Satellite images show significant damage to Pak’s critical airbases linked to its nuclear capability

Hours after the Indian Air Force announced that it had hit, among several other military installations, the critical Pakistani airbases at Sargodha and Jacobabad that are closely associated with its nuclear strike capability, satellite images reveal precise hits and significant damage at these places.

Other Pakistani bases hit by the IAF include Rafiqui Airbase in Shorkot, Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi, Murid in Chakwal, Rahimyar Khan, Sukkur and Chunian, as well as radar sites at Pasrur and Sialkot. The airbases house Pakistan’s top-of-the-line fighter aircraft, drones, VIP transport facilities and command and control assets. Some of the places targeted operate aircraft hardwired to deliver nuclear weapons and may also have safe storage facilities.

These strikes were part of Operation Sindoor–a retaliation for the terror attack in Pahalgam–that began on May 7 and continued till a ceasefire was announced on the evening of May 10. Numerous strikes and counter-strikes by drones and missiles were witnessed.

“Post-strike damage assessment reveals damage to the runway at Sargodha airbase and the runway and VIP terminal at the dual-use Rahimyar Khan airport,” Col Vinayak Bhat (retd), an imagery interpretation expert who has analysed the post-attack satellite pictures on his X handle, told The Tribune.

“The targets at Nur Khan and Murad Airbases were underground structures for command and control centres. Images also establish precise hits on the air defence radar installations at Pasrur, Chunian and Arifwala,” he said.

“The targets were strategic in nature and carefully selected so that a visible impression should be made and calibrated precise attack noted by Pakistan and the entire world," he said. “They were destroyed by design and perfection to indicate India’s A1 intelligence about Pakistani facilities,” he added.

Though the Ministry of Defence has not revealed the IAF aircraft deployed for the cross-border strikes into Pakistan or the ordnance used, it is believed that the newly acquired Rafale multi-role fighter and long-range smart munitions like the SCALP and HAMMER were used. The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile is also speculated to have been used.

There are also reports of a specialist US Government radiation monitoring aircraft arriving in Pakistan after the Indian airstrikes on its bases to assess the fallout of damage on Pakistani nuclear storage facilities.

Known as PAF Base Mushaf, Sargodha houses the 38 Tactical Wing under which come 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 highest trained pilots and commanders. PAF’s Central Air Command headquarters and the PAF Airpower Centre of Excellence are also located at Sargodha.

At Jacobabad, 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 battle in 1971, where a company of troops, about 100 men, from the Punjab Regiment, checked the advance of and routed a Pakistani armoured formation.

The infrastructure at Shahbaz was extensively upgraded in the late 2000s to cater to the requirements of 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.

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.

Rahimyar Khan is a dual use civil and military facility located in southern Punjab opposite Rajasthan and not too far from the International Border with India. Its importance lies in its geographical location that enables rapid deployment of assets across southern and eastern Pakistan. It is reportedly a key forward operating base facing India’s Rajasthan.

PAF Base Nur Khan in Rawalpindi is the closest to Pakistan’s capital of 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 World War II as well as in later wars during 1965 and 1971. The Pakistan Air Force College is also located here.

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.

Among other targets hit by the IAF is Rafiqui, a key fighter base located at Shorkot in central Punjab, about 340 km south of Islamabad. It houses four fighter squadrons, including one of the JF-17 and a search and rescue light helicopter unit, that form the 34 Tactical Attack Wing. This base is critical for operations as its locations enables Pakistan to deploy assets in the eastern as well as western theatres.

Sukkur, a fighter base located in Sind between Karachi and Hyderabad, houses the 41 Tactical Wing that includes two operational conversion units for the US F-16 and Chinese JF-17 fighters and a squadron of the Swedish Erieye airborne early warning aircraft. It is also known as the Bholari base and has been established recently.

The Murid Airbase at Chakwal, listed as a forward operational base, is located in northern Punjab and is a hub for drone operations. Several units operating Unmanned Aerial Systems and Unmanned Combat Aerial Systems like Shahpar-1 and Bayraktar TB2 are based there. This base is believed to be among those responsible for launching drone and missile attacks against India.

Chunian is another forward operational base in Punjab located about 70 km south of Lahore. Pakistan Army’s aviation assets, which include fixed-wing aircraft, are also reported to operate from this base.

Earlier, on May 7, the IAF had carried out precision strikes on several terrorist camps across Pakistan, including the Punjab province as well as Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, in retaliation for the terrorist attack at Pahalgam on April 22 that had killed 26 people. Satellite images had revealed extensive damage to these sites.

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