Explainer: Significance of IAF strikes on Pakistan’s Sargodha and Jacobabad airbases
On Sunday evening, the Director-General of Air Operations, Air Marshal AK Bharti, revealed at a media briefing on the ongoing Operation Sindoor, that the Indian Air Force has struck, among other targets, Pakistan’s airbases at Sargodha and Jacobabad.
These two bases are among Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) most critical air assets, housing their American-made F-16 aircraft that form the core of their combat element, as well as the Chinese JF-17 fighters that are recent acquisitions.
A strike of these two bases, along with one of Nur Khan airbase at Rawalpindi, home to Pakistan’s General Headquarters and next-door to its capital city of Islamabad, were meant to deliver a strong message. Several other important bases housing fighters, radars and drones were also struck.
Senior military officers said that India’s airstrikes on Pakistani military installations were precise and calibrated. “We have the capability to target every system at these bases and more. However, it was only a measured response to instil good wisdom to our adversary to refrain from further escalations. Our response was directed only at military installations, avoiding civilian and collateral damage,” Air Marshal Bharti said.
The IAF strikes, part of Operation SIndoor, were in response to multiple large-scale drone and missiles strikes carried out by the PAF, targeting Indian military and civilian centres along the entire western front from Leh in the north to Naliya in Gujarat over the past four days. Under Operation Sindoor that began on May 7, several terrorist camps in Pakistan were hit in response to the terror attack at Pahalgam that killed 26 persons on April 22.
Known as the PAF Base Mushaf, Sargodha, it houses the 38 Tactical Wing under which comes F-16 squadrons—No. 9 and No. 29—a search and rescue helicopter unit comprising the French-made Alouette, PAF’s only electronic warfare unit equipped with French Falcon 20-modified business jets and schools for combat commanders flying the F-16, JF-17, Mirage and F-7 aircraft.
Located in the upper part of Pakistan’s Punjab province, about 200 km west of Amritsar, Mushaf is said to be the most elite and widely operational base in Pakistan, consisting of its most capable combat aircraft and best-equipped squadrons and the highly trained pilots and commanders. PAF’s Central Air Command headquarters and the PAF Airpower Centre of Excellence are also located at Sargodha.
At Jacobabad, the PAF Base Shahbaz is home to 39 Tactical Wing, operating two F-16 squadrons, No. 5 and No. 11, and a JF-17 unit, No. 2 Squadron. A search-and-rescue unit equipped with Agusta-Westland Leonardo helicopters is also based there.
It is located in northern Sind opposite Rajasthan, about 170 km west of Laungewala, the site of a decisive and cherished battle in 1971, where a company of troops, about 100 men, from the Punjab Regiment, checked the advance of a Pakistani armoured formation and routed it.
The infrastructure at Shahbaz was extensively upgraded in the late 2000s to cater to the requirements of the upgraded F-16 received from the US. The base was heavily used by NATO for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan from 2001, and has also been the venue for several multi-national exercises.
The PAF Base Nur Khan in Rawalpindi is the closest to Islamabad and houses Pakistan Air Force’s 35 Composite Air Transport Wing that operates its IL-78 aerial refuller as well as transport aircraft like the C-130, Gulfstream, Embrarer, Cessna, etc. The base dates back to the British era and was used during the World War-II as well as in later wars during 1965 and 1971. The Pakistan Air Force College is also located here.
Pakistan is believed to have about 80 F-16 aircraft procured from the US and about 170 JF-17s, developed jointly with China to replace earlier generation aircraft like the Mirage-III and F-7. Both are classified as lightweight single engine multi-role fourth-generation fighters designed for interception, ground attack, anti-ship and aerial reconnaissance.
Other Pakistani bases hit by the IAF include Rafiqui in Shorkot, Murid in Chakwal, Rahimyar Khan, Sukkur and Chunian. Radar sites at Pasrur and Sialkot. Satellite images shared by the IAF in the media briefing as well as some posted by Indian and foreign satellite imagery firms on social media reveal the damage sustained by these bases.
Pakistan has 12 major airbases located across its territory, divided into three commands – Northern, Central and Southern. In addition, there are a number of forward operating bases and non-flying stations associated with administration, logistics, maintenance and support.
India