Used this huge transport as a heavy bomber in 1965 and
1971 !!
Raised on and is presently equipped with
C-130 aircraft.
With the birth of Pakistan on 14th August 1947, No. 6 RPAF Squadron
came into being although it had already existed for several years
before independence as an RIAF unit. The squadron inherited 1
serviceable Dakota with 2 pilots, 3 navigators and 3 signalers
stationed at Peshawar. To remedy this paucity of men and material,
the RPAF drew up a three-phase program; in the first phase, ending
on 31 March 48, No. 6 Squadron received 7 more Dakotas and during
the next twelve months the aircraft strength went upto about 20.
During this period a pattern of operations was established
by the squadron for supply dropping in Azad Kashmir. These missions
were essential for keeping troops and villages cut off by snowbound
roads supplied with the essentials of life. Flying fully loaded
Dakotas with an effective ceiling of not much above 10,000 ft,
in an environment of peaks ranging from 16,000 to 20,000, No.
6 Squadron could accomplish these missions only by following the
sinuous curves of the Indus valley. During November 48 the squadron,
operating from Risalpur and Peshawar, air dropped some 88,000
lbs. of supplies. On 4 November 48, a Dakota piloted by Flying
Officer Mukhtar Dogar was attacked by 2 IAF Tempests. The pilot
skillfully evaded the attackers and brought the Dakota back to
base. Flying Officer Dogar was awarded the Sitara-e-Juraat for
this act of gallantry. He was the first officer of the squadron
to receive a gallantry award. In early 1950, a large number of
Bristol Freighters was purchased from the UK and added to the
fleet of No. 6 Squadron. Their performance was similar to that
of the Dakotas so no new techniques were necessary for the conduct
of Northern Area operations. The generous reserve of Bristol Freighters
enabled No. 6 Squadron to undertake an extensive range of transport
and communication tasks within and outside Pakistan for nearly
fifteen years. In 1955, some of the aircraft were adapted to carry
a 4,000-lb. 'block buster' bomb beneath each wing and the squadron
carried out a limited amount of training for a night bombing role
against lightly defended targets. This paved the way for similar
operations at a later stage with its C-130s.
The squadron acquitted itself creditably during large
scale food dropping missions in the 1952 floods; a Sanad to this
effect was presented to the unit by the Governor of the Punjab
on 17 August 52. From 15 to 30 November 53, operation 'Snow Drop'
was carried out to deliver supplies in the Northern Area. Chaklala
was used as a forward base and 800,000 lbs. of supplies were dropped
in seven hundred and eighty hours of flying. In 1955 the squadron
also demonstrated supply dropping during an air display witnessed
by the Defence Minister General Muhammad Ayub Khan at Lahore.
During its formative years, 6 Squadron gained valuable
operational experience on Bristol Freighters in a variety of climatic
and geographical environments, ranging from the snowbound peaks
of Kashmir to the desert of southern Punjab to the tropical forests
of East Pakistan. In 1963, when 4 Lockheed C-130Bs were received
under the US aid programme, it enabled the squadron to begin phasing
out its Bristol Freighters. The Hercules also allowed the squadron
to revise its valley flight procedures by overflying the Karakorams
before letting down over the destination air strips and drop zones,
with a corresponding improvement in safety margins.
During the 1965 war, the PAF offensive against bases
included assaults by para commandos, who were dropped at night
from 3 C-130Bs near Adampur, Halwara and Pathankot. In another
role, the squadron was able to convert its Hercules aircraft into
night bombers for raids against battlefield targets with upto
22,000 lbs. of HE bombs, which were rolled out of the rear ramp
on pallets. The squadron flew over twenty such missions and dropped
bombs on enemy forces moving up for the battles of Chawinda and
Pulkanjari. Seven officers were awarded the Sitara-i-Juraat and
2 JCO's the Tamgha-i-Juraat.
After the 65 war, 6 Squadron continued its task of logistic support
for army units stationed in the Northern Areas and of routine
PAF commitments in both wings of Pakistan. The squadron came under
tremendous pressure towards the end of 1970 when the political
situation in East Pakistan became unstable. The unit efficiently
completed the task of moving a large number of troops from West
to East Pakistan. In 1970 the squadron also participated in extensive
flood relief operations in East Pakistan. When civil war erupted
in East Pakistan in March 71, 2 C-130s were permanently deployed
at Dhaka; they remained there till the December war broke out.
These aircraft took extensive part in evacuation of troops and
civilians from hostile areas. Wing Commander Munim A. Khan and
his crew lifted a record figure of 365 people from Sylhet to Dhaka
in one C-130 sortie. During 1971, the Indian government had stopped
PAF flights over India and the squadron's C-130s proceeding to
East Pakistan had to route via Sri Lanka, entailing sorties of
exhausting length as well as the risk of interception by Indian
fighter aircraft.
When war broke out on 3 December 71, the squadron undertook
tactical bombing raids in West Pakistan in much the same way as
it had done in the 65 war. A C-130 captained by Group Captain
Mir Alam made a very successful attack against Jaisalmer and inflicted
heavy damage upon the IAF's technical complex there. The crew
were awarded Sitara-i-Juraat for this action. Successful bombing
was also carried out in the Srinagar valley and against battlefield
targets. The squadron did not suffer any war loss of life or equipment.
The squadron regularly participated in CENTO exercises
'Nejat' and produced good results; the exercises were held at
Masroor, Rezayiah (Iran), England and Turkey. Every year the squadron
takes PAF Air War College for its educational tours abroad. Since
1971 the college teams have been taken to China, England, Australia,
North Korea, Germany, Egypt, Syria, Cyprus, Singapore, Malaysia
and Sri Lanka. Owing to its increased commitments, some additional
C-130Es have been provided to the squadron during the last decade.
