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MIRAGE AT WAR

targets in the Shakargarh sector. Flying at combat speed and at 5,000ft, the Mirages were soon on top of the four Su-7s.

Closing in further, Salimuddin’s wingman attained a better tactical position and called for an attack. Salimuddin followed him after checking his tail. On seeing the Mirages the enemy aircraft broke off their attack, jettisoned their payloads and headed east for Indian territory, fl ying in two separate formations at low level and maximum speed. The Mirages began chasing one of the Su-7 formations, both ending up behind a single Su-7.

Salimuddin’s aircraft was carrying two fuel tanks, two Sidewinders and a single Matra R.530 air-to-air missile. To improve manœuvrability Salimuddin fi red the R.530, watching it dip and hit the ground. Acquiring a Sidewinder tone, Salimuddin pressed the trigger. For a moment nothing happened and, fearing a misfi re, he immediately fi red his second Sidewinder. He saw both missiles streak away towards the Su-7, then broke away for a gun pass on another Fitter, to starboard and ahead of the fi rst Su-7.

As Salimuddin’s wingman told him that his missiles had contacted the fi rst Su-7, he closed on the leader, by then fl ying at more than 600kt. He fi red his guns but the Fitter was well out of range. The wingman gave a low-fuel call and the pair returned to Sargodha with almost empty tanks.

Recce Mirages By 1971, strengthened IAF air defences meant that the PAF could not rely on its Lockheed RT-33s for reconnaissance missions over strongly defended areas. Enter the PAF’s three Mirage IIIRPs.

A month before the offi cial start of the war a single Mirage IIIRP, piloted by Sqn Ldr Farooq Umar, penetrated Indian airspace near the IAF’s Pathankot airfi eld to gather intelligence on Indian armour dispositions between Katwa and Jammu. The intelli

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ABOVE Sqn Ldr Farooq Umar’s photo-recce Mirage IIIRP, 67-203. The PAF Mirages did not carry kill or squadron markings during the 1971 war. Artwork by TOM COOPER/ AVIATIONGRAPHIC.COM © 2009

RIGHT After the 1971 War, the PAF placed additional orders for various Mirage types. Here Wg Cdr Fahd Hasnat, a Mirage veteran of the 1971 confl ict, climbs out of the cockpit of a Mirage 5PA2 after an acceptance sortie at the Dassault factory at Bordeaux.

P akistan’s delta force

RIGHT A place of honour — many of the original 24 PAF Mirages crashed or were retired from the service over the years, but this Mirage IIIEP, 67-112, in which Flt Lt Safdar Mehmood scored his Hunter kill, is now preserved at Rafi qui Air Base, now the home of No 5 Sqn.

gence gathered from this mission had large gaps in the coverage, however, owing to the aircraft banking to follow the terrain. A repeat mission was fl own, the pilot using left and right rudder instead of banking, this time with successful results.

two missions were fl own in the

IAF’s Halwara and Adampur airfi elds.

Later in the war, the recce Mirages were used to pinpoint Indian armour deployments as part of the land offensive in the western sector. On December 12 two missions were fl own in the Kot Kupara/ Muktasur area, covered by the IAF’s Halwara and Adampur airfi elds. The second of these missions met its assigned objective, revealing major Indian armour formations intended to blunt the Pakistani offensive south of the River Sutlej. Confi rmation of this deployment played an important role in the ultimate decision by the Pakistan Army not to launch a counter-offensive in the west. One unintended benefi t of these recce sorties was a “blue on blue” MiG-21 kill by the IAF. On the night of December 11, PAF Flt Lt Najeeb Akhtar was detailed to fl y a reconnaissance mission over the Shakarganj—Jammu area, to be followed 5min later by Sqn Ldr Farooq Umer, who would pass over an area south of Najeeb’s route. Alerted by photo-fl ashes from Najeeb’s Mirage, the IAF directed a two-aircraft CAP towards the intruding Mirages.

Sutlej. Confi rmation of this

Inside Indian territory Farooq received a call from Pakistani GCI warning of bogies 25 miles behind. Farooq started his photo run at 3,000ft AGL and 400kt. Shortly afterwards he saw a fl ash in his rear-view mirror. At the same time GCI called for an immediate break as the bogies were closing fast.

Flying on full instruments in IFR conditions, Farooq made a 4g break to the left, with the nose slightly down. He then egressed

slightly down. He then egressed

to Pakistan and, while breaking, saw a yellow fl ame pass by and strike the ground. Pakistani ELINT posts overheard calls from an Indian pilot trying to locate his leader and receiving no reply. It later transpired that while trying to intercept

to Pakistan and, while breaking, saw a yellow fl ame pass by and strike the ground. Pakistani ELINT posts overheard calls from an Indian pilot trying to locate his leader and receiving no reply. It later transpired that while trying to intercept

Farooq, the second MiG had shot

Farooq, the second MiG had shot down his own lead.

Summary of operations The PAF Mirages fl ew more than 200 sorties during the 1971 war, scoring at least three confi rmed air-to-air kills without a single loss. Had the fi ghting continued, PAF Mirages would undoubtedly have been at the forefront of further operations.

Some 40 years on, most of the Mirages that fl ew during the 1971 war have been retired or are in the process of being phased out. Many will be scrapped, while the lucky ones may end up as gate guardians.

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