PAF Base Nur Khan (RAF Chaklala)

PAF Base Nur Khan is located in Chaklala, Rawalpindi, Punjab. Operated by the Pakistan Air Force under the Federal Air Command, the installation serves as the headquarters for the Air Mobility Command. The facility was established in 1935 as RAF Chaklala and was used by the Royal Air Force for parachute training during the Second World War. It was transferred to the Royal Pakistan Air Force in 1947 and renamed from PAF Base Chaklala to its current designation in 2012.

The base hosts the 35th Air Mobility Wing and several specialized squadrons. No. 6 Squadron operates Lockheed C-130 and L-100 Hercules aircraft for airlift and airborne operations. No. 10 Squadron operates Ilyushin Il-78 multi-role tanker transport aircraft, providing aerial refueling capabilities. No. 12 Squadron maintains a fleet of aircraft including the Phenom 100 and Gulfstream IV. No. 41 Squadron operates Cessna, Beechcraft, and Y-12 platforms. Other resident units include No. 52 Squadron and the No. 130 Air Engineering Depot. The base also hosts intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms.

Infrastructure at the site incorporates the former Benazir Bhutto International Airport and includes PAF College Chaklala and Fazaia Inter College Nur Khan. The base is located near the Joint Services Headquarters and the Strategic Plans Division. Historically, the base supported operations during the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistani Wars, including transport and modified bombing missions. In May 2025, the facility was the target of Indian Air Force cruise missiles and drones, which affected technical infrastructure, including hangars and an operations command center.