan Wars |title=MSN Encarta |chapter-url=http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_781531179/indo-pakistan_wars.html |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5kwrG0An8?url=http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_781531179/indo-pakistan_wars.html |archive-date=1 November 2009 |url-status=dead }}
{{Military of Pakistan}}
[[Category:Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]]
[[Category:Aerial operations and battles involving India]]
[[Category:Aviation history of India]]
[[Category:Aviation history of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Aerial operations and battles involving Pakistan]]

Latest revision as of 01:35, 23 December 2023