PAF Base Masroor

Military airport in Pakistan

IATA: MSR
ICAO: OPMR

SummaryAirport typeMilitaryOperatorPakistan Air ForceLocationKarachiOpened1940; 84 years ago (1940)Commander

Air Commodore Muhammad UmarOccupantsPakistan Air Force

No. 2 Squadron PAF
No. 4 Squadron PAF
No. 8 Squadron PAF
No. 22 Squadron PAF
No. 84 Squadron PAF

Elevation AMSL35 ft / 11 mCoordinates

Masroor Air Force Base, Karachi

Runways

Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
04/22	8,622	2,628	Asphalt
09/27	9,022	2,750	Concrete

Pakistan Air Force 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 Base Faisal and PAF Base Bholari are the other Pakistan Air Force bases in Karachi.^[2]^[3]

History

The airbase at Mauripur was established by the RIAF during World War II in 1940–1941. After the Partition of British India, the base became RPAF Station Mauripur.^[4]

On 24 May 1968, PAF Base Mauripur was renamed to PAF Base Masroor in honor of base commander Masroor Hosain.^[4]

Features

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-Azam Muhammad 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-17C Block 2s, No 4 AWACS Squadron operating Karakoram Eagle AWACS, No 7 TA Squadron operating Mirage 3 ROSE 1, No 8 TA Squadron operating Mirage 5PA2/3, 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).^[5]

References

^ Shazia Hasan (7 September 2018). "Defence Day celebrated in city with great zeal". Dawn (newspaper). Retrieved 4 October 2021.
^ PAF inaugurates new operational air base at Bholari near Karachi
^ Khawaja Asif lays foundation stone of PAF Bholari base in Jamshoro
^ ^a ^b Qadri, Azam (2014). Sentinels in the Sky: A Saga of PAF's Gallant Air Warriors. PAF Book Club.
^ Pakistan Air Force Bases (list includes PAF Base Masroor) nuke.fas.org website, Retrieved 4 October 2021

External links

Pakistan Air Force (PAF) official website

Pakistan Air Force

Leadership

Commander-in-Chief
- President of Pakistan
Chief Executive
- Prime Minister of Pakistan
Parliament
- Senate Committee on Defence
- National Assembly Committee on Defence
Cabinet Committee on National Security

Ministers	Defence Secretary Defence Production
Air Headquarters	Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chief of Air Staff Vice Chief Deputy Chiefs Serving Marshals

Commands

Air Force Strategic Command
Air Intelligence
Special Services Wing
Air Squadrons

Education and training

Bases

Flying Bases	PAF Academy Nur Khan Chandhar Faisal Masroor Alam Minhas Murid Mushaf Peshawar Rafiqui Samungli Shahbaz
Non-flying Bases	Kalabagh Kohat Korangi-Creek Lahore Lower Topa Malir Sakesar Badaber