The F-6 was operated by the No.15 Squadron 'Cobras' of the No.33 Wing based at Kamra. Nos. 17 and 23 Squadrons 'Talons' also operated the type based at Samunghi Air Base, in Quetta. No.19 Air Superiority Squadron 'Phoenix', based at Masroor also employed the type.
Practically almost every Pakistani pilot began their flying careers with the F-6 or another Chinese aircraft. In spite of not being specially sophisticated, the F-6 allowed the pilots to gain valuable jet experience before transitioning to more advanced types.
Practically almost every Pakistani pilot began their flying careers with the F-6 or another Chinese aircraft. In spite of not being specially sophisticated, the F-6 allowed the pilots to gain valuable jet experience before transitioning to more advanced types.
Initially, Pakistan Air Force's (PAF) F-6s flew in natural metal colour, often with colourful squadron markings. Later, Olive drab or two tone grey or grey/green camouflage patterns were introduced, always keeping their flashy squadron markings. As an example of this, No.15 Squadron often had red/white checkered rudders and noses.
In the late 1980s the surviving F-6s had been relegated to the advanced training role being assigned to two operational conversion units (OCU). These were the No.1 Fighter Conversion Unit (FCU) and No.14 Squadron OCU at Mianwali Air Base which was the first stop for student pilots fresh from the PAF academy at Risalpur. No.25 Squadron OCU based at Sargodha Air Base also was one of those units. In this training process, five weeks of ground training were followed by five to six months of flying training in which the trainees logged some 70-80 sorties including 30 on the FT-6 trainer.
Sargodha also hosted the Combat Commanders School (CCS), which is at the top of training process. This unit had one F-6 squadron. However they phased it out, together with the FT-6 during the mid 1990s as they converted to the Chengdu F-7P 'Skybolt' and Guanzhou FT-7, which was a Chinese variant of the MiG-21UM trainer.
By 1991 many of the F-6s were already been retired and replaced by the Martin/Lockheed F-16A and the Chengdu F-7P. By April 1992 two squadrons of F-6s were donated to the Bangladesh followed by some few more. According to some sources, in late 1991 a total of 80 plus F-6Cs and 15 FT-6 were still in active service with the PAF.
Sources:
1. Midland Publishing - Aerofax - Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19. The Soviet Union's First Production Supersonic Fighter
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenyang_J-6
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
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