PNS Siddique

PNS Siddique Naval Air Station Turbat
IATA: none ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type	Military: Naval Air Station
Owner	Pakistan Navy
Operator	Naval Air Arm
Serves	Turbat Airport
Location	Turbat, Balochistan Province, Pakistan
Built	03 September 2014[1]
In use	2014 - Present
Coordinates	25°17′28″N 63°20′41″E
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Pakistan Naval Station Siddique, known as PNS Siddique (Urdu: پایگاه بحریہ مکران) formerly known as Naval Air Station, Turbat,^[2][3] is a naval air station and a military airport located in Turbat city of Makran, Balochistan.^[4][1] It is one of four active Naval Air Arm bases (others are PNS Mehran, PNS Makran, Naval Air Station Ormara) and currently the second largest naval air station after PNS Mehran.^[5][6]

History

Turbat, a small town with a population of less than 200,000, boasts an international airport (IATA code: TUK) offering flights to Muscat, Sharjah, Karachi, Gwadar, and Dalbandian. Situated approximately 90 km NNW of Pasni and 117 km NE of Gwadar, Turbat enjoys road connections to Panjgur, Kalat, Pasni, and Karachi, but lacks rail infrastructure.^[7][6] On 3 September 2014, Pakistan's Naval Chief Admiral Mohammad Asif Sandila commissioned PNS Siddique, a new naval air base in Turbat, southern Balochistan. This marked a further step in the Pakistan Navy's (PN) strategic relocation of assets away from the congested city of Karachi, a process that commenced following the Indian Navy's attack and containment of PN units in Karachi during the 1971 war.^[4][2]

Current operations

PNS Siddiq boasts a modern runway capable of accommodating large aircraft, enabling the Pakistan Navy (PN) to operate maritime patrol aircraft (MPAs) like the Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion from this strategically located base in Turbat.^[6] This move signifies a shift in PN's operational strategy, diversifying its assets beyond the previously heavily reliant PNS Mehran, which tragically suffered an insurgent attack in 2011, resulting in the loss of two P-3C Orion MPAs.^[8]

See also

• Pakistan Naval Air Arm
• PNS Makran
• PNS Mehran

References

1. "PNS Siddiq Naval Air Station Commissioned in Turbat - History of PIA - Forum". historyofpia.com. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
2. APP (25 May 2017). "Naval Air Station in Turbat becomes operational, will provide support to CPEC". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
3. APP (26 May 2017). "Turbat naval air station goes operational". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
4. "Naval Air Station Turbat becomes operational". Daily Times. 26 May 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
5. www.webspider.pk, Web Spider (pvt) Ltd. "Chief of the Naval Staff Visits Coastal Areas". www.hilal.gov.pk. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
6. "Publication". www.usiofindia.org. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
7. APP (25 May 2017). "Naval Air Station in Turbat becomes operational, will provide support to CPEC". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
8. Team, Quwa (25 May 2017). "Pakistan operationalizes new naval air base in Baluchistan". Quwa. Retrieved 10 December 2023.