PAF Base Rafiqui

Rafiqui Airbase

Shahi Bengali Frontier
Rafiqui Airbase; Shahi Bengali Frontier
	IATA: none; ICAO: OPRQ;
Summary
Airport type	Military
Operator	Pakistan Air Force
Location	Shorkot
Commander	Air Cdre Muhammad Shoaib Khan
Occupants	Pakistan Air Force; No. 15 Squadron; No. 14 Squadron; No. 25 Squadron; No. 27 Squadron; No. 83 SAR Squadron;
Elevation AMSL	492 ft / 150 m
Coordinates	30°45′29″N 72°16′57″E / 30.75806°N 72.28250°ECoordinates: 30°45′29″N 72°16′57″E / 30.75806°N 72.28250°E
Runways

PAF Base Rafiqui, formerly known as PAF Base Shorkot (ICAO: OPRQ), is a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) airbase located near Shorkot, Jhang District, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is around 337 km south of Islamabad. The base is served by a single 10,000-foot runway and a parallel taxiway that could be used for emergency landing and recovery of aircraft.^[1]^[2]

The base was renamed in honour of Squadron Leader Sarfaraz Ahmed Rafiqui, a highly decorated fighter pilot who led raids into enemy territory during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Rafiqui is famous for assisting his fellow pilots over enemy territory despite being heavily outnumbered even after the guns of his aircraft had jammed.^[1]^[3]

References[]

^ ^a ^b PAF Base Rafiqui /Shorkot Cantt GlobalSecurity.org website, Retrieved 5 October 2021
^ Pakistan Air Force Bases nuke.fas.org website, Retrieved 5 October 2021
^ Sarfaraz Ahmed Rafiqui: Shaheed of 1965 War Fearlesswarriors.pk website, Retrieved 5 October 2021