No. 4 squadron PAF

The squadron's history traces its roots back to January 1958, when a maritime flight of 2 Grumman HU-16 Albatross was established operating under the supervision of 12 Squadron at Mauripur airbase. The unit was transformed into a fully functioning squadron on 15 August 1959, under which its fleet was expanded with more Albatross seaplanes, Bristol Freighters, and Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw helicopters. The unit was temporarily disbanded in March 1969 after H-19s were retired from air force service, with its Albatrosses being put in storage. ^[6][7]

On 11 August 2011, the squadron was reactivated as an Airborne Early Warning unit with 4 ZDK-03 AEW&C aircraft.^[1]

While under the command of Squadron Leader Afsar Khan Jadoon, the squadron's H-19Ds undertook several covert operations in close co-operation with the Pakistan Army while the HU-16s saw maritime patrol missions over the Arabian Sea in close coordination with the Pakistan Navy throughout the 16-day war. ^[6]

The squadron remained alert during Operation Swift Retort with the unit being deployed at its wartime locations. Similar wartime alerts were seen during Marka-e-Haq in 2025.^[1]

• List of AEW&C aircraft operators
• List of Pakistan Air Force squadrons