Last modified: 2023-11-11 by ian macdonald
Keywords: pakistan | air force | fin flash |
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![[National Standard of the Pakistan Air Force]](../images/p/pk^afclr.gif)
2:3, by Joe McMillan
The standard pattern for national standards of the Pakistani armed forces, the
national flag with the unit or service badge in the upper hoist. Green and white
fringe, and mounted on a staff with a large silver-colored finial shaped like a
fat saucer mounted vertically. The photos I based the image on appeared to have
the flag in 3:4 ratio. Source: The Story of the Pakistan Air Force: A Saga of
Courage and Honour (Islamabad: Shaheen Foundation, 1988).
Joe McMillan, 27 January 2002
![[Air Force Ensign]](../images/p/pk^af.gif)
2:3, by Joe McMillan
Air Force Ensign - regular version.
![[Air Force Ensign]](../images/p/pk^afcl2.gif)
2:3, by Joe McMillan
Parade version of Pakistan Air Force ensign. This fringed version of the
ensign is carried by Pakistan Air Force colour parties to the left of the national standard
of the Pakistan Air Force. I've made it to conform to the 3:4 ratio that I believe is
correct for the national standard. It is in any case the same size as that
national standard and is similarly fringed, corded, and tasseled. However,
its finial consists of a silver-colored spiked ball, like a medieval mace
head, with a pair of elevated wings attached.
Joe McMillan, 29 January 2003
The image looks like the fringe was white-green-light blue. Is that correct?
Santiago Dotor, 29 January 2003
I should have mentioned that. I noted in looking at fringed military flags in
Pakistan that all the main colors in the flag seem to be carried over into the
fringe. The PAF flag was not among those that I was able to examine up close, so
the fringe on the image is based on the assumption that the same practice
applies. That may
not, in fact, be the case.
Joe McMillan, 29 January 2003
![[Civil Air Ensign of Pakistan]](../images/p/pk_cae.gif)
by Miles Li, 17 October 2023
The Civil Air Ensign of Pakistan is similar to other former British colonies that have adopted British forms of flag use. If I am not mistaken, the designer or designers of the new Pakistani Civil Air Ensign knew a bit about vexillology because they did not adopt a cross version. Instead, the vertical blue and white bars were left probably because such a Christian symbol, the cross, would be inappropriate for an Islamic country.
Calvin Paige Herring, 17 February 1998
![[PAF Fin Flash]](../images/p/pk^fin.gif)
by Dov Gutterman based on Željko Heimer image
The Pakistan Air Force uses a square green flag outlined in yellow/gold with the crescent and star.
Dov Gutterman, 11 Oct 1999
The roundel and flash did have a yellow border when Pakistan became independent, but it hasn't been used since the late 1950's/early 1960's. Like many Air Forces, the aircraft (especially combat aircraft are usually in subdued shades of green, grey, etc., and the bright outlines go away quickly.
Hugh Calibani, 14 Apr 2000
According to other sources, Pakistan uses both fin flashes side by side (usually yellow bordered for non-combat planes).
Dov Gutterman, 14 Apr 2000
The fin flash given for the Pakistan Air Force was changed in 1998, I believe, and the planes have since carried the national flag on their tails.
Arfan Hashmi, 08 Mar 2000
Green roundel with a small white disk in the center, all bordered yellow.
Željko Heimer, 10 September 2002
Pakistan Fizaiya was formed on 15 August 1947 and renamed on 23 March 1956.
From its foundation it has used a white-green roundel that appears on Air Force
Ensign (above).
Cochrane & Elliott (1998) showed this
roundel and a square green fin flash charged with the crescent and star.
Wheeler (1986) showed them both with a yellow
border (see fin flash above). Wheeler is wrong. Such a border
may have been used here and there but as rule there is no yellow border. See
examples of use at
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/462425/L/ and
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/464532/L/.
Dov Gutterman, 21 June 2004
2:3, by Joe McMillan
As the only active duty Air Chief Marshal in the Pakistan Air Force, the
Chief of Air Staff does not have a rank flag, and (unlike the Chief of Army
Staff and the Chief of Naval Staff) does not have a distinguishing flag either;
instead he uses the Air Force Ensign as an auto flag.
Miles Li, 17 October 2023
![[Air Marshall]](../images/p/pk^am.gif)
2:3, image by Miles Li, 17 October 2023
Seen as an auto flag, a shallow swallowtail, horizontal triband, light blue-dark blue-light blue, with three white stars on the center stripe and the PAF's green-white roundel in the upper hoist.
![[Air Vice Marshall]](../images/p/pk^avm.gif)
2:3, image by Miles Li, 17 October 2023
Seen as an auto flag, same as Air Marshal but with two stars.
![[Squadron Colours]](../images/p/pk^af6sq.gif)
2:3, by Joe McMillan
The colour displayed by operational squadrons of the Pakistan Air Force.
According to The Story of the Pakistan Air Force (1988), these flags were
introduced in 1970 as a means of recognizing operationally outstanding
squadrons. However, the first entry in the book concerning the actual
presentation of such a colour was on 29 April 1972 to No. 6 Squadron. I have
therefore chosen this one to illustrate the pattern.
The flag follows the basic pattern of what the British RAF calls squadron
standards. The photographs in the book are of the same 2:3 ratio as the 32 x 48
inch British standards, blue with the squadron badge on the center flanked by
six white scrolls for battle honors, the border elaborately embroidered with
yellow and white foliage. The older colours, including that of No. 6 Squadron,
generally appear to have been made in a somewhat darker shade of blue than that
used for the PAF ensign. More recent colours seem to be of the usual
British-type air force blue. The fringe is yellow, as are cord and tassels. The
sleeve holding the flag to the staff is the same blue as the field.
No. 6 Squadron was one of those formed before independence in the old Royal
Indian Air Force and was assigned to Pakistan at partition in 1947. Throughout
its history it has been primarily a transport unit, but it converted its
transports into bombers for service in both the 1965 and 1971 wars. The badge
portrays a leaping gazelle. The battle honors on the scrolls read "Kashmir 1948"
and "Kashmir 1965." I would think from the history given in the book that No. 6
Squadron also holds a battle honor for "Kashmir 1971" but it is not shown on the
photograph of the color.
Joe McMillan, 4 February 2003
Michel Lupant gave a report of his trip in Vexillacta #12 (June 2001) and
mentioned several flags. The flag of the Air Force base of Rasialpur is very
light blue field
with a "canton" also very light blue, fimbriated in green. In the canton, the
Pakistan national flag ... in canton and the roundel at lower "fly". The field
of the flag is charged with the base emblem, a yellow disc with a green disc
inside, decentered and an eagle head. Note; the roundel is white with a thin
green border. Album des Pavillons 2000 shows
the roundel with a thick border.
Ivan Sache, 16 October 2001