After eleven years of
eventful service, a pair of No.9 Squadron's F-104As lifts off
the Masroor runway to mark the Lockhead Starfighter's last mission
in the PAF. The F-104's life in the PAF was cut short by the United
States Government's "even-handed" arms embargo on both
Pakistan and India after the 1965 and 1971 wars. Washington chose
to ignore the fact that India, a long-time ally of the Soviet
Union throughout the Cold War, did not possess any American military
equipment and the sanctions thus exclusively penalized the armed
force of Pakistan. In the face of increasing difficulty in obtaining
spares, the PAF finally decided in mid-1972 to phase out the starfighters.
The PAF's F-104s were somewhat unique. While being the lightest
among the starfighters in combat configuration, the more powerful
J-79-IIA engines gave them additional manoeuvre energy. The 20mm
Galling gun, retrofitted to the PAF's F-104s by specific request,
also added to the fighter's combat effectiveness. Many heavyhearted
airmen and officers of No 9 Squadron witnessed the farewell flight,
some of them served in the Squadron for two wars. From among the
Squadron's veteran pilots, the two took up the Starfighters for
the last time.
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