Pakistan Air Force Base Masroor or more simply PAF Base Masroor(ICAO: OPMR) is the largest airbase operated by the Pakistan Air Force. It is located in the Mauripur area of Karachi, in the Sindh province.[1]
The base was originally known as RIAF Base Mauripur (1940-47), RPAF Station Mauripur (1947-56), and after 23 March 1956, as PAF Station Mauripur.
PAF F-86 Sabres lined up during a ceremony at Masrur
The airbase at Mauripur was established by the RIAF during World War II in 1942 as a transit airfield allowing RAF Drigh Road to concentrate on maintenance. Huge numbers of aircraft staged through Mauripur during and after the end of World War II.[4][5] British units continued to use the airfield after the creation of Pakistan in 1947, finally leaving in 1956.[6] The RAF airfields at Gan and Masirah took over RAF Far East Air Force staging duties from Mauripur and Habbaniya (which became unavailable from 14 July 1958 after the revolution in Iraq).[citation needed]
Masroor airbase has the distinction of not only being the largest base, area wise, in Pakistan but also in Asia. Before Karachi Airport, this airport had been used for domestic flights and also by Quaid-e-AzamMuhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan. It is of immense strategic importance considering it has been entrusted upon the task of defending the coastal and Southern region of Pakistan. It houses the 32 Tactical Attack (TA) Wing which comprises six separate squadrons. squadrons include
No 2 MR squadron operating JF-17 Block 2s, No 4 AWACS Squadron operating Karakoram Eagle AWACS, No 7 TA Squadron operating Mirage 3 ROSE 1, No 8 TA Squadron operating JF-17 Block 3s, No 22 OCU operating Mirage 3EL/D and No 84 CSS operating AW-139 Seahawk CSAR helicopters.
Base is also home to College of Aviation safety management and Tactical Air Support school (TASS).[17]
Hewish, Mark; Sweetman, Bill; Wheeler, Barry C.; Gunston, Bill (1984). Air Forces of the World (2ed.). London, UK: Peerage Books. ISBN978-0907408932.
Jefford, C.G. (2001). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912 (2nded.). Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN1-84037-141-2.
SANDSCRIPT, The Journal of the RAF Mauripur Association. RAF Mauripur Association. 1996–2014.
.png){kind=logo}
