The Jet age
Despite the lack of funds and market-places, Pakistan Air Force entered the jet age in August 1951 with the arrival of three first-generation jet fighters - British built Attackers. They formed the nucleus of the new Number 11 Squadron. Pakistan began to court the Americans, who agreed in principle to supply F-94Cs, F-86 Sabres and F-84s, the USAF's standard fighter-bomber. Finally, PAF opted for the F-86F Sabres. The PAF received 102 F-86F Sabres during the first stage followed by 90 ex West-German CL13B Mk.6s, which were referred to locally as F-86E. These Sabres were sold to Iran originally but were immediately resaled to Pakistan. During a ten year-period, from 1955 until 1965, a build-up of more modern material began with the deliveries of F-104 Starfighters and B-57 bombers. Next to that some C-130s were added to the transport fleet and for training purposes Harvards and T-33s were purchased. To perform the reconnaissance task the RT-33 joined the force. When the first Starfighters arrived in 1961, Pakistan was the first country in Asia to operate a Mach 2-fighter which was not only fast but also equipped with the most modern equipment.

The war of '65
On the 6th of September 1965 India began to attack Pakistan. During the beginning of this offensive a PAF F-104 shot down an Indian Air Force Mystère IV with one of its sidewinders making the first combat kill with a Mach 2-capable aircraft. Pakistan made counter attacks on Indian soil using F-104's, F-86's, B-57's and RT-33A's. The war lasted for 23 days and in Pakistan it is considered a glorious victory for that country.

The Six-Day War between Israel and a number of Arab countries in 1967.
During this conflict the PAF sent personnel to Egypt, Jordan and Syria to support the Arabs in their battle against the Israelis. PAF pilots managed to shoot down ten Israeli aircraft, including Mirages, Mystères and Vautours, without losses on their own side. The PAF pilots operated with Egyptian, Jordanese and Iraqi combat aircraft.

The war of '71
This conflict mainly played in Pakistan's eastern sector. According to Pakistani sources the PAF managed to destroy 51 IAF aircraft plus 17 unconfirmed against own losses of forty planes.

Yom Kippur War, October 1973
During this war 16 PAF pilots volunteered to leave for the Middle East in order to support Egypt and Syria but by the time they arrived Egypt had already agreed on a cease-fire. Syria remained in a state of war against Israel so the PAF pilots became instructors there and formed the A-flight of 67 Squadron at Dumayr AB. Later on PAF pilot Flt. Lt. Sattar Alvi was honoured by the Syrian government.

The 80's
In December 1981, the government of Pakistan signed a letter of agreement for the purchase of 40 F-16A/B fighters for the Pakistan Air Force. The first aircraft were accepted at Fort Worth in October of 1982. Transition training for Pakistani aircrews and ground personnel was carried out by the 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at Hill AFB in Utah. The first two F-16As and four F-16Bs arrived in Pakistan in January 1983. The Pakistani F-16A/Bs were all Block 15 machines, the final version of the F-16A/B production run. Their power plant is the Pratt & Whitney F100-P W-200 turbofan. The first unit to be equipped with the F-16 was No. 11 Squadron located at PAF Base Sargodha. All fourty of the Fighting Falcons had entered PAF service by mid-1986. This made it possible to establish two more squadrons, No.9 at Sargodha and No. 14 at Kamra. No 11 Squadron operates as the OCU.

The Afgan War, 1980-1988
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 in support of the pro-Soviet government in Kabul which was being hard-pressed by Mujahadeen rebel forces marked the start of a decade-long occupation. Mujahadeen rebels continued to harass the occupying Soviet military force as well as the forces of the Afghan regime that it was supporting. The war soon spilled over into neighboring Pakistan, with a horde of refugees fleeing to camps across the border in an attempt to escape the conflict. In addition, many of the rebels used Pakistan as a sanctuary from which to carry out forays into Afghanistan, and a steady flow of US-supplied arms were carried into Afghanistan from staging areas in Pakistan near the border. This inevitably resulted in border violations by Soviet and Afghan aircraft attempting to interdict these operations. Between May 1986 and November 1988, PAF F-16s have shot down at least eight intruders from Afghanistan. The first three of these (one Su-22, another one probably an Su-22 and one An-26) were shot down by two pilots from No. 9 Squadron. Pilots of No. 14 Squadron destroyed the remaining five intruders (two Su-22s, two MiG-23s, and one Su-25). In most of these kills the AIM-9 Sidewinder was used, but at least one plane (an Su-22) was destroyed by cannon fire. Flight Lieutenant Khalid Mamood is credited with three of these kills. At least one F-16 was lost in these battles, in an encounter between F-16s and six Afghan Air Force aircraft on 29 April 1987. However, the lost F-16 appears to have been an "own goal", having been hit by a Sidewinder fired by the other F-16. The unfortunate F-16 pilot ejected safely. Pakistani F-16s typically carry two all-aspect AIM-9Ls on the wing tip rails along with a pair of AIM-9Ps on the outermost underwing racks. Pakistani F-16s have an important strike role, being fitted with the French-built Thomson-CSF ATLIS laser designation pod and the capability to deliver Paveway laser-guided bombs. The ATLIS was first fitted to Pakistani F-16s in January 1986. The F-16 became the first non-European aircraft to be qualified for the ATLIS pod.