Air Chief Marshal Farooq Feroze Khan ( ur, ; born: 17 August 1939 – 9 October 2021), best known as Feroze Khan, was a Pakistani military officer who served as the 6th four-star

air officer An air officer is an air force officer of the rank of air commodore or higher. Such officers may be termed "officers of air rank". While the term originated in the Royal Air Force, air officers are also to be found in many Commonwealth nations ...

in the

Pakistan Air Force , "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional) , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = ...

and also served as the 8th

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee The Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) ( ur, ) is, in principle, the highest-ranking and senior most uniformed military officer, typically at four-star rank, in the Pakistan Armed Forces who serves as a Principal Staff Officer and ...

, appointed in 1994 and retiring in 1997. His career in the Air Force is subjected to distinction as he was the only

air force officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...

whose career spanned more than 40 years of

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job ( volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require ...

. He is also the only Air Force general to be appointed a Chairman joint chiefs to date.The Story of the Pakistan Air Force 1988–1998: A Battle Against Odds (Oxford University Press, 2000)

Biography

Early life and career in the military

Farooq Feroze Khan was born in

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

Bombay Province The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainl ...

in British India Empire on 17 August 1939. His family belonged to a

Burki The Ormur ( ps, اورمړ), also called Burki or Baraki ( ps, برکي), are an Eastern Iranic people mainly living in Baraki Barak, Logar, Afghanistan and in Kaniguram, South Waziristan. Despite speaking their own distinct Eastern Iranian l ...

tribe of

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

ethnicity, hailing from

Jalandhar Jalandhar is the third most-populous city in the Indian state of Punjab and the largest city in Doaba region. Jalandhar lies alongside the Grand Trunk Road and is a well-connected rail and road junction. Jalandhar is northwest of the state ...

. His father, Feroze Khan, Sr., was a professional

Field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...

player who won the

Olympic gold medal Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

for India, but later migrated and played for the Pakistan National Hockey Team for the remainder of his life. Feroze was educated at the PAF Public School in

Sargodha Sargodha (Punjabi and ur, ) is a city and capital of Sargodha Division, located in Punjab province, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's 12th largest city by population and one of the fastest-growing cities of the country. Sargodha is also known as t ...

where he completed his

Senior Cambridge The Senior Cambridge examinations were General Certificate of Education examinations held in India, Jamaica, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Singapore. They were preceded by the Junior Cambridge and Preliminary Cambridge examinations. History India The ...

, and joined the Pakistan Air Force in 1956. He was sent to attend the

Pakistan Air Force Academy The Pakistan Air Force Academy Asghar Khan ( ur, ) is an accredited three-year military academy which provides undergraduate education to officer candidates for the Pakistan Air Force. The eligible and selected candidates from all over Pakista ...

Risalpur Risalpur (Pashto/ ur, رسالپور) is a city in Nowshera District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on the Nowshera-Mardan Road. It is nearly 45 km from Peshawar and 18 km from Mardan and is located at 34°4'52N 71°58'21E. In a basin so ...

, but later selected as one of few cadets to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Upon completing the pilot training program from the

USAF Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Unit ...

, Feroze gained commission as a P/Off. in the No. 9 Squadron ''Griffins'' of the Air Force in January 1959. In the

, he was trained as a fighter pilot to fly the F-104 Starfighter on several aerial

combat missions ''Combat Missions'' was a one-hour-long reality TV show produced by Mark Burnett and hosted by former '' Survivor'' castaway Rudy Boesch that aired from January to April in 2002 on the USA Network. It pits four teams of highly experienced military ...

. He was known for his

skills A skill is the learned ability to act with determined results with good execution often within a given amount of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills. For example, in the domain of w ...

while maneuvering the aircraft in a combat mode from a subsonic to

supersonic speed Supersonic speed is the speed of an object that exceeds the speed of sound ( Mach 1). For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) at sea level, this speed is approximately . Speeds greater than five times ...

. While living in the

, Flt-Lt. Feroze Khan served as an

exchange officer An exchange officer is a commissioned officer in a country's armed forces who is temporarily seconded either to a unit of the armed forces of another country or to another branch of the armed forces of their own country. The exchange officer will ...

with the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

, completing several years of aerial combat training with the American pilots. Upon returning in the 1960s, he was attached to the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

as a military liaison officer, and flew British aircraft in their inventory. In 1965, Squadron-Leader Feroze flew on his F-104 Starfighter on various combat missions against the Indian Air Force during the various combat missions during the second war with

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. After the war, Sq-Ldr. Feroze was sent to join the No. 5 Squadron ''Falcons'', which later formed the PAF's

aerobatics Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glide ...

team, '' Sherdils'', where he displayed his skills while flying the

F-104 The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is an American single-engine, supersonic air superiority fighter which was extensively deployed as a fighter-bomber during the Cold War. Created as a day fighter by Lockheed as one of the " Century Series" of ...

, alongside the

F-86 Sabre The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Sov ...

flown by Flight lieutenant

Cecil Cecil may refer to: People with the name * Cecil (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name) * Cecil (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Canada *Cecil, Alberta, ...

. In 1966–67, Sq-Ldr. Feroze was among the first group of fighter pilots who were sent to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

for their conversion from American

to French Mirage-III. After his conversion, Sqn. Ldr. Feroze was posted as an air adviser to the Eastern Air Command in East-Pakistan, providing mission support to conduct

combat air patrol Combat air patrol (CAP) is a type of flying mission for fighter aircraft. A combat air patrol is an aircraft patrol provided over an objective area, over the force protected, over the critical area of a combat zone, or over an air defense area, ...

near the

Kalaikunda Air Force Station Kalaikunda Air Force Station is an Indian Air Force Base in Kharagpur, located in the West Midnapur district of the state of West Bengal. It was the home of No. 18 Squadron IAF, the Flying Bullets. The squadron flew the Indian license-buil ...

near the Eastern front of

. In 1971, Sqn. Ldr. Feroze, now flying the Mirage-III, participated in preemptive airstrikes in

, which eventually led to the third war with

Death

Farooq Feroze died due to

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and poss ...

in Islamabad on 9 October 2021 at the age of 82.

War and command appointments

After the third war with

in 1971, Wing-Commander Feroze joined the faculty of the Combat Commander's School in Sargodha Air Force Base, instructing on the methods of combat flights. During this time, Wg-Cdr. Feroze was posted in the Pakistan Armed Forces–Middle East Command, briefly commanding a

fighter wing In military aviation, a wing is a unit of command. In most military aviation services, a wing is a relatively large formation of planes. In Commonwealth countries a wing usually comprises three squadrons, with several wings forming a group ( ...

in the

United Arab Emirates Air Force The United Arab Emirates Air Force (UAEAF) ( ar, القوات الجوية والدفاع الجوي الاماراتي, al-Quwwāt al-Jawiyah wa al-Defa' al-Jawiy al-ʾImārāty) is the air force of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), part of the ...

for nearly three years. In 1982–83, Air-Commodore Feroze was elevated as the

base commander The base commander is the officer assigned to command a military base. In the United States armed forces, a base commander is generally at least an O-6 grade officer, which means colonel (Army, Air Force, Marines) or captain (Navy, Coast Guard). ...

of the Sargodha AFB, witnessing the introduction of American-built

F-16s The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it ...

. In 1984–85, Air-Cdre. Feroze was promoted to the two-star promotion when

Air Vice-Marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...

Feroze was appointed

AOC Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (; ; born October 13, 1989), also known by her initials AOC, is an American politician and activist. She has served as the U.S. representative for New York's 14th congressional district since 2019, as a member of ...

of the Southern Air Command based 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 c ...

, and later as the

Central Air Command ''Nigrahya Rasava shastrava'' , colors = , colors_label = , battles = 1962 Sino-Indian War, East Pakistan Operations 1971, Operation Meghdoot, Orissa Super-Cyclone Relief, 1999 , anniversaries = , commander1 = Air Marshal Amar Preet Si ...

based in

. In 1988, Air Vice Marshal Feroze, serving as the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Operations) was elevated to the three-star promotion when he was appointed the Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) under ACM Hakeemullah Durrani. During this time, Air-Marshal Feroze took an interest and participated in board of inquiry that investigated the mysterious circumstances involved in the death of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Zia-ul-Haq General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq HI, GCSJ, ร.ม.ภ, ( Urdu: ; 12 August 1924 – 17 August 1988) was a Pakistani four-star general and politician who became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup and declaration of martial ...

. In 1990, Air-Mshl. Feroze was taken on

secondment Secondment is the assignment of a member of one organisation to another organisation for a temporary period. Job rotation The employee typically retains their salary and other employment rights from their primary organization but they work close ...

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Benazir Bhutto as the Managing-Director of the

Pakistan International Airlines Pakistan International Airlines ( ur, ; abbreviated PIA, ur, ) is an international airline that serves as the national flag carrier of Pakistan under the administrative control of the Secretary to the Government of Pakistan for Aviation. It ...

, which he managed until 1991.

Chief of Air staff

On 9 March 1991,

Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi: ; born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani businessman and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms. He is the longest-serving prime minister of Pak ...

promoted Air-Mshl. Feroze to the four-star

in the

Pakistan Air Force , "Be it deserts or seas; all lie under our wings" (traditional) , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = ...

, subsequently appointing the Air Chief Marshal as the new Chief of Air Staff (CAS). ACM Feroze assumed the command of the Air Force at a difficult time, when the military embargo by the

on a suspicion of a covert nuclear weapons program was enforced. During this time, he launched the program to acquire the license to reproduce the Australian Mirage-III and induction of F-7P from China at the

Pakistan Aeronautical Complex The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex ( ur, ), or PAC) is a major defense contractor and an aerospace manufacturer that is headquartered in Kamra, Punjab, Pakistan. The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex is one of the largest defense contractor in ...

(PAC). In 1994, ACM Feroze was given a one-year extension to continue serving as an air chief.

Chairman joint chiefs

In 1994, the extension made him the most senior military officer in the

Pakistani military The Pakistan Armed Forces (; ) are the military forces of Pakistan. It is the world's sixth-largest military measured by active military personnel and consist of three formally uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are ...

but this became a subject of controversy in the Air Force, when many senior

s showed resentment towards this decision taken by the

civil government Civil authority or civil government is the practical implementation of a state on behalf of its citizens, other than through military units (martial law), that enforces law and order and that is distinguished from religious authority (for example ...

at that time. Upon the retirement of Gen. Shamim Alam on 8 November 1994, Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto approved ACM Feroze to be elevated as the

—this was the first time the chairmanship was rotated to the Air Force since its inception in 1976. As Chairman joint chiefs, ACM Feroze attempted to procure the MiG-29F and the Su-27 aircraft from the

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whic ...

as well as Mirage 2000 from

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

, with a view to replacing the

but this was met with strong opposition from ACM

Khattak The Khattak ( ps, خټک) tribe are a prominent Pashtun tribe located in the Khattak territory, which consists of Karak, Nowshera, Kohat districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. History Khushal Khan Khattak A warrior poet by the name of ...

, the air chief, who was unimpressed with the war performances of Russian fighter jets. In 1995, Gen. Feroze Khan also provided his crucial military support and political advocacy for the development of the Shaheen program with a view to keeping the second-strike capability. His tenure as Chairman joint chiefs is criticized by the defense observer in the country for not being able to take steps in strengthening the role of

Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee The Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC), ( ur, ); is an administrative body of senior high-ranking uniformed military leaders of the unified Pakistan Armed Forces who advises the civilian Government of Pakistan, National Security Council, ...

, and was largely seen as ineffective and unable to provide any military or political advice to

Benazir Bhutto and her administration on a longer extension— the void was filled by then- army chief, Gen.

Jehangir Karamat General Jehangir Karamat ( ur, ; born 20 February 1941) best known as JK, is a senior Pakistan Army officer who served as the 6th Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan), Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Army, from 12 January 1996 to 6 October 1998. ...

. Critics observed that ACM Feroze's preference of "flying solo" and his nature of working alone further complicated the matters in the military that required the comprehensive collaboration and

teamwork Teamwork is the collaborative effort of a group to achieve a common goal or to complete a task in the most effective and efficient way. This concept is seen within the greater framework of a team, which is a group of interdependent individua ...

in national security issues. According to the critical paper penned by defense analyst,

Ikram Sehgal Ikram Sehgal ( ur, ; bn, ইকরাম সেহগাল) is a Pakistani defence analyst and security expert. He is a retired Pakistan Army officer. Personal life Sehgal was born to a Punjabi father and Bengali mother. On his mother's side, ...

, " ACM Feroze marked ineffectiveness in the post of Chairman and its institution." Upon retiring on 9 November 1997, Gen.

was eventually appointed to replace him and who took the role of the

to new heights and took the four-tiered military into a responsive and efficient fighting machine in the 21st century. His uniform was placed in the PAF Museum in

, where he was retired in his estate.

Awards and Decorations

Foreign Decorations

References

External links

PAF Chiefs of Air Staff
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Farooq Feroze 1939 births 2021 deaths Pashtun people Military personnel from Mumbai PAF College Sargodha alumni Pakistan Air Force Academy alumni United States Air Force Academy alumni United States Air Force officers Pakistani expatriates in the United States Pakistan Air Force officers Pakistani test pilots Pilots of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 Pakistani flying aces Pakistani military personnel of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Pilots of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 Pakistani expatriates in the United Arab Emirates Pakistan Air Force air marshals Pakistan International Airlines people Chiefs of Air Staff, Pakistan Chairmen Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Pakistan Hockey Federation presidents People from Mumbai Muhajir people St. Patrick's High School, Karachi alumni Indian emigrants to Pakistan

Biography

Early life and career in the military

Death

War and command appointments

Chief of Air staff

Chairman joint chiefs

Awards and Decorations

Foreign Decorations

See also

References

External links