Bangladeshi Fighter Ace

Khairul Alam

New Member
Squadron Leader Saiful Azam

Saiful Azam was born in 1941 in Pabna, Bangladesh, and spent his early years living in Calcutta, India. In 1947, his family moved to the then East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. In 1955, he went to West Pakistan to attend high school, and in 1958 joined the PAF Cadet College. In 1960, he graduated as a pilot officer and was commissioned in the PAF.

Azam would have his first kill during the 1965 war between Pakistan and India. During the war, he was primarily tasked with ground attack missions deep into Indian territories. He flew a total of 12 ground attack missions in the areas of Kasur, Sialkot, and Wagha. On September 19 1965, during a fateful ground attack mission, Azam's formation was intercepted by two Indian fighters. In the ensuing fight, he shot down one of the attackers, a Folland Gnat fighter. His victim was Flight Officer. V. Mayadev, who was captured as a POW. It was an incredible feat as the Gnat had rarely been shot down in aircombats. His gallantry warned him the Sitaar-i-Juraat, the Flying Cross.

But he would again earn fame during the 1967 Arab Israeli War. He was one of dozens of PAF personnel to volunteer to fight on the Arab side.

He first saw action while acting as an adviser to the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF). On June 5 1967, Azam's formation of four Hawker Hunters bounced an Israeli formation of Dassault Super Mysteres attacking the major Jordanian airbase of Mafraq. Azam shot down one Mystere and critically wounded another.

Two days later, Azam was to see action again, this time in Iraq. On June 7 1967, an Israeli formation of four Vatour bombers, escorted by two Mirage IIIs was in the process of attacking the strategic Iraqi airbase H-3. This time flying in an Iraqi Hunter Hawker (No. 702), Azam intercepted the formation. Two of his wingman was shot by a Mirage III, flown by Captain Gideon Dror. Azam was quick to avenge his wingmen's demise and shot down that Mirage. He then pounced upon the camouflaged Vatour bombers, and scored another kill. Both his victims, Captain Dror flying the Mirage, and Captain Golan flying the Vatour were taken as POWs.

After the war, Azam, then a Flight Lieutenant, was awarded Jordan’s Husame Isteqlal and Iraq’s Medal of Bravery, the Noth-es-Shuja.

Saiful Azam would not fly during the Bangladesh Independence War if 1971, as he was a Bengali. After independence, he joined the newly formed Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) or Bangladesh Biman Bahini as the Director of Operations. In 1977, he became Wing Commander and Base Commander of the BAF airbase in Dhaka. In 1980s, he, then a Group Captain, retired from his career as an accomplished aviator.
 

SABRE

Super Moderator
Verified Defense Pro
Its nice to learn about different air forces and at times their aces but we also have to keep up with the ethics of the forum.

No source (Link) & No comments of your own to lead/direct the discussion.

Provide the two ASAP or the thread might be locked (after consultations with other mods).
 

Khairul Alam

New Member
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

rev1861

New Member
:eek::eek::eek::eek:

If you have nothing worthwhile to say than refrain from posting anything. Let this be a WARNING!
 
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nemesis720

New Member
I am proud that he was a part of Pakistan Air Force and that he scored those kills as a PAF pilot. He is one of the 22 Living Eagles of the World.
 

SABRE

Super Moderator
Verified Defense Pro

I found some info about him and some other East Pakistani (Bangladeshi) pilots on some Pakistani website long time back. The PAF pilots who served with them still praise them without any bias. Try looking around on Pakistani sides.
 

Aliph Ahmed

Banned Member
Not to mention MM Alam who is known for shooting down 5 Indian Air Force planes over Sargodha air base.

5 (Five) Hunters were shot down in less then (one) 1 minute !!

A claim that not only is backed officially by Pakistan but also by the likes of
John Fricker, who wrote for AFM and Air International and has been a English aviation correspondent for years and Mike Spick and etc etc.

There is a book out there titled " Battle for Pakistan " by John Fricker.

Also there is another book titled " The Complete Fighter Ace " by Mike Spick.
 

SABRE

Super Moderator
Verified Defense Pro
Not to mention MM Alam who is known for shooting down 5 Indian Air Force planes over Sargodha air base.

5 (Five) Hunters were shot down in less then (one) 1 minute !!

A claim that not only is backed officially by Pakistan but also by the likes of
John Fricker, who wrote for AFM and Air International and has been a English aviation correspondent for years and Mike Spick and etc etc.

There is a book out there titled " Battle for Pakistan " by John Fricker.

Also there is another book titled " The Complete Fighter Ace " by Mike Spick.
M.M. Alam was also East Pakistani, though he was allowed to fly in 1971. He migrated to Karachi after the 71 war.
 

wesireal

New Member
Sabre:

I thought that M.M.Alam was a Behari domeciled in East Pakistan. I remember his feat I was in Islamabad that day> It used to be a small town those days.
 
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SABRE

Super Moderator
Verified Defense Pro
Sabre:

I thought that M.M.Alam was a Behari domeciled in East Pakistan. I remember his feat I was in Islamabad that day> It used to be a small town those days.
Well YES he is a Behari from Behar. He mirgrated to East Pakistan in 1947-48. But he is said to be from East Pakistan, because of his domicile (as you said).
 

swerve

Super Moderator
Not to mention MM Alam who is known for shooting down 5 Indian Air Force planes over Sargodha air base.

5 (Five) Hunters were shot down in less then (one) 1 minute !!

A claim that not only is backed officially by Pakistan but also by the likes of
John Fricker, who wrote for AFM and Air International and has been a English aviation correspondent for years and Mike Spick and etc etc.

There is a book out there titled " Battle for Pakistan " by John Fricker.

Also there is another book titled " The Complete Fighter Ace " by Mike Spick.
The IAF admits to losing three Hunters, one returning home from a raid (fuel system failure according to the pilot, either accidental or possibly caused by battle damage - bailed out & was captured), two from the next raid, which crossed paths with the returning one, & three Mysteres (two in the same area, one elsewhere) in other raids that day.

The wreckage of the three Hunters admitted to by India was found. No wreckage from Alams other claims, AFAIK.

An account from a Pakistani source - http://www.defencejournal.com/2001/september/alam.htm
 
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SABRE

Super Moderator
Verified Defense Pro
The IAF admits to losing three Hunters, one returning home from a raid (fuel system failure according to the pilot, either accidental or possibly caused by battle damage - bailed out & was captured), two from the next raid, which crossed paths with the returning one, & three Mysteres (two in the same area, one elsewhere) in other raids that day.

The wreckage of the three Hunters admitted to by India was found. No wreckage from Alams other claims, AFAIK.

An account from a Pakistani source - http://www.defencejournal.com/2001/september/alam.htm
Alam himself said that he shot down 3 (for sure) while he did shoot and damage another 2 but did not see them go down as his plane was also hit and he was temporarily blinded. His wingman said that those 2 aircrafts also went down and so did others who flew in that combat.


Keeping M.M. Alam on the side (with all the respect); The thread is about Sqdn Ldr. Saiful Azam of BAF who has combat record when he was in PAF. So is it about BAF or PAF? Does Saiful Azam's combat record file belongs to PAF or BAF? Plus; the thread is being hijacked by PAF pilots from Saiful Azam's days, particularly the M.M.Alam who hijacks all the threads when discussing these topics. It seems the thread is getting confusing and will get even more so. We'll (mods) brobably have to consider the future of this topic.
 
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