PAF Base Masroor

For the pilot who the base is named after, see Masroor Hosain.

PAF Base Masroor
Logo of PAF Base Masroor
IATA: MSR ICAO: OPMR
Summary
Airport type	Military
Operator	Pakistan Air Force
Location	Karachi
Opened	1940 (1940)
Commander	Air Commodore Muhammad Umar
Occupants	No. 2 Squadron PAF No. 4 Squadron PAF No. 8 Squadron PAF No. 22 Squadron PAF No. 84 Squadron PAF
Elevation AMSL	35 ft / 11 m
Coordinates	24°53′37″N 66°56′20″E
Website	Pakistan Air Force
Map
PAF Base Masroor
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 04/22 8,622 2,628 Asphalt 09/27 9,022 2,750 Concrete

PAF 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.

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.

History

PAF F-86 Sabres lined up during a ceremony at Masrur

The airbase at Mauripur was established by the RIAF during World War II in 1942 as a transit airfield allowing RAF Drigh Road to concentrate on maintenance. Huge numbers of aircraft staged through Mauripur during and after the end of World War II. British units continued to use the airfield after the creation of Pakistan in 1947, finally leaving in 1956. The RAF airfields at Gan and Masirah took over RAF Far East Air Force staging duties from Mauripur and Habbaniya (which became unavailable from 14 July 1958 after the revolution in Iraq).

Historic units and aircraft

Unit	Dates	Aircraft	Variant	Notes
No. 5 Squadron RAF	1947	Hawker Tempest	F2	Single-engined (piston) fighter
No. 10 Squadron RAF	1946-1947	Douglas Dakota		Twin-engined piston transport
No. 20 Squadron RAF	1947	Hawker Tempest	F2
No. 31 Squadron RAF	1946 and 1947	Douglas Dakota		Was 77 Sqn
No. 62 Squadron RAF	1947	Douglas Dakota
No. 77 Squadron RAF	1945-1946	Douglas Dakota		Renumbered 31 Sqn
No. 117 Squadron RAF	1943	Douglas Dakota
No. 267 Squadron RAF	1945-1946	Douglas Dakota		Detachments from Mingaladon
No. 298 Squadron RAF	1946	Handley Page Halifax	A7	Four-engined piston heavy bomber transport conversion

Post-partition era

After the Partition of British India, the base became RPAF Station Mauripur.

On 24 May 1968, PAF Station Mauripur was renamed to PAF Station Masroor in honor of base commander Masroor Hosain.

On 1 July 1970, Pakistan Air Force stations were renamed to bases.

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).

See also

• List of Pakistan Air Force Bases
• List of airports in Pakistan
• Masroor Colony

References

• Jefford, C.G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
• SANDSCRIPT, The Journal of the RAF Mauripur Association. RAF Mauripur Association. 1996–2014.

External links

• Pakistan Air Force (PAF) official website
• RAF Mauripur Association Website
• The strike at R.A.F Mauripur