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| East Pakistan Air Operations | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Bangladesh Liberation War | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Bangladesh India (Joined on 3 December 1971) |
 Pakistan | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Gp. Capt. A.K. Khandker Air Mshl Hari Chand Dewan |
Air Cmde Inamul Haque Khan Lt. Col. L.A. Bukhari | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
3 MiG-21 FL Squadrons |
16 Canadair Sabre | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
Indian Claims 23 Indian warplanes shot down by PAF and Anti-Aircraft guns[4] |
3 Sabres lost in air combat, 23 aircraft lost altogether 1 helicopter shot down or abandoned[3][5] | ||||||||
| Hundreds killed in Indian attack on an Orphanage in Dacca[6] | |||||||||
East Pakistan Air Operations covers the activity of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and Pakistan Army Aviation units in former East Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War. The operations involved the interdiction, air defense, ground support, and logistics missions flown by the Bangladesh Air Force, Indian Air Force, and the Indian Navy Aviation wing in support of the Mukti Bahini and later Indian Army in Bengal.
The Indian Air force aided the Mukti Bahini in organizing the formation of light aircraft (called Kilo flight). They were manned and serviced mainly by Bengali pilots and technicians who had defected from the Pakistani Air Force.[7]
This unit launched attacks on targets in Bangladesh on December 3, 1971, prior to the start of formal combat between India and Pakistan. The first of the engagements between the opposing air powers occurred before the formal declaration of hostilities. Indian Air units commenced operations on 4 December 1971 in the eastern theater. By 7 December 1971, Tejgaon airport was put out of operation thereby grounding the PAF in East Pakistan. Indian units and Kilo Flight continued flying missions over Bangladesh until the unconditional surrender of Pakistani forces to joint Bangladeshi and Indian forces command on 16 December 1971.
- ^ "1971 war: How IAF's air superiority helped in the early fall of Dhaka". Firstpost. 13 December 2021.
- ^ "Operation Kilo Flight: A story of valour". The Daily Star. 23 August 2021.
- ^ a b [1] Archived 9 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine IAF 1971 Losses
- ^ "TRAUMA AND RECONSTRUCTION (1971-1980)". Pakistan Air Force Official Website. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
- ^ "Firestorm from the Air". The Daily Star. 16 December 2014.
- ^ United Press International. "Indian planes Bomb Dacca Orphanage, hundreds die". The Bryan Times. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
- ^ Sher Khan. "Last Flight from East Pakistan". Defence Journal. Archived from the original on 15 April 2001.
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