Pakistan Air Force

August 14th marks both the independence of Pakistan as well as the birth of their air force. Having been founded in 1947, the PAF has a relatively short history among the air forces of the world.

Before independence, pilots who would later fly for Pakistan were a part of the Royal Indian Air Force. Established in 1933, the RIAF started operations with Westland Wapiti biplanes. Initially the RIAF was not considered of great importance by the British, and they were quite poorly equipped.

Everything changed with the Japanese attack on Burma in 1942. An increasing amount of Indian pilots were sent to Britain for training, and the RIAF started receiving better equipment. New aircraft included Vultee Vengeance dive bombers as well as modern fighters such as Hurricanes and Spitfires.