The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Monday released a video footage showcasing the destruction of Pakistan's Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi. These visuals confirm the precision of India's strikes during Operation Sindoor, a retaliatory mission launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Watch video here
Air Marshal A K Bharti (Director General Air Operations), Lieutenant General Rajeev Ghai (Director General Military Operations), and Vice Admiral AN Pramod (Director General Naval Operations) jointly addressed the press on "Operation Sindoor" for second consecutive day.
Nur Khan Chaklala airbase
Pakistan Air Force's Nur Khan Base, formerly known as RAF Station Chaklala, is situated in Chaklala, a suburb of Rawalpindi in Pakistan's Punjab province. The airbase was originally developed by the British Royal Air Force during the colonial era and played an active role during the Second World War. Parachute training operations were conducted here for Allied troops. In later decades, the base transitioned into one of the main transport and logistics centres for the Pakistan Air Force. Until a few years ago, the Benazir Bhutto International Airport also operated from this site before being replaced by the new Islamabad International Airport.
In the aftermath of the devastating 2005 earthquake in Pakistan, the United States deployed around 300 military personnel, along with cargo aircraft and helicopters, to Chaklala for humanitarian aid operations. Reports also indicate that since the end of 2001, Chaklala served as a critical support point for US military operations in neighbouring Afghanistan. The base's proximity to Islamabad made it a convenient and strategic location for logistics, intelligence sharing, and coordination between the two countries during the peak of the War on Terror.
In 2009, the airbase received one of PAF's four Il-78 aerial refuelling aircraft, making it a key node in Pakistan’s mid-air refuelling and extended mission capabilities. This led to the establishment of the No. 10 MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport) Squadron. In 2012, the base was officially renamed PAF Base Noor Khan in honour of Air Marshal Malik Nur Khan, who not only served as its first base commander but also held the distinction of being the second Pakistani Chief of Air Staff. His leadership and reforms are credited with modernising the PAF during the 1960s.
