ABSTRACT
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) is designed to defend its country against any threat from India. The fighter fleet is at the heart of the service and its doctrine is to create and maintain superiority in air combat. Recognising that it would always be heavily outnumbered against its principal rival, the PAF evolved a strategy to establish and sustain air superiority over its own territory, much inspired by the Battle of Britain. In recent years, ground attack operations have become an integral part of its doctrine, limited to interdiction, airfield strikes and close air support. With the introduction of nuclear weapons in the region, strategic strike has become a part of deterrence in which the PAF plays a key role. While strategic parity between traditional rivals has reduced the likelihood of a full-scale war, sub-conventional war waged by non-state actors has taken its toll, as counterinsurgency operations consume many of the air assets essential to maintain conventional deterrence. This chapter suggests that the F-16 and JF-17 fleets will remain the mainstay of the PAF for the next few years and that the service will continue to strive to attain the highest degree of professionalism in the full spectrum of air operations.
