| Pakistan–Soviet/DRA aerial conflict | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan and Operation Cyclone | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
Soviet Union 
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan |
Supported by: 
Afghan mujahideen | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
|
| |||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
Per Pakistan [2] |
Per Pakistan [2]
Per Soviet union and DRA [2]
| ||||||
| 300+ Afghan refugees killed [8] | |||||||
Soviet Union and Democratic Republic of Afghanistan Air Force jet fighters and bombers would occasionally cross into Pakistani airspace to target Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan. To counter the Soviet jets, the United States started providing F-16 jets to Pakistan. [9] These F-16 jets lacked the capability to fire radar-guided beyond-visual range missiles, and thus they were required to get close to their opponents in order to use their AIM-9P and more advanced AIM-9L Sidewinder heat-seeking or their 20-millimeter Vulcan cannons.
DRA-Soviet intrusions into Pakistani airspace
During the war Soviet and DRA planes intruded many times into Pakistani airspace in order to bomb refugee camps set up in the Pakistani provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These bombing campaigns led to the deaths of 300+ Afghan refugees. It was reported that DRA and Soviet planes intruded into Pakistani airspace more than 1300 times. [10]
1st March 1980 Il-26 interception
A Soviet Ilyushin Il-26 on 1st March 1980 entered Pakistani airspace and was intercepted by PAF squadron 15 but the pilots were instructed not to engage.
February 1986 Mig-21 interception
PAF fighters intercepted a couple of Mig-21s in February 1986. However, the PAF pilots were ordered not to engage them.
Second Battle of Zhawar
The second phase of the offensive was to be an airborne assault carried out by the Afghan 37th Commando Brigade and the 466th Commando Brigade. The initial assault group, transported by 6 Mi-8 helicopters, departed on 2 April, but they got lost in the darkness and accidentally landed on the wrong side of the Pakistani border. This force was quickly surrounded and atleast 120 commandos were taken prisoner. [11] The Afghan and Soviet forces won a pyrrhic victory but took heavy casualties, as the Mujahideen claimed to have destroyed 24 helicopters and 2 jets, and captured 530 prisoners, while the Mujahideen themselves sustained a loss of 281 killed and 363 injured. Of the 500 Afghan prisoners, 78 officers were tried and executed by Haqqani and Khalis, including the commander of the 38th Commando Brigade, Colonel Qalandar Shah.
29 April 1986 F-16 Shootdown
On 29 April 1986, the Afghan Air Force claimed to have shot down a Pakistani Air Force F-16 fighter jet after two jets intruded Afghanistan’s airspace and crossed into Paktia Province, more specifically into Khost. Afghan authorities claimed that the F-16s were warned and then fired upon, whereas Pakistani authorities claimed they never violated Afghan airspace and that six Afghan aircraft violated Pakistani airspace which resulted in two F-16s being sent to intercept them. [12]
17 May 1986 Su-17 shoot down
On 17 May 1986, two Pakistan Air Force (PAF) F-16 jets intercepted two Su-22M3K belonging to Democratic Republic of Afghanistan Air Force (DRAAF) near the Pakistani airspace. [1] Pakistani officials insisted that both the fighter jets belonging to DRAAF were shot down while Afghan officials confirmed loss of only one fighter jet. Following the engagement, there was a major decline in the number of attacks on Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan. [1]
16 April 1987 Su-22 shoot down
On 16 April 1987, a group of PAF F-16s again chased down two DRAAF Su-22 and managed to shoot down one of them and capture its pilot. [1]
Battle of Khost
In 1987, the Soviet Union reported that Pakistani fighter jets were roaming in Afghan airspace, harassing attempts to aerial resupply the besieged Afghan Army and Soviet Army garrisons in the province of Khost. [13]
30 March 1987 An-26 shoot down
On 30 March 1987, two PAF F-16s shot down an An-26 cargo plane, killing all 39 personnel on board the aircraft.
1987 F-16 friendly fire accident
Also in 1987, two PAF F-16 jets ambushed four Mig-23 which were bombing Mujahideen supply bases. In the clash, one PAF F-16 was lost after it was accidentally hit by an AIM-9 Sidewinder fired by the second PAF F-16. The PAF pilot landed in Afghanistan territory and was smuggled back to Pakistan along with wreckage of his aircraft by the Mujahideen. However, some Russian sources claim that the F-16 was shot down by a Mig-23, though the Soviet Mig-23 were not carrying air-to-air missiles. [1]
Capture of Alexander Rutskoy
On 8 August 1988, Colonel Alexander Rutskoy was leading a group of Sukhoi Su-25 fighter jets to attack a refugee camp in Miranshah, Pakistan. His fighter jet was intercepted and shot down by two PAF F-16. Colonel Alexander Rutskoy landed in Pakistani territory and was captured. [1] He was later exchanged back to the Soviet Union.
September 1987 Mig-23 ambush
In September 1987, around twelve Mig-23 crossed into Pakistani airspace with the aim to lure into ambush the Pakistani F-16s. Two PAF F-16s flew towards the Soviet fighter jets. [1] The Soviet radars failed to detect the low flying F-16s, and the Sidewinder fired by one of the F-16s damaged one of the Mig-23. However, the damaged Mig-23 managed to return home. Two Mig-23 engaged the two PAF F-16s. The Pakistani officials state that both Mig-23 planes were shot down. However, Soviet records show that no additional aircraft were lost that day.
3 November 1988 Su-2M4K shoot down
The last aerial engagement took place on 3 November 1988, in which one Su-2M4K belonging to DRAAF was shot down by a Pakistani Air Force jet. [1]
Stinger attacks by Pakistan army
The Pakistan Army fired twenty-eight Stingers at Soviet aircraft near the border destroying two DRA transport planes and killing 79. [14] [15]
Other confrontations
In the coming years, PAF claimed credit for shooting down several Mi-8 transport helicopters, and another An-26 which was on a reconnaissance mission in 1989. [1]
Casualties
During the conflict, Pakistan Air Force F-16 had shot down ten aircraft, belonging to Soviet Union, which had intruded into Pakistani territory. However, the Soviet record only confirmed five kills (three Su-22s, one Su-25 and one An-26). Some sources show that PAF had shot down at least a dozen more aircraft during the war. However, those kills were not officially acknowledged because they took place in Afghanistan's airspace and acknowledging those kills would mean that Afghan airspace was violated by PAF. [1] In all, Pakistan Air Force F-16s had downed 3 Su-22,1 Su-25,2 Mig-23,2 An-26, and Several Mi-8 while 1 Mig-23 was damaged. [2] Pakistani army also shot down 2 An-26 aircraft. Furthermore 6 Mi-6 and 120 personnel were captured during the Second Battle of Zhawar by Pakistani forces.
See also
- Soviet-Afghan war
- Operation Cyclone
- Badaber uprising
- Afghanistan-Pakistan skirmishes
- 1970s operation in Balochistan
- Operation Curtain
- Battle for Hill 3234
- Battle of Jaji
- Siege of Khost
- Operation Magistral
- First Battle of Zhawar
- Second Battle of Zhawar
- Raids inside Soviet Union during Soviet Afghan War
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Roblin, Sebastian (16 March 2019). "Pakistan's F-16s Battled Soviet Jets – and Shot Down the Future Vice President of Russia". National Interest. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Nordeen, Lon O. (2010). Air Warfare in the Missile Age. Smithsonian Institution, 2010. p. 170. ISBN 978-1-58834-282-9. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- ^ "Campaign for the caves" (PDF).
- ^ "Campaign for the caves" (PDF).
- ^ Weisman, Steven R. (2 May 1987). "Afghans Down a Pakistani F-16, Saying Fighter Jet Crossed Border". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- ^ "Campaign for the caves" (PDF).
- ^ "Campaign for the caves" (PDF).
- ^ Weisman, Steven R. (2 May 1987). "Afghans Down a Pakistani F-16, Saying Fighter Jet Crossed Border". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- ^ "The National Interest: Blog".
- ^ Weisman, Steven R. (2 May 1987). "Afghans Down a Pakistani F-16, Saying Fighter Jet Crossed Border". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- ^ "Campaign for the caves" (PDF).
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/02/world/afghans-down-a-pakistani-f-16-saying-fighter-jet-crossed-border.html
- ^ Roblin, Sebastien (2019-03-16). "Pakistan's F-16s Battled Soviet Jets—and Shot Down the Future Vice President of Russia". The National Interest. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
- ^ Weisman, Steven R. (2 May 1987). "Afghans Down a Pakistani F-16, Saying Fighter Jet Crossed Border". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- ^ Kuperman, Alan J. (1999). "The Stinger missile and U.S. intervention in Afghanistan" (PDF). Political Science Quarterly. 114 (Summer 1999): 219–263. doi: 10.2307/2657738. JSTOR 2657738. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
| Pakistan–Soviet/DRA aerial conflict | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan and Operation Cyclone | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
Soviet Union
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan |
Supported by:
Afghan mujahideen | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
|
| |||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
Per Pakistan [2] |
Per Pakistan [2]
Per Soviet union and DRA [2]
| ||||||
| 300+ Afghan refugees killed [8] | |||||||
Soviet Union and Democratic Republic of Afghanistan Air Force jet fighters and bombers would occasionally cross into Pakistani airspace to target Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan. To counter the Soviet jets, the United States started providing F-16 jets to Pakistan. [9] These F-16 jets lacked the capability to fire radar-guided beyond-visual range missiles, and thus they were required to get close to their opponents in order to use their AIM-9P and more advanced AIM-9L Sidewinder heat-seeking or their 20-millimeter Vulcan cannons.
DRA-Soviet intrusions into Pakistani airspace
During the war Soviet and DRA planes intruded many times into Pakistani airspace in order to bomb refugee camps set up in the Pakistani provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These bombing campaigns led to the deaths of 300+ Afghan refugees. It was reported that DRA and Soviet planes intruded into Pakistani airspace more than 1300 times. [10]
1st March 1980 Il-26 interception
A Soviet Ilyushin Il-26 on 1st March 1980 entered Pakistani airspace and was intercepted by PAF squadron 15 but the pilots were instructed not to engage.
February 1986 Mig-21 interception
PAF fighters intercepted a couple of Mig-21s in February 1986. However, the PAF pilots were ordered not to engage them.
Second Battle of Zhawar
The second phase of the offensive was to be an airborne assault carried out by the Afghan 37th Commando Brigade and the 466th Commando Brigade. The initial assault group, transported by 6 Mi-8 helicopters, departed on 2 April, but they got lost in the darkness and accidentally landed on the wrong side of the Pakistani border. This force was quickly surrounded and atleast 120 commandos were taken prisoner. [11] The Afghan and Soviet forces won a pyrrhic victory but took heavy casualties, as the Mujahideen claimed to have destroyed 24 helicopters and 2 jets, and captured 530 prisoners, while the Mujahideen themselves sustained a loss of 281 killed and 363 injured. Of the 500 Afghan prisoners, 78 officers were tried and executed by Haqqani and Khalis, including the commander of the 38th Commando Brigade, Colonel Qalandar Shah.
29 April 1986 F-16 Shootdown
On 29 April 1986, the Afghan Air Force claimed to have shot down a Pakistani Air Force F-16 fighter jet after two jets intruded Afghanistan’s airspace and crossed into Paktia Province, more specifically into Khost. Afghan authorities claimed that the F-16s were warned and then fired upon, whereas Pakistani authorities claimed they never violated Afghan airspace and that six Afghan aircraft violated Pakistani airspace which resulted in two F-16s being sent to intercept them. [12]
17 May 1986 Su-17 shoot down
On 17 May 1986, two Pakistan Air Force (PAF) F-16 jets intercepted two Su-22M3K belonging to Democratic Republic of Afghanistan Air Force (DRAAF) near the Pakistani airspace. [1] Pakistani officials insisted that both the fighter jets belonging to DRAAF were shot down while Afghan officials confirmed loss of only one fighter jet. Following the engagement, there was a major decline in the number of attacks on Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan. [1]
16 April 1987 Su-22 shoot down
On 16 April 1987, a group of PAF F-16s again chased down two DRAAF Su-22 and managed to shoot down one of them and capture its pilot. [1]
Battle of Khost
In 1987, the Soviet Union reported that Pakistani fighter jets were roaming in Afghan airspace, harassing attempts to aerial resupply the besieged Afghan Army and Soviet Army garrisons in the province of Khost. [13]
30 March 1987 An-26 shoot down
On 30 March 1987, two PAF F-16s shot down an An-26 cargo plane, killing all 39 personnel on board the aircraft.
1987 F-16 friendly fire accident
Also in 1987, two PAF F-16 jets ambushed four Mig-23 which were bombing Mujahideen supply bases. In the clash, one PAF F-16 was lost after it was accidentally hit by an AIM-9 Sidewinder fired by the second PAF F-16. The PAF pilot landed in Afghanistan territory and was smuggled back to Pakistan along with wreckage of his aircraft by the Mujahideen. However, some Russian sources claim that the F-16 was shot down by a Mig-23, though the Soviet Mig-23 were not carrying air-to-air missiles. [1]
Capture of Alexander Rutskoy
On 8 August 1988, Colonel Alexander Rutskoy was leading a group of Sukhoi Su-25 fighter jets to attack a refugee camp in Miranshah, Pakistan. His fighter jet was intercepted and shot down by two PAF F-16. Colonel Alexander Rutskoy landed in Pakistani territory and was captured. [1] He was later exchanged back to the Soviet Union.
September 1987 Mig-23 ambush
In September 1987, around twelve Mig-23 crossed into Pakistani airspace with the aim to lure into ambush the Pakistani F-16s. Two PAF F-16s flew towards the Soviet fighter jets. [1] The Soviet radars failed to detect the low flying F-16s, and the Sidewinder fired by one of the F-16s damaged one of the Mig-23. However, the damaged Mig-23 managed to return home. Two Mig-23 engaged the two PAF F-16s. The Pakistani officials state that both Mig-23 planes were shot down. However, Soviet records show that no additional aircraft were lost that day.
3 November 1988 Su-2M4K shoot down
The last aerial engagement took place on 3 November 1988, in which one Su-2M4K belonging to DRAAF was shot down by a Pakistani Air Force jet. [1]
Stinger attacks by Pakistan army
The Pakistan Army fired twenty-eight Stingers at Soviet aircraft near the border destroying two DRA transport planes and killing 79. [14] [15]
Other confrontations
In the coming years, PAF claimed credit for shooting down several Mi-8 transport helicopters, and another An-26 which was on a reconnaissance mission in 1989. [1]
Casualties
During the conflict, Pakistan Air Force F-16 had shot down ten aircraft, belonging to Soviet Union, which had intruded into Pakistani territory. However, the Soviet record only confirmed five kills (three Su-22s, one Su-25 and one An-26). Some sources show that PAF had shot down at least a dozen more aircraft during the war. However, those kills were not officially acknowledged because they took place in Afghanistan's airspace and acknowledging those kills would mean that Afghan airspace was violated by PAF. [1] In all, Pakistan Air Force F-16s had downed 3 Su-22,1 Su-25,2 Mig-23,2 An-26, and Several Mi-8 while 1 Mig-23 was damaged. [2] Pakistani army also shot down 2 An-26 aircraft. Furthermore 6 Mi-6 and 120 personnel were captured during the Second Battle of Zhawar by Pakistani forces.
See also
- Soviet-Afghan war
- Operation Cyclone
- Badaber uprising
- Afghanistan-Pakistan skirmishes
- 1970s operation in Balochistan
- Operation Curtain
- Battle for Hill 3234
- Battle of Jaji
- Siege of Khost
- Operation Magistral
- First Battle of Zhawar
- Second Battle of Zhawar
- Raids inside Soviet Union during Soviet Afghan War
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Roblin, Sebastian (16 March 2019). "Pakistan's F-16s Battled Soviet Jets – and Shot Down the Future Vice President of Russia". National Interest. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Nordeen, Lon O. (2010). Air Warfare in the Missile Age. Smithsonian Institution, 2010. p. 170. ISBN 978-1-58834-282-9. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- ^ "Campaign for the caves" (PDF).
- ^ "Campaign for the caves" (PDF).
- ^ Weisman, Steven R. (2 May 1987). "Afghans Down a Pakistani F-16, Saying Fighter Jet Crossed Border". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- ^ "Campaign for the caves" (PDF).
- ^ "Campaign for the caves" (PDF).
- ^ Weisman, Steven R. (2 May 1987). "Afghans Down a Pakistani F-16, Saying Fighter Jet Crossed Border". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- ^ "The National Interest: Blog".
- ^ Weisman, Steven R. (2 May 1987). "Afghans Down a Pakistani F-16, Saying Fighter Jet Crossed Border". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- ^ "Campaign for the caves" (PDF).
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/02/world/afghans-down-a-pakistani-f-16-saying-fighter-jet-crossed-border.html
- ^ Roblin, Sebastien (2019-03-16). "Pakistan's F-16s Battled Soviet Jets—and Shot Down the Future Vice President of Russia". The National Interest. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
- ^ Weisman, Steven R. (2 May 1987). "Afghans Down a Pakistani F-16, Saying Fighter Jet Crossed Border". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- ^ Kuperman, Alan J. (1999). "The Stinger missile and U.S. intervention in Afghanistan" (PDF). Political Science Quarterly. 114 (Summer 1999): 219–263. doi: 10.2307/2657738. JSTOR 2657738. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2018.