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PAF Base Mushaf

Major Operational Base

Location Details

Location

Sargodha District

Province

Punjab

Air Command

Central Air Command

ICAO Code

OPMH

Latitude

32.0486°

Longitude

72.6650°

Wing

38 MR Wing / PAF Airpower Centre of Excellence

Squadrons Based Here

No. 9 Squadron "Griffins"No. 24 Squadron "Blinders" (EW)No. 82 Squadron "Stallions" (SAR)CCS F-16 Squadron (No. 29) "Aggressors"

CCS JF-17 Squadron "Dashings"

CCS Mirage Squadron "Sky Bolts"

CCS F-7PG Squadron (No. 23) "Talons"

Aircraft

F-16 AM/BM

F-16A/B MLU

JF-17A/B

Mirage IIIEA

Mirage 5PA

F-7PG

FT-7PG

Falcon 20

AW139

Runways

Direction

14/32

Length

10,236 ft (3,120 m)

Surface

Asphalt

Direction

06/24

Length

7,972 ft (2,430 m)

Surface

Asphalt

History

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Originally established as airstrip by Royal Air Force during 1930s

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After WWII, became one of Sargodha Satellite Fields, known as Sargodha (Main)

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1959: Commissioned as PAF Base Sargodha

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1979: Home to No. 5 Squadron (Mirage IIIEP), Mirage IIIDP squadron, Mirage IIIRP squadron, No. 9 Squadron (Mirage 5PA)

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2003: Renamed PAF Base Mushaf in honor of Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir

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1 November 2007: Suicide bomber struck bus carrying PAF officers, killing 11 (7 officers), injuring 28

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Last major attack before 2007 state of emergency

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Participated in 1965 Indo-Pakistani War

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Participated in 1971 Indo-Pakistani War

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Participated in Operation Sentinel

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Participated in Operation Swift Retort (2019)

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10 May 2025: Struck by Indian air and missile strikes during Operation Sindoor

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Houses Central Air Command (CAC), Combat Commanders School (CCS), PAF Airpower Centre of Excellence (PAF ACE)

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Currently commanded by Air Commodore Hassan Khalid

Important Events

1930s

Established as airstrip by Royal Air Force

1959

Commissioned as PAF Base Sargodha

1965

Participated in Indo-Pakistani War operations

1971

Participated in Indo-Pakistani War operations

February 2003

Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir killed in aircraft crash near Kohat

30 April 2003

Renamed PAF Base Mushaf in honor of fallen Air Chief

1 November 2007

Suicide bomber struck bus on Faisalabad Road, killing 11 (including 7 PAF officers) and injuring 28. Motorcycle loaded with explosives rammed 50-seat bus carrying new recruits

2019

Participated in Operation Swift Retort against India

10 May 2025

Struck by Indian air and missile strikes during Operation Sindoor in 2025 India-Pakistan conflict. Indian military claimed precision strikes on two runway sections, satellite imagery showed crater on runway

Location on Map

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BASE CATEGORY

Major Operational Base

NAMED AFTER

Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir, former Base Commander and Chief of Air Staff, whose aircraft crashed near Kohat in February 2003

NOTES

Most elite and widely operational base in Pakistan. Designated as Major Operational Base (MOB). Houses Central Air Command, Combat Commanders School, and PAF Airpower Centre of Excellence. Consists of highest equipped aircraft and squadrons with best trained pilots and commanders. IATA: MSF. Commander: Air Commodore Hassan Khalid. Formerly known as PAF Station Sargodha and PAF Base Sargodha until 2003

Quick Facts

Established:1930s (RAF airstrip), 1959 (PAF Base Sargodha), 2003 (renamed Mushaf)

Elevation:187 m (614 ft)

Squadrons:7

Aircraft Types:9

Runways:2

Status:Operational