Pakistan Air Force Museum Faisal ( ur, ) is an
Air Force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
and park situated near ''Karsaz Flyover'' on
Shahrah-e-Faisal
Shahrah-e-Faisal, founded as Drigh Road, is a boulevard in Karachi that runs , from the Bhutto Underpass near Hotel Metropole in central Karachi, to Star Gate near Jinnah International Airport, where it becomes N-5 National Highway. in
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
,
Sindh
Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
.
[Air Chief inaugurates martyrs monument at PAF Museum Karachi]
''The Nation
''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...
'', Published 7 September 2015, Retrieved 14 September 2017
A majority of the aircraft, weapons and radar are displayed outside in the park but the main museum features all major fighter aircraft that have been used by the
Pakistan Air Force
, "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional)
, colours =
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, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = ...
. The museum also houses the
Vickers VC.1 Viking
The Vickers VC.1 Viking is a British twin-engine short-range airliner derived from the Vickers Wellington bomber and built by Vickers-Armstrongs Limited at Brooklands near Weybridge in Surrey. After the Second World War, the Viking was an i ...
aircraft used by
Mohammed Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan, and a
Folland Gnat of the
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...
, that landed in
Pasrur
Pasrur (Punjabi and ur, ), is a city of Sialkot District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The city is the capital of Pasrur Tehsil and is administratively subdivided into 26 wards of municipal committee Pasrur.
It is located at 32°16'0N 74 ...
town, Pakistan in the
Indo-Pakistani war of 1965
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 or the Second Kashmir War was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. The conflict began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was d ...
. Also on display are the scale models of some
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
,
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and some more modern aircraft and photo galleries of almost all the squadrons of
Pakistan Air Force
, "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional)
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = ...
.
History
The museum was established in 1990 in two unused hangars in a remote part of the Base. The museum was expanded significantly from its humble beginnings in the period 1999–2004. Additions include children's playing areas, rides, and eateries.
Management
The museum is managed by a committee headed by the Air Officer Commanding Southern Air Command; however, it is managed and run by the Administrator. Recently the museum has been renamed as Historical Record & Archives Section and given additional responsibilities for maintaining some documented history of the PAF. The current Administrator of Museum is
Air Commodore Syed Ali Zaidi. However, the museum was developed by Wing Commander Syed Salman Ahmed.
Gallery
File:PAF Museum Karachi, Pakistan 01.jpg, Main Gate
File:PAF Museum Karachi, Pakistan 03.jpg, Mirage III Aircraft
File:PAF Museum Karachi, Pakistan 04.jpg, F-6 Aircraft
File:PAF Museum Karachi, Pakistan 06.jpg, Archives Gallery
File:PAF Museum Hall.jpg, Museum Hall at night
File:PAF gallery.jpg, Captured Indian Folland Gnat from 1965 war
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 or the Second Kashmir War was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. The conflict began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was d ...
on display at the PAF Museum Gallery.
File:PAF Museum Karachi, Pakistan 02.jpg, Shenyang F-6 Aircraft
File:Pakistan Air Force Museum Austin Aiglet 1.jpg, Auster Aiglet
The Auster J/1 Autocrat was a 1940s British single-engined three-seat high-wing touring monoplane built by Auster Aircraft Limited at Rearsby, Leicestershire.
History
As the end of the Second World War approached, the designers at Taylorcraf ...
retired from the PAF on display at the PAF Museum, Karachi.
File:Bombs At PAF Museum.JPG
File:Fighter plane At PAF Museum.JPG, Fighter plane At PAF Museum
File:PAF Museum Hall Inside View.jpg, Museum Hall Inside View
File:Pakistan Air Force Museum 30 mm cannon of F-6 and model of Martin B-57.jpg, A model of the Martin B-57
The Martin B-57 Canberra is an American-built, twin-engined tactical bomber and reconnaissance aircraft that entered service with the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1953. The B-57 is a license-built version of the British English Electric ...
bomber and the 30 mm cannon installed on the Shenyang F-6
The Shenyang J-6 ( Chinese: 歼-6; designated F-6 for export versions; NATO reporting name: Farmer) is the Chinese-built version of the Soviet MiG-19 'Farmer' fighter aircraft, the world's first mass-produced supersonic aircraft.
Design and ...
, on display at the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Museum, Karachi.
Selected exhibits
Some of the aircraft that are preserved in the museum are:
*
Martin B-57 Canberra
The Martin B-57 Canberra is an American-built, twin-engined tactical bomber and reconnaissance aircraft that entered service with the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1953. The B-57 is a license-built version of the British English Electric C ...
*
De Havilland Tiger Moth
The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. ...
*
North American Harvard
The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and other air forces ...
*
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
*
North American F-86 Sabre
*
Dassault Mirage 5
*
Shenyang F-6
The Shenyang J-6 ( Chinese: 歼-6; designated F-6 for export versions; NATO reporting name: Farmer) is the Chinese-built version of the Soviet MiG-19 'Farmer' fighter aircraft, the world's first mass-produced supersonic aircraft.
Design and ...
*
Lockheed T-33
*
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (russian: Микоя́н и Гуре́вич МиГ-15; USAF/DoD designation: Type 14; NATO reporting name: Fagot) is a jet fighter aircraft developed by Mikoyan-Gurevich for the Soviet Union. The MiG-15 was one of ...
*
Auster Autocar
The Auster J/5 Autocar was a late 1940s British single-engined four-seat high-wing touring monoplane built by Auster Aircraft Limited at Rearsby, Leicestershire.
Design and production
The company recognised a need for a four-seat touring aircr ...
*
Antonov An-26
*
Antonov An-12
The Antonov An-12 (Russian: Антонов Ан-12; NATO reporting name: Cub) is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. It is the military version of the Antonov An-10 and has many variants. For more than thr ...
*
A-26 Invader
The Douglas A-26 Invader (designated B-26 between 1948 and 1965) is an American twin-engined light bomber and ground attack aircraft. Built by Douglas Aircraft Company during World War II, the Invader also saw service during several major Col ...
*U-9
Aero Commander
Aero Commander was an aircraft manufacturer formed in 1944. In subsequent years, it became a subsidiary of Rockwell International and Gulfstream Aerospace. The company ceased aircraft production in 1986.
History
Aero was formed in Culver City, C ...
*
Vickers Viking
The Vickers Viking was a British single-engine amphibious aircraft designed for military use shortly after World War I. Later versions of the aircraft were known as the Vickers Vulture and Vickers Vanellus.
Design and development
Researc ...
*
Folland Gnat
*
Kaman HH-43 Huskie
The Kaman HH-43 Huskie is a helicopter with intermeshing rotors used by the United States Air Force, the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps from the 1950s until the 1970s. It was primarily used for aircraft firefighting and re ...
Besides those from PAF inventory, visitors can see the captured
Folland Gnat of
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...
and
Afghan Air Force
The Air Force of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, also referred to as the Islamic Emirate Air Force and the Afghan Air Force, is the air force branch of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
The Royal Afghan Air Force was e ...
Mig 21
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-21; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Its nickna ...
and
Iraq Air Force
The Iraqi Air Force (IQAF or IrAF) ( ar, القوات الجوية العراقية, Al Quwwat al Jawwiyah al Iraqiyyah}) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It is responsible for the defense of Iraqi airspace as well ...
,
Antonov An-12
The Antonov An-12 (Russian: Антонов Ан-12; NATO reporting name: Cub) is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. It is the military version of the Antonov An-10 and has many variants. For more than thr ...
.
A statue of
Indian Airforce
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...
's Wing Commander
Abhinandan Varthaman
Abhinandan Varthaman Vir Chakra, VrC (born 21 June 1983) is an Indian Air Force fighter pilot who, during the 2019 India–Pakistan standoff, was involved in entering Pakistani airspace and his MIG 21 was shot down by Pakistani Pakistan Air Forc ...
along with the parts of the fuselage and tail of his
Mig-21 aircraft are also on display in a gallery named
Operation Swift Retort.
See also
*
List of museums in Pakistan
References
External links
Homepage PAF Museum, KarachiPAF Museum in Karachi on YouTube
PAF Falcons Enthusiast
{{DEFAULTSORT:PAF Museum
Pakistan Air Force
Aerospace museums
Air force museums
Museums in Karachi
1990 establishments in Pakistan
Tourist attractions in Karachi