Global Air Support

[mightyducks]

This thread is for anyone to discuss air strategy and flying fighter squads, Any glory and gorey tales of super birds are welcome. Discuss specs vs Russians etc and if you don't like my choice of squads please elaborate 😎

Personal experience has led me to these first 3 squads:

USN Blue Angels, 7th Squadron "Screamin Demons" and USAF Thunderbirds

The Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds are air/flight demonstration squadron of the US navy and USAF respectively. Both are elite squadrons of supersonic fighter jets flown by pilots with combat experience and are known for their impressive flight formations and maneuvers. Both groups also travel across the country and the world to perform aerial shows and flight demonstrations. United States Air Force unit attached to the 49th Operations Group is the 7th Fighter Squadron (7 FS). At Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, it is based. The air superiority fighter F-22 Raptor is flown by the 7th.
The Blue Angels are the second oldest formal aerobatic team in the world and The Thunderbirds is 3rd oldest, succeeding the French aerobat Patrouille de France

History
Both air squadrons have a rich history. After WWII, the Blue Angels were formed before the Thunderbirds. Thunderbirds were founded in 1953, six years after the USAF was established. Both were created as goodwill initiatives in the hopes of educating the public about the Navy and Air Force and maintaining public interest and support for military programs. The Navy Flight Exhibition Team gave birth to the Blue Angels. Lt. Commander Raleigh "Dusty" Rhodes designed the current blue and yellow insignia in 1949. The Thunderbirds were affiliated with the 30th Bombardment Squadron. The 30th was a training unit during World War I. It was almost torpedoed while crossing the Atlantic Ocean on its troop ship. During the Korean War, it used B-29 Super fortresses to attack North Korean targets. According to tasking’s from the Secretary of Defense, the 7th Fighter Squadron “Screamin’ Demons” maintains combat readiness to deploy anywhere in the world. The squadron, flying the F-22A Raptor, offers unparalleled air superiority in the most severe threat environments on earth.
.The 7th Fighter Squadron origins date back to 16 January 1941, when it was activated as the 7th Pursuit Squadron.

Specifications  
To the untrained eye it might seem as though, other than the aircraft colors, the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds are the same. The Thunderbirds are based at the Air Force Military Academy in Colorado Springs. Based out of Florida, the Blue Angels are known for their new navy blue and yellow twin-engine F/A-18 Super Hornets. An Air Force Fighting Falcon costs roughly $14.5 million dollars, making it one of the cheaper planes to produce in the US Military, while the Navy Super Hornet costs about $70 million. They can be adapted for nearly any type of mission, though the Air Force F-16 is frequently used for close air support and air superiority, while the Navy F/A-18 is more often used for air-to-air operations and bombing missions. The F-22a is 18.9 meters in length, 5.1 meters in height, and 13.6 meters in width. Its operating range exceeds 1,600 nm. By weight, the F-22 is made up of 39% titanium, 24% composite, 16% aluminum, and 1% thermoplastic.

Air Support
The use of aircraft to provide close air support to ground forces dates back to World War I, the first conflict in which the Air Force played a significant military role. USAAF's Air Warfare Planning Division released his AWPD/1, Plan of Global Air Strategy, on August 13, 1941. The plan was developed following the strategic guidelines presented earlier this year in his ABC-1 Agreement with the British Commonwealth and the US Rainbow 5 War Plan. Germany and Japan relied on air forces closely intertwined with land and sea forces, while the Axis powers downplayed the advantages of strategic bomber fleets. Air warfare was an important factor in all theaters of World War II, and along with anti-aircraft defenses, consumed a large proportion of the industrial output of the great powers.  The first Japanese combat action of 7th squadron took place over Horn Island, Queensland, off the coast of Cape York Peninsula, Australia, on March 14. Ten of the squadron’s members achieved Ace status during World War II after each of them engaged in aerial combat and destroyed five or more adversary aircraft. The Screamin’ Demons had 178 “Kills” before the end of the conflict. Throughout World War II, the squadron maintained its effectiveness, scoring 36 “Kills” in December 1944. The squadron fought in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea in March 1943, fought for control of the approaches to Huon Gulf, and assisted ground forces during the campaign in which the Allies eventually defeated the Japanese along the Kokoda Track.

 

[Laiba Ali]

Your Discussion is pretty intersting according to my perspective One of the main disappointments of the initial phase of the Russian invasion of Ukraine was the failure of the Russian Aerospace Troops (VKS) fighter and fighter-bomber fleets to gain air superiority or utilise sufficient combat power to support the inferior Russian ground troops. The large-scale Russian air operations that were planned to follow the initial cruise and ballistic missile assaults on the first day of the invasion did not materialise. Possible factors include a paucity of precision-guided missiles, a dearth of pilots with the skills to perform effective assaults in support of early ground operations, and issues with deconfliction between surface-to-air missile (SAM) batteries on the ground in Russia. All of these considerations are still relevant, but as the ground attack enters its second week, they are no longer adequate to explain why the VKS is accomplishing so little. Few sorties have been undertaken by Russian fast aircraft in Ukrainian airspace. In order to avoid being shot down by Ukrainian MANPADS and ground fire, they have always flown in pairs, at low altitudes, and primarily at night.
The VKS fighter fleets may operate as a deterrent against a frontal attack by NATO forces if they are maintained in reserve. This is not probable at all. If the VKS is capable of conducting large-scale combat operations to swiftly acquire air control over Ukraine, then by not doing so, it weakens its potential to deter NATO troops. The failure of the Russian Army to swiftly overcome the substantially smaller and poorly positioned Ukrainian forces, as well as the enormous losses of modern equipment and people, have hurt the worldwide impression of Russia's conventional military power. From the standpoint of NATO deterrence, the Russian General Staff and the Kremlin have every reason to deploy their air force as much as possible to regain a fraction of their lost credibility.
Because only a small portion of the VKS fixed-wing fleet was capable of using precision-guided munitions effectively, large-scale attacks with unguided bombs and rockets were avoided, either to protect vital infrastructure that Russia wished to seize and use or to limit the number of Ukrainian civilian deaths. At the commencement of the invasion, when Russian leaders anticipated for a fast military win, this may have been correct. However, this explanation does not explain why there have not been many significant VKS attacks lately. This chance vanished swiftly, and Russian troops have established a pattern of attacking encircled towns with heavy artillery and cruise missiles, particularly Kharkiv and Mariupol.
It's also conceivable that Russian commanders are being careful with the VKS as they don't want to lose their best and most prized fighter jets. Also, it doesn't make sense. In only one week, Russian ground forces have lost thousands of men, including a disproportionate number of elite paratroopers (VDV) and special forces, as well as hundreds of modern tanks, armoured personnel carriers, and short- and medium-range air defence systems. Russia's authorities have damaged its carefully constructed connections and networks of influence in Europe and the rest of the world, and the damaging sanctions are fast affecting the country's economy. In other words, the Kremlin is taking a great risk, so it doesn't make sense to hold back the air force to limit casualties.

[mightyducks]

55 minutes ago, Laiba Ali said:

In other words, the Kremlin is taking a great risk, so it doesn't make sense to hold back the air force to limit casualties.

Ukraine doesn't have the air power even with the addition of our hardware they would still be outgunned by Russia, that's not to say they can't stop them. 

“Part of this is understanding where Ukraine wants to go, and how we meet them where they are,” Brown said. “All of our allies and partners have an interest in ensuring Ukraine can provide for its own security.”

"Later at Aspen, asked why the U.S. doesn’t give Ukraine some of its aging A-10 Warthogs — which the Air Force has long sought to retire — Kendall said it’s “largely up to Ukraine” to decide the aircraft it wants."

"Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly said his nation needs more advanced fighters such as F-15s and F-16s."https://www.defensenews.com/air/2022/07/21/ukraine-says-its-air-force-needs-western-fighter-jets-and-the-us-is-preparing-to-help/

[Laiba Ali]

On 8/24/2022 at 5:13 PM, mightyducks said:

Ukraine doesn't have the air power even with the addition of our hardware they would still be outgunned by Russia, that's not to say they can't stop them. 

“Part of this is understanding where Ukraine wants to go, and how we meet them where they are,” Brown said. “All of our allies and partners have an interest in ensuring Ukraine can provide for its own security.”

"Later at Aspen, asked why the U.S. doesn’t give Ukraine some of its aging A-10 Warthogs — which the Air Force has long sought to retire — Kendall said it’s “largely up to Ukraine” to decide the aircraft it wants."

"Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly said his nation needs more advanced fighters such as F-15s and F-16s."https://www.defensenews.com/air/2022/07/21/ukraine-says-its-air-force-needs-western-fighter-jets-and-the-us-is-preparing-to-help/

Due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which China has refused to condemn, American citizens are concerned about China and Russia working together. More than for any of the other six issues surveyed, a large majority of Americans (62%) concur that this is a serious problem for the United States.

https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2022/04/28/chinas-partnership-with-russia-seen-as-serious-problem-for-the-us/

Edited August 31, 2022 by Laiba Ali

[mightyducks]

On 8/31/2022 at 12:22 AM, Laiba Ali said:

Due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which China has refused to condemn, American citizens are concerned about China and Russia working together. More than for any of the other six issues surveyed, a large majority of Americans (62%) concur that this is a serious problem for the United States.

https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2022/04/28/chinas-partnership-with-russia-seen-as-serious-problem-for-the-us/

The US approved hypersonic weapons use and production through the USN USAF DARPA and USARMY programs. Although these technologies haven't been in widespread use there is presumptively low margin of error.

The first Russian hypersonic weapons deployments were strikes using Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles at dual separate targets in Ukraine during March.

We suspect China utilized  hypersonic weapons in 2020, with Russia hunting nuclear or dual-capable advanced hypersonic weapons tech.

Upon this realization, active Congress and defense official peoples state Washington has fallen behind Moscow and Beijing and advocate for accelerated U.S. hypersonic weapons production planned to surpass the efforts of foreign adversaries.

Edited September 1, 2022 by mightyducks

[mightyducks]

Interesting Theory to note: after 20 years of counterinsurgency the United States military and allies seek to keep pace developing sophisticated sensors scaled correctly and ranged for use during multi-domain combat operations. Integrated Communications and Analysis will have an advantage in the future with large scale operations. Ideally data would be captured and utilized for simulation purposes like a virtual playbook capable of automated commands for (random) based OPS CMD units @ for example USCYBERCOM.
Reference :LT. COL. RYAN KENNY, USA
https://www.afcea.org/signal-media/cyber-edge/military-metaverse-and-future-large-scale-combat-operations

VR .dat=
Fighter pilots have already been enabled to simulate virtual dogfights versus China and Russian warplanes all while pulling several Gs. The capability to fly against a threat posed by artificial intelligence or a human making it far better than a general flight simulator. The company Red 6 officially takes credit for continuing development.

more on VR=
The Office of Naval Research has developed Project BlueShark a virtual environment used for collaborating between sailors and to drive vessels. USAF utilizes VR to teach pilots how to manage aircraft and missions. VR is proven safe and effective to treat veterans with combat PTSD and chronic pain issues.
Reference: Will Knight, Wired mags
https://www.wired.com/story/military-metaverse/

[Laiba Ali]

On 9/1/2022 at 5:24 PM, mightyducks said:

This certainly hasn't left us lagging behind in the arms race, as of yet. The amount of military support specific data and information absorbed as well as shared even inadvertently through private business practices carrying things out in confidence between us and the Chinese, must be worthwhile. Thinking with the cap of a Cybersecurity engineer is rarely something a politician comes to terms with.

In 1998, to facilitate its bombing of Serbian targets, the United States compromised Serbia's air traffic control and hacked into the country's air defense system. The Estonian government, businesses, and media websites were all hacked in 2007 by a botnet of over a million computers. The ongoing political tension between the two countries led many to believe that the attack was planned and carried out in Russia.
American government and military computer systems were breached by hackers from a foreign country in 2007. In 2009, the security of government and private institutions in over a hundred countries was compromised by an international cyber spy network codenamed "Ghost Net." Ghost Net has been traced back to China, but the country has denied any involvement. Information and network security is the best defense against cyberwar fare. Even if a system isn't mission-critical, it's still important to keep it patched with the latest security updates in case it gets compromised.
One way to lessen the effect of an attack is with thorough disaster recovery preparation, which takes into account prolonged outages. Cyberwar fare may be dismissed as a minor issue by decision-makers. National security officials are more accustomed to traditional military threats than they are to cyber adversaries. The problem is that standard models cannot be used to anticipate the scale, speed, or suddenness of an electronic attack. The United States military's increasing reliance on cyber solutions will cement cyberwarfare's place in the future of warfare. Conflicts in the Middle East have already demonstrated this to some extent.
The media has reported that the U.S. attacks have been designed to confuse the enemy's command and control system in advance of a more direct assault. The Gulf War of 1991 marked the beginning of the modern cyber age. The first major U.S. conflict with cyberwarfare was the 1991 war against Iraq. U.S. cyber warriors reportedly attacked the air defense radar and other systems in Baghdad, though the Pentagon has remained silent on the matter.

References:
Gertz, Bill. “Iranians hack into VOA website.” The Washington Times. Last Modified February 22, 2011. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/feb/21/iranian-hackers-break-voa-deface-web-sites/
Lin, Patrick, Allhoff, Fritz, Rowe, Neil.C. “Computing Ethics War 2.0: Cyber weapons and Ethics.” Viewpoints. Last Modified 2012. http://www3.nd.edu/~cpence/eewt/Lin2012.pdf
Lukich, Alex. “The Iranian Cyber Army.” Center for Strategic & International Studies. Last Modified July 12, 2011. http://csis.org/blog/iranian-cyber-army
 

[Laiba Ali]

On 10/13/2022 at 9:49 AM, mightyducks said:

Interesting Theory to note: after 20 years of counterinsurgency the United States military and allies seek to keep pace developing sophisticated sensors scaled correctly and ranged for use during multi-domain combat operations. Integrated Communications and Analysis will have an advantage in the future with large scale operations. Ideally data would be captured and utilized for simulation purposes like a virtual playbook capable of automated commands for (random) based OPS CMD units @ for example USCYBERCOM.
Reference :LT. COL. RYAN KENNY, USA
https://www.afcea.org/signal-media/cyber-edge/military-metaverse-and-future-large-scale-combat-operations

VR .dat=
Fighter pilots have already been enabled to simulate virtual dogfights versus China and Russian warplanes all while pulling several Gs. The capability to fly against a threat posed by artificial intelligence or a human making it far better than a general flight simulator. The company Red 6 officially takes credit for continuing development.

more on VR=
The Office of Naval Research has developed Project BlueShark a virtual environment used for collaborating between sailors and to drive vessels. USAF utilizes VR to teach pilots how to manage aircraft and missions. VR is proven safe and effective to treat veterans with combat PTSD and chronic pain issues.
Reference: Will Knight, Wired mags
https://www.wired.com/story/military-metaverse/

Digital twins are digital representations that are updated from real-time data; in the military metaverse, this data would be collected and compiled to render the movement of civilian and military persons and equipment. For instance, logistics in the military and civilian sectors, such as the transfer of personnel and material. Digital twins collect information from IoT gadgets for the aim of digitization. They can be used to symbolize anything from a simple object to a complex machine. They can also portray more concrete structures like buildings, industries, and warehouses, as well as more abstract environmental systems like transportation networks and energy distribution infrastructure.

 

Various sensors and data streams on military platforms, as well as by military personnel, would feed data for a digital twin into a military metaverse. Along with this, similar to the current commercial use of Internet of Things devices, the data for the digital twin might be populated from open-source data sources.

 

The performance of a digital twin can be monitored, and insights gained about how an operation is run by contrasting the actual result with the expected one. It is possible to run sophisticated simulations and train machine learning models with data collected in real time. Participating and supporting businesses in LSCO have built sophisticated toolkits for the metaverse, which make use of digital twins.

 

Microsoft's Azure platform encourages the use of digital twins for modeling and simulating product design. Amazon Web Services uses TwinMaker to make the most of the information flowing from manufacturing lines in factories. One of the main selling features of Nvidia's 3D Omniverse platform is its ability to bring real-world realism into virtual environments. Users of this 3D Omniverse platform can interact with the digital world of the metaverse by donning virtual reality or augmented reality devices.

[ProfAbdun]

In April 1945, the largest battleship in history, Yamato, sunk without ever exchanging a single shot with another of its kind; this historic moment was an unmistakable indicator of the fact that all warfare will now be dominated by long-range aircraft for the foreseeable future.

In the twenty-first century, most great powers retain air assets across the world to provide global air support for their operations in other domains. Several key phenomena emerge from the curious interaction of physics and engineering at the extreme speeds involved in such operations. We will briefly discuss some of the most prominent in the current article:-

Supersonic Flight

Supersonic flight is one of the four ‘regimes’ of aircraft flight, with the other three being subsonic, transonic, and hypersonic.[1] ‘Supersonic’ is usually used in a quite literal sense, that is, ‘faster than sound’. At sea level, the speed of sound is around 768 miles per hour, which hence marks the threshold for ‘supersonic flight’. This level of speed is often denoted as Mach 1, with higher speeds displayed respectively.[2]

Sonic Boom

Sonic boom is the particular type of shock wave and sound effect created only when a military aircraft crosses the sound barrier. Contrary to popular perception, the phenomenon actually lasts as long as the plane in question does not slow down beyond the speed of sound. Furthermore, it occurs only in a geometric cone-shaped region behind the aircraft and travels along with it.

The aftereffects of the initial shock and the resultant pressure on ground infrastructure is usually minor and cannot be detected by a Seismogram.[3] The highest ground shock wave ever created by a supersonic aircraft was around 144 pounds per square foot, with forces well below 10 pounds being the norm.[4]

When it comes to the operation of air support assets, the sonic boom effect is usually considered a nuisance that can disrupt local life and pose a danger to physical objects, to the point that overland flights are mostly banned throughout the world. The U.S. Army has led the world in researching sonic boom reduction for over decades, but no evident solution has been found so far.[5]

Nonetheless, there is at least one documented recent incidence where sonic boom was intentionally utilized by a fighter pilot in Iraq to make good his escape and aid the ongoing ground operation at the same time. The taxing maneuver was executed flawlessly.[6]

Vapor Cones

A ‘vapor cone’ is the condensed atmospheric water that often appears in the shape of a vapor surrounding the aircraft’s tail at transonic speeds. A unique occurrence that lastly only briefly under specific circumstances, vapor cones do not have any military or commercial utility with our current state of technology.

Vapor cones appear when the aircraft in question almost reaches but does not exactly cross the local Mach 1 threshold. Under these conditions, the air surrounding the plane might accelerate drastically and bring about sufficient drop in atmospheric pressure and temperature to form visible water vapor. The shock wave generated behind the flight path then causes these conditions to recede almost immediately, hence giving the impression of a cone ‘moving’ alongside the aircraft so long as it maintains its precise speed in the same kind of atmosphere.[7]

 

 

Additional Resources on Global Air Support

Here is a brief list of links to the most useful sources I came across surrounding the topic, as requested:-

https://issuu.com/globalmediapartners/docs/rafasp22_final_review?fr=sYjFhMDQ1NjkyMTc

https://airpower.airforce.gov.au/publications/APM7thEd

https://airpower.airforce.gov.au/publications/air-force-capability-guide-2020

https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104566/air-mobility-command/

https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/budget/fy2004/dot-e/af/2004gccs-af.pdf

https://static.e-publishing.af.mil/production/1/saf_ia/publication/dafpd16-1/dafpd16_1.pdf

https://www.airandspaceforces.com/PDF/DocumentFile/Documents/2016/Rapid%20Global%20Mobility%20Vision.pdf

 

---

[1] https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/nasa-knows/what-is-supersonic-flight-58.html.

[2] https://www.britannica.com/technology/supersonic-flight.

[3] https://www.usgs.gov/programs/earthquake-hazards/sonic-booms.

[4] https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104540/sonic-boom/.

[5] https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/apl/noise_emissions/supersonic_aircraft_noise/media/BaltimorePublic%20Meeting-NASA.pdf.

[6] https://americanmilitarynews.com/2016/10/see-how-sonic-booms-were-used-as-a-weapon-to-save-troops-during-operation-iraqi-freedom/.

[7] https://fyfluiddynamics.com/2015/08/vapor-cones-typically-appear-around-aircraft/.

[Laiba Ali]

 The lifting of the embargo was a clear signal to Pakistan and India that a new Russia had emerged, and Moscow was redefining its strategic interests in the changing geopolitics of South Asia.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shigu visited Pakistan in November 2014 and signed a defense cooperation agreement with Islamabad.13 A month earlier, Russia and Pakistan conducted their first joint counternarcotics exercise, which was followed by a second one in December 2015. In summer 2015, Pakistan Army Chief Raheel Sharif visited Moscow; three months later, Russia signed a deal for Pakistan to purchase Mi-35M Hind-E assault helicopters. In September 2016, Russia and Pakistan conducted their first major joint military exercise. This was the first public sign of the nature of Russia–Pakistan military relations.14 In March 2017, a Russian senior military delegation visited Pakistan’s tribal areas bordering Afghanistan and studied Pakistani border management and counterterror strategy. In August 2017, Pakistan received four more Mi-35M Hind-E helicopters. Following these procurements, Russia and Pakistan began a series of joint military exercises, such as the Arabian Monsoon naval drills in 2014 and 2015. In 2017, the Pakistan Navy spearheaded the Aman naval exercise, which included the participation of 35 countries. In this exercise, for the first time, “Russia’s largest antisubmarine warship Severomorsk participated.”15 In addition, both militaries conducted joint exercises, starting with the Friendship-2017 military exercises—involving about 70 military mountaineers from Pakistan and the Russian mountain infantry division of Southern Military District—held in the mountain range near Nizhny Arkhyz settlement in Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia, in September 2017.16

In February 2018, Pakistan’s foreign minister visited Moscow and signed several agreements. In April 2018, General Qamar Bajwa, the third consecutive Pakistan army chief, visited Moscow, and the countries formed the Joint Military Commission.17 In the same month, the national security advisors of both countries held high-level security meetings in Moscow. The Pakistani delegation included defense officials from the Strategic Plans Division—indicating possibilities of discussions involving strategic and nuclear issues.18 The frequency of exchanges of military delegations between Moscow and Islamabad increased thereafter. For instance, in August 2018, a Pakistani naval delegation led by Vice Admiral Kaleem Shaukat visited Russia and signed a memorandum of understanding on naval cooperation.19 In September 2018, military contingents from India and Pakistan participated in SCO joint exercises, which, given the ongoing India–Pakistan tension, was a pleasant positive gesture that happened on Russian soil. As relations between Pakistan and Russia were humming along, US president Donald Trump terminated Pakistan’s participation in America’s International Military Education Program.20 No sooner than this became public, Pakistan and Russia signed the “Security Training Agreement” to train Pakistani military officers in Russian military institutions for the first time.

While Pakistan and Russia are not publicizing the nature of their cooperation as openly as Islamabad would do in Pakistan’s agreements with China, the trajectory is quite clear. Pakistan is keeping its options with Moscow and Beijing open after US military support has dried up under the Trump administration.While Pakistan and Russia are not as open about the nature of their cooperation as Islamabad is about Pakistan's agreements with China, the trajectory is clear. Pakistan is keeping its options open with Moscow andPakistan's anti-shipping options, which already included multiple subsonic options, were expanded with the addition of a supersonic-cruising ASCM/LACM. An ASCM/LACM capable of supersonic flight introduces a new variable, decreasing the predictability of the PN. Supersonic ASCM/LACMs are challenging to stop because they give targets less time to react and, even if intercepted, can still cause damage due to their shattered remains and high terminal velocity. An ASCM/LACM that can cruise at hypersonic speeds is not a direct counter to comparable missiles like the BrahMos, but it does offer a similar capability. To achieve this goal, the PN must strengthen its anti-air warfare (AAW) capability, particularly its stockpile of high-velocity, relatively long-range point-defence missiles (PDMS). However, the PN is not likely to invest in the air defense capabilities necessary to counter such threats as missile trends (especially in the East) shift from supersonic to hypersonic systems. As an alternative, it should work on creating a similar capability and deploying it widely in order to discourage the use of such weapons. While high-level visits, arms sales, and increased cooperation began to improve ties between Pakistan and Russia in 2010, they began to worsen between the two countries and the United States. Important happenings from 2010 onwards are discussed here. For instance, Russia convened a summit with Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan in Moscow in early 2010. Russia's renewed interest in Afghanistan began at this summit, and India's absence at the meeting was notable for Pakistan. Not only that, but it happened right when tensions between the US and Pakistan were sky high because of the situation in Afghanistan. The US raid inside Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden and an accidental cross-border firing between Pakistan and US forces in November 2011 that resulted in the deaths of several Pakistani officers and soldiers at a border post with Afghanistan all contributed to a sudden deterioration of the US-Pakistan alliance in the following year. General Ashfaq Kayani, then-chief of the Pakistani army, traveled to Moscow in 2011 when tensions between the two countries were at an all-time low to discuss Pakistan's new strategy and defense requirements. Kayani requested that Russia reconsider its ban on selling arms to Pakistan. The US raid inside Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden and an accidental cross-border firing between Pakistan and US forces in November 2011 that killed several Pakistani officers and soldiers at a border post with Afghanistan all contributed to a sudden deterioration of the US-Pakistan alliance in the following year. Pakistan's Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani traveled to Moscow in 2011 to convince Russia of Pakistan's new strategy and defense needs, at a time when relations with the US were at an all-time low. Kayani pleaded with Russia to lift its ban on selling arms to Pakistan. A year later, in August 2012, Pakistan's Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafiq Butt came to Russia, and a year later, in April 2013, Russia's Air Chief Viktor Bondarev traveled to Islamabad. Russia's decision to end its arms embargo on Pakistan after two years angered New Delhi. Up until that point, Russia had looked to India for approval before considering arms sales to Pakistan. 

https://www.globalfirepower.com/countries-listing.php

https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/JIPA/Article-Display/Article/2473361/russiapakistan-strategic-relations-an-emerging-entente-cordiale/

https://quwa.org/2019/10/06/pakistans-supersonic-missile-should-work-from-small-launch-platforms-2/

Edited October 24, 2022 by Laiba Ali
There was some additional information which was not needed

[Laiba Ali]

The Pakistan Air Force is a part of the Pakistan Armed Forces (PAF) that fights in the air (PAF). The main thing it does is protect Pakistan from the air. Its second goal is to help the Pakistani military and navy when they need it, and its third goal is to give Pakistan the ability to do strategic airlift. The International Institute for Strategic Studies thinks that by 2021, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) will have at least 970 aircraft and more than 70,000 active duty members. The main goal of this organization is "to provide Pakistan with the most effective, sure, and cost-effective air defense in cooperation with other inter-services." Since it was started in 1947, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has helped the Pakistani military with airborne operations and relief missions. It has also been involved in a number of wars. Article 243 of Pakistan's Constitution says that the civilian leader of the Pakistan Armed Forces is the President of Pakistan. Pakistan's Chief of Air Staff (CAS) must be a four-star commissioned air officer, but the President of Pakistan makes the choice. Before this option can move forward, it needs to be talked over with Pakistan's Prime Minister and get his approval.

Due to Pakistan's important role in the War on Terror, the US and several countries in Western Europe, such as Germany and France, lifted defense-related sanctions against the country. This means that Pakistan can once again buy advanced military technology from the West. Since the sanctions were lifted, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has been very busy researching new fighter jets, radars, and land-based air-defense systems that it could use in its military operations. But after the 2005 earthquake in Kashmir, the situation was so urgent that the Pakistani military had to put its plans for modernization on hold so it could use the money for fuel and operations during the ongoing relief efforts in the region.
When the Pakistani government gave the Pakistan Air Force permission in April 2006 to buy new planes and systems from many countries, including the U.S. and China, the modernization process moved forward again. It would be their job from 2006 to 2019 to bring the Pakistan Air Force into the 21st century.
On July 24, 2008, the Bush administration told Congress that it plans to use almost $230 million of the $300 million in aid to upgrade Pakistan's old F-16s instead of using it to fight terrorism. On June 27, 2008, the Bush administration said it planned to sell up to $75 million worth of electronic warfare equipment made by Pakistan ITT Corporation to Islamabad so that it could improve its F-16s. Pakistan has said that it would like to buy up to 21 AN/ALQ-211(V)9 AIDEWS pods and other equipment in this category. Through the proposed deal, the current fleet would be made sure to work with the brand-new F-16 Block 50/52 fighters that Islamabad will buy.

[R011]

Quote

Pakistan's important role in the War on Terror

On whose side?

[Laiba Ali]

Since the Islamic fundamentalist group known as the Taliban of Afghanistan took control of Afghanistan in August of the previous year, relations between the two countries that are neighbors have been at an all-time high. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (also known as TTP) is a breakaway section of the Afghan Taliban, and Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of providing a safe haven to the terrorist organization Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (also known as TTP). The violence has strained what were otherwise good relations between Islamabad and Kabul, and it has prompted Pakistani authorities to repeatedly urge the Taliban administration to stop TTP militants from using Afghan soil to plot cross-border terrorist raids. This is because the violence has strained what were otherwise good relations between the two countries. These extremists are utilizing Afghan land as a staging ground for their strikes against Pakistan.

[DB]

11 hours ago, R011 said:

On whose side?

Both.

[Laiba Ali]

9 hours ago, Laiba Ali said:

Since the Islamic fundamentalist group known as the Taliban of Afghanistan took control of Afghanistan in August of the previous year, relations between the two countries that are neighbors have been at an all-time high. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (also known as TTP) is a breakaway section of the Afghan Taliban, and Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of providing a safe haven to the terrorist organization Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (also known as TTP). The violence has strained what were otherwise good relations between Islamabad and Kabul, and it has prompted Pakistani authorities to repeatedly urge the Taliban administration to stop TTP militants from using Afghan soil to plot cross-border terrorist raids. This is because the violence has strained what were otherwise good relations between the two countries. These extremists are utilizing Afghan land as a staging ground for their strikes against Pakistan.

No. 9 Squadron

No. 9 Fighter Squadron of the Pakistan Air Force is referred to as Griffins. It is part of the No. 38 Multi-Role Wing of the Pakistan Air Force Central Air Command. At PAF Base Mushaf in Sargodha, the squadron is situated. Seven Chiefs of Air Staff commanded the first fighter squadron of the Pakistan Air Force. The crest of the squadron is a fiery griffin, signifying strength and ferocity as well as the state of being vigilant. The battles of Sargodha in 1965 and Karachi in 1971 are shown in scrolls that ring the squadron crest. The Griffins are widely recognized as the squadron with the best skill and expertise in the Papua Air Force.

Sherdils:

The pilots of the Sherdils are not thought to be as skilled in aerobatics as those of other well-known aerobatic teams. Pilots for Sherdils are supplied by the Pakistan Air Force Academy's Advanced Jet Training Squadron, which trains personnel in jet aviation. They train for and participate in formation aerobatics at both the national and international levels in addition to instructing new pilots how to fly contemporary jet trainers. Pakistan Day was marked by a parade. Squadron Lieutenant Bahar-ul-haq, an academy instructor, put forth the initiative that led to the formation of the team on August 17, 1972. The Red Pelicans, an aerobatics team that competed at the RAF College in Cranwell, where Bahar's exchange program took place, served as the model for the founding of the squad.

In the PAF, Squadron 24

In December 1962, the squadron was established at Peshawar's Pakistan Air Force Base. It was handed the RB-57B Rivet Flash, a B-57 Canberra bomber derivative designed for electronic surveillance, so it could collect electronic intelligence on Pakistan. The No. 31 Bomber Wing of the Pakistan Air Force, which was in charge of the B-57 Canberra planes, provided the squadron with its members. The unit's initial commander was Squadron Leader Muhammed Iqbal. In order to receive instruction, two squadron members were transferred to the US. They had ground training, during which they were taught how to operate the electronic surveillance apparatus. In March 1964, the US Air Force began the Little Cloud mission, a strategic reconnaissance operation. The two Martin/General Dynamics RB-57F Canberra prototypes that had been moved to Peshawar were being maintained and flown by Pakistan Air Force personnel.