Combat Commanders' School

The Combat Commanders' School or CCS is the advanced air combat tactics development and training school of the Pakistan Air Force based at PAF Base Mushaf, Sargodha, Pakistan.
CCS is a part of the PAF Airpower Centre of Excellence under the PAF's Central Air Command. Operationally, PAF ACE has the status of a Wing under the CAC, with three fighter squadrons of the CCS under its command.
CCS is geared primarily towards the mid-career advanced air combat training of PAF fighter squadron commanders, air defence controllers, and instructors and for the development of advanced air combat tactics for the PAF's fighter squadrons.

History

The CCS has its origins in the PAF's Flight Leaders' School established at PAF Base Masroor at Karachi in April 1958 under the PAF's first Pakistani Commander-in-Chief, Air Marshal Asghar Khan, with Wing Commander M.Z. Masud as the FLS's first commanding officer. After the 1965 India-Pakistan War, the FLS underwent periodic closures due to various constraints and faded from the scene in the early 1970s.
In late 1974, the PAF decided to establish an institution that would not only revive the FLS but surpass it.
Consequently, the CCS was established on 5 May 1976 at PAF Base Sargodha with Wing Commander Hakimullah as its first commanding officer. It was inaugurated officially by Air Chief Marshal Zulfiqar Ali Khan on 15 August 1977. At its inception, the CCS was equipped with two fighter squadrons comprising Mirage III and F-6 fighters. On 16 July 1988, an F-16 squadron was added. In 1993, the F-6 squadron was re-equipped with F-7Ps. On 26 January 2015, a fourth squadron equipped with JF-17s was raised.
In 2016, CCS was made a part of the newly-formed PAF ACE under the CAC.
In 2021, the CCS F-7P Squadron was decommissioned after the retirement of all F-7Ps/FT-7Ps from PAF service.
In February 2023, No. 23 Air Superiority Squadron 'Talons', equipped with the newer and more advanced F-7PGs/FT-7PGs, was transferred to CCS from 31 AS Wing, PAF Base Samungli to serve as the new CCS F-7PG Squadron.

Mission

The CCS has the following mission:

Research and development of advanced air combat tactics
Application of advanced air combat tactics
Training of fighter squadron commanders, air defence controllers, and instructors on advanced air combat tactics
Optimum and effective utilization of weapons systems
Standardisation and evaluation of fighter squadrons
Prescribing minimum standards for fighter squadron training and operational readiness
Training

The CCS conducts Combat Commanders' Courses for combat pilots and combat controllers. Previously, Fighter Weapon Instructors' Courses were also conducted for junior leaders. Subsequently, however, FWICs were discontinued to accommodate the more urgent need for imparting training to commanding officers, who would, in turn, impart training to junior officers.
As of February 2023, the CCS has conducted 57 CCCs.
Pilots are normally selected to undergo rigorous training at the CCS after around 9 to 12 years of service with the PAF. Once selected by Air Headquarters, they undergo three courses: a 4–5 month Combat Commanders' Course, a 3-month Weapons Course, and a 4–5 week Fighter Integration Course. The courses are reputed to be very tough and not all CCS students pass. Successful graduates can go on to attain the rank of Wing Commander and command a fighter squadron.
Dissimilar air combat training at the CCS is renowned "throughout the world" for giving complete freedom and responsibility to participating pilots for forming and executing their mission plans. Combat missions are regularly flown at tree-top height and pilots are also responsible for their own post-flight learning. Foreign Chiefs of Air Staff visiting the base have been "most impressed" and "showed surprise at the freedom allotted to the student DACT pilots."
CCS staff pay annual visits to all PAF fighter squadrons to evaluate and enhance combat capabilities and ensure standards. In June 1990, the Squadron Combat Upgradation Programme was initiated and four-month-long cycles were conducted by October 1990, each involving two fighter squadrons, F-16 pilots, and ground controllers. In 1992, SCUP was replaced with the regular Exercise Saffron Bandit, which is a more demanding and complicated near-realistic environment for participating fighter pilots and air defence controllers. Exercise Saffron Bandit is supervised and its syllabus constantly improved by the CCS.

Squadrons

Active squadrons

The CCS has three active fighter squadrons under its command:

Squadron	Nickname	Role	Command	Wing	Date Established	Base	Aircraft	Notes
CCS F-16 Squadron	Aggressors	Advanced Air Combat Tactics Development & Training	Central Air Command	PAF Airpower Centre of Excellence	16 July 1988	PAF Base Mushaf	F-16A/B MLU
CCS JF-17 Squadron	Fierce Dragons	Advanced Air Combat Tactics Development & Training	Central Air Command	PAF Airpower Centre of Excellence	26 January 2015	PAF Base Mushaf	JF-17A/B
CCS F-7PG Squadron	Talons	Advanced Air Combat Tactics Development & Training	Central Air Command	PAF Airpower Centre of Excellence	16 March 1961, PAF Base Samungli	PAF Base Mushaf	F-7PG/FT-7PG	-

Decommissioned squadrons

The following CCS fighter squadrons have been decommissioned:

Squadron	Nickname	Role	Command	Wing	Date Established	Base	Aircraft	Notes
CCS Mirage Squadron	Sky Bolts	Advanced Air Combat Tactics Development & Training	Central Air Command	PAF Airpower Centre of Excellence	5 May 1976	PAF Base Mushaf	Dassault Mirage IIIEA, Dassault Mirage 5PA	Squadron number-plated in January 2024.
CCS F-7 Squadron	Dashings	Advanced Air Combat Tactics Development & Training	Central Air Command	PAF Airpower Centre of Excellence	Raised as "CCS F-6 Squadron" on 5 May 1976. Re-equipped with F-7Ps in 1993 and name changed to "CCS F-7 Squadron".	PAF Base Mushaf	F-7P/FT-7P	Squadron decommissioned in 2021 after retirement of all PAF F-7Ps/FT-7Ps in 2020.

Commanding officers

The CCS is commanded by a mid-ranked PAF officer known as the "Commanding Officer" or "CO", who is of Group Captain rank. Below is the list of CCS Commanding Officers.

Group Captain Hakimullah
Group Captain Cecil Chaudhry
Group Captain Abbas H. Mirza
Group Captain Dilawar Hussain
Group Captain Aliuddin
Group Captain Muhammad Abbas Khattak
Group Captain Muhammad Arshad Chaudhry
Group Captain Abdul Sattar Alvi
Group Captain Zahid Anis
Group Captain Shahid Javed
Group Captain Riffat Munir
Group Captain Abdul Razzaq Anjum
Group Captain Khalid Chaudhry
Group Captain Abdul Hameed Qadri
Group Captain Sabeeh Hussain
Group Captain Faaiz Amir
Group Captain Atique Rafiq
Group Captain Raja Rizwan Ullah Khan
Group Captain Sohail Aman
Group Captain Javaid Ahmed
Group Captain Muhammad Azam
Group Captain Abdul Jabbar Khan
Group Captain Syed Nomaan Ali
Group Captain Muhammad Suleman Aziz
Group Captain Zahid Mehmood
Group Captain Abdul Moeed Khan
Group Captain Nadeem Akhtar
Group Captain Muhammad Zaeem Afzal
Published sources
Downing, Mke, Pakistan's 'Top Gun' Base, Air Forces Monthly, April 1992
Pakistan Air Force, The Story of the Pakistan Air Force 1988-1998: A Battle Against Odds, Islamabad: Shaheen Foundation, 2000
Pakistan Air Force, The Story of the Pakistan Air Force: A Saga of Courage and Honour, Islamabad: Shaheen Foundation, 1988
Warnes, Alan, The Pakistan Air Force 1998-2008: A New Dawn, 2009, Chapter 3,