Flypast on Pakistan Day 2017

The armed forces of Pakistan held a Joint Services Parade on 23 March to mark Pakistan Day at Shakarparian Parade Ground in Islamabad, which included 66 aircraft of 17 different types from

all three branches of the armed forces, with 17 formation flights and some solo displays. Qasim Army Aviation Base (AAB) at Dhamial Rawalpindi, home to 101 Army Aviation Group, hosted bulk of the helicopters including assets from the Pakistan Navy. Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman, the CAS, led the flypast in an F-16 Block 52, while other PAF fighters of different types followed in diamond formations, F-16As and F-16Bs followed by JF-17s, F-7PG Skybolts and F-7Ps. ROSE Mirages represented strike element of the PAF and also marked 50 years of their service. Also participating was a ZDK-03 Karakoram Eagle airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft flanked by two Saab 2000 Erieyes. Making its debut was an Il-78 tanker flanked by two C-130s.

A pair of P-3Cs represented PN Aviation while unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were shown on flatbed military trucks. Examples included the Burraq, as well as the Scout, Huma and Uqab. The indigenous Ra’ad air-launched cruise missile was also displayed on a flatbed carrier. The second half involved 19 helicopters from the Pakistan Army and PN Aviation. The majority of these were from 101 Army Aviation Group, while a group of AH-1s were from the 404 Army Aviation Group based at Multan. The helicopters were led by three AH-1s, followed by three AS550C3 Fennecs, Bell 412EPS, IAR-330SM Pumas, Mi-17s and PN Aviation Z-9ECs from 222 Squadron.

These were followed by two formations of jet trainers from the PAF Academy, now named after Air Marshal Asghar Khan. The first was from the Academy’s Aerobatics Team ‘ The Sherdils’ with four T-37s, followed by nine K-8s. A lone JF-17 performed an aerobatics display, the Thunder being followed by an F-16 from PAF Base Mushaf at Sargodha.