Every war and operation the Pakistan Naval Air Arm has flown in
The air arm’s defining loss, the Atlantic shot down on 10 August 1999, is still described differently by the two governments: India says the aircraft entered Indian airspace and acted in a hostile manner, Pakistan that it was an unarmed training flight in its own airspace, and the International Court of Justice ruled only that it had no jurisdiction. Casualty figures for the 2011 raid on PNS Mehran range from 10 to 18. For May 2025, India claims its navy kept Pakistan’s in port; Pakistan’s position was not found. Blank cells are blank because no figure could be verified.
From a borrowed airliner over Karachi in 1971 to the stand-off at sea in May 2025.
| Conflicto | Años | Contra | Avión principal | Salidas | Avión perdido | |
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| Guerra indo-pakistaní de 1971the naval war off KarachiPakistan Navy (improvised air patrol) | 1971 | India | Fokker F27 (leased from PIA) | |||
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Flew maritime reconnaissance with a Fokker F27 leased from Pakistan International Airlines after the Indian missile-boat attack on Karachi. The navy had no aircraft when India’s missile boats struck Karachi in Operation Trident on the night of 4–5 December 1971, followed by Operation Python on 8–9 December. According to English Wikipedia’s history of the air arm, the navy leased a Fokker F27 from Pakistan International Airlines on 6 December and civilian airline pilots volunteered to fly it on patrol. The same account says that Commodore A. W. Bhombal, flying as an observer, misidentified the Pakistani frigate PNS Zulfiqar as an Indian warship and approved a bombing mission against it, a friendly-fire incident. Wikipedia dates the air arm’s foundation to 9 December, in the middle of these events. On the other side, the Indian Navy’s carrier aircraft struck East Pakistan’s ports; the Indian naval air arm dataset on this site records one Indian Alizé shot down by a Pakistani aircraft, which was a Pakistan Air Force, not a naval, success. Resultado Pakistan’s Eastern Command surrendered at Dhaka on 16 December and a ceasefire followed on 17 December; the war convinced the navy it needed its own aircraft. The friendly-fire account rests on Wikipedia alone; the number killed and the aircraft that attacked PNS Zulfiqar were not confirmed. No Pakistani official account was reached.
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| Kargil War and its aftermathOperation Talwar at seaArma aérea naval de Pakistán | 1999 | India | P-3C Orion, Breguet Atlantic | |||
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P-3C Orions flew patrols during the conflict while India’s navy mounted Operation Talwar off the Pakistani coast. Kargil was a land and air war in the mountains, but both navies mobilised. Wikipedia’s Kargil article records India’s Operation Talwar, a naval deployment intended to threaten Pakistan’s ports; it does not describe any Pakistani naval air action. Wikipedia’s P-3 Orion article says the navy’s three new Orions, delivered in 1996 and 1997, were operated extensively during the conflict. A month after the fighting ended, on 10 August 1999, the Atlantique incident cost the air arm an aircraft and 16 lives (see the next entry). The air arm’s Wikipedia page also records a P-3C lost during routine exercises on 29 October 1999, and the Orion article says the aircraft were grounded for a time after a crash with the loss of the whole crew. Resultado The fighting ended in July 1999 with Pakistani forces withdrawn across the Line of Control; tension at sea and on the border continued into August. The naval air arm’s Kargil role is described only in general terms. Overall Kargil casualty figures are disputed between the two governments and are given on the army and air force pages.
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| The Atlantique incidentan unarmed patrol aircraft shot downPakistan Naval Air Arm (No. 29 Squadron) | 1999 | India | Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic | 1 | 1 | |
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An unarmed Breguet Atlantic on what Pakistan calls a training flight was shot down by Indian Air Force MiG-21s. At about 10:47 Pakistan time on 10 August 1999, a Breguet Atlantic of No. 29 Squadron was intercepted by two MiG-21s of the Indian Air Force’s No. 45 Squadron from Naliya, and Squadron Leader P. K. Bundela hit its port engine with an R-60 infrared missile. India’s position, as summarised by Wikipedia, is that the aircraft had come within 10 km of the border in breach of a 1991 bilateral agreement, had intruded about 10 km into Indian airspace near Kori Creek and acted in a hostile manner; Wikipedia’s Atlantic article adds that the crew ignored instructions to land. Pakistan’s position is that the aircraft was unarmed, on a routine training mission inside Pakistani airspace, and that its wreckage fell on the Pakistani side; the Prime Minister called the shooting a barbaric act. Debris was scattered within about 2 km on both sides of the border. The next day, Wikipedia says, Pakistani marines fired a missile at an Indian helicopter carrying journalists to the site; it missed. India awarded the Vayu Sena Medal to three officers on 8 October 2000. Pakistan filed suit at the International Court of Justice on 21 September 1999, seeking about US$60 million; the court found it had no jurisdiction, with two judges dissenting. Resultado Pakistan took the case to the International Court of Justice, which ruled on 21 June 2000 that it had no jurisdiction; no compensation was paid. Where the aircraft was when it was hit is disputed between the two governments and was not settled by any court. The ICJ ruled only on jurisdiction, not on the facts.
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| 2001–2002 India–Pakistan stand-offOperation Parakram on the Indian sideArma aérea naval de Pakistán | 2001–2002 | India | P-3C Orión | 0 | ||
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Kept its P-3C Orions armed and airworthy throughout the military stand-off with India. After the attack on India’s parliament in December 2001 both countries mobilised along the border for months. Wikipedia’s Orion article, the only source reached for the naval air arm’s part, says that the P-3Cs, grounded for a time after a fatal crash, were nevertheless maintained in an armed state and airworthy condition throughout the escalation of 2001 and 2002. No fighting involving naval aircraft is recorded. Resultado The stand-off ended without war in 2002. Thinly sourced; included because the air arm lists the stand-off among its operations. |
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| Operations against militantsthe war in the north-westArma aérea naval de Pakistán | 2007– | Militant groups | P-3C Orión | |||
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P-3C Orions flew signals intelligence and, according to Wikipedia, bombing missions against militant groups. Wikipedia’s Orion article says that during 2007 Pakistan’s P-3Cs conducted signals intelligence, airborne and bombing operations against militant groups. Where, against whom and with what result is not stated, and no Pakistani official account was reached. The air arm’s Wikipedia page lists the War on Terror and operations on the Afghan border, including the 2024 clashes, among its engagements without detail. Resultado Ongoing; the navy’s part is not documented in detail. Single secondary source; the bombing role in particular could not be corroborated. |
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| Attack on PNS Mehranthe TTP raid on the naval air stationPakistan Navy, with army and police support | 2011 | Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) | P-3C Orion (on the ground) | 2 | ||
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The air arm’s main base was attacked by militants, who destroyed two P-3C Orions before being killed or captured after a siege of about 16–17 hours. Late on 22 May 2011 a group of militants entered PNS Mehran in Karachi. The TTP claimed the raid; Wikipedia quotes its spokesman calling it revenge for the killing of Osama bin Laden on 2 May. Two P-3C Orions, half the fleet at the time according to Wikipedia’s Orion article, were destroyed. Eleven Chinese technicians and six American advisers on the base were evacuated unharmed, Wikipedia says. Accounts of the attack differ. Al Jazeera reported that the government and navy said six attackers took part while a police report counted ten to twelve, and that analysts saw signs of inside help; Wikipedia, drawing on later reporting, describes a TTP-led force with al-Qaeda involvement and says naval personnel were later investigated for links to the TTP. The death toll is given as 10 by Al Jazeera and 18 by Wikipedia. NATO’s Secretary General said at the time that he was confident Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal was safe. Resultado The base was cleared on 23 May 2011; the United States agreed in June to replace the two Orions. Casualty figures and the number of attackers differ between sources; no Pakistan Navy statement could be reached directly.
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| Conflicto entre India y Pakistán en 2025Operación Bunyan-um-Marsoos (Pakistán) y Operación Sindoor (India)Pakistan Navy | 2025 | India | ||||
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No role for naval aircraft was published by either side. After the Pahalgam attack, India struck targets in Pakistan on 7 May 2025, and fighting between the air forces, missiles and drones continued until the ceasefire on 10 May. At sea, Wikipedia reports that India repositioned its Western Fleet, including an aircraft carrier, within range of Karachi, the Pakistan Navy’s headquarters. India’s later account goes further: on 31 May 2026 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the Indian Navy had forced the entire Pakistan Navy to remain confined to its ports, and the Indian naval chief, Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi, said it had been kept in harbour or close to the Makran coast. Pakistan’s position on the naval side of the conflict, and any role played by its patrol aircraft, was not found in the sources reached. No naval air combat was reported. Resultado A ceasefire took effect at 16:30 PKT on 10 May 2025. The Indian statements are claims by one side; Pakistan’s response to them was not found.
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No se encontraron coincidencias con esa búsqueda.
Cada cifra, verificada
- International Court of Justice: Aerial Incident of 10 August 1999 (Pakistan v. India)Filed 21 September 1999; judgment of 21 June 2000 finding no jurisdiction; dissents by Judge Al-Khasawneh and Judge ad hoc Pirzada.
- Al Jazeera: NATO concern over Pakistan nuclear arsenal (24 May 2011)17-hour siege; six attackers per the government, 10–12 per a police report; 10 killed; two US-supplied surveillance aircraft destroyed.
- All India Radio News: Indian Navy forced Pakistan Navy to remain confined to its ports during Operation Sindoor (31 May 2026)Statements by Rajnath Singh and Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi; claims of one side.
- MiGFlug Order of Battle: Pakistan Air Force dataset (verified 30 September 2026)Internal consistency check: 2025 conflict entry and PAF Base Faisal row.
- MiGFlug Order of Battle: Indian Naval Air Arm datasetInternal consistency check: 1971 and Operation Sindoor entries.
Cifras verificadas el 1 de octubre de 2026. Back to the Pakistan Naval Air Arm.