PNS Siddique

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}

{{Infobox military installation

| name = PNS Siddiq

| ensign = File:Roundel of Pakistan – Naval Aviation.svg

| ensign_size = 70

| native_name = پی این ایس صدیق

| partof = Turbat International Airport

| location = Kech District, Balochistan Province

| nearest_town = Turbat

| country = {{PAK}}

| image =

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| image2 = File:Pakistan Naval Air Arm insignia.svg

| alt2 = COMNAV

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| coordinates = {{coord|25|17|28|N|63|20|41|E|type:airport}}

| gridref =

| type = Naval Air Station

| image_map = {{mapframe|frame=yes|type=point|coord={{Coord||}}|zoom=SWITCH:5,7,13|switch=zoomed out, zoomed mid, zoomed in}}

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| ownership = Ministry of Defense

| operator = {{armed forces|PAK}}

| controlledby = {{Navy|PAK}}

| open_to_public =

| condition = Operational

| site_other_label =

| site_other =

| website = [https://www.paknavy.gov.pk/ Pakistan Navy]

| built = 2014

| built_for = Naval Air Arm

| builder = {{PAK}}

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| used = 2014-Present

| demolished =

| battles = Afghanistan–Pakistan clashes (2024–present)
2024 PNS Siddiq attack

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| garrison =

| occupants = 28 Squadron PN

| designations =

| IATA = none

| ICAO = none

| elevation = {{Convert|122|m|0}}

| r1-number = 08L/26R

| r1-length = {{Convert|1,829|m|0}}

| r1-surface = Bitumen

| r2-number = 08R/26L

| r2-length = {{Convert|2,743|m|0}}

| r2-surface = Bitumen

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Pakistan Naval Station Siddique, known as PNS Siddique ({{langx|ur|{{Nastaliq|پایگاه بحریہ مکران}}}}) formerly known as Naval Air Station, Turbat,{{Cite web |last=APP |date=2017-05-25 |title=Naval Air Station in Turbat becomes operational, will provide support to CPEC |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1335356 |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=APP |date=2017-05-26 |title=Turbat naval air station goes operational |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1335475 |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}} is a naval air station and a military airport located in Turbat city of Makran, Balochistan.{{Cite web |date=2017-05-26 |title=Naval Air Station Turbat becomes operational |url=https://dailytimes.com.pk/9622/naval-air-station-turbat-becomes-operational/ |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=Daily Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=PNS Siddiq Naval Air Station Commissioned in Turbat - History of PIA - Forum |url=https://historyofpia.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=22590 |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=historyofpia.com}} 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.{{Cite web |last=www.webspider.pk |first=Web Spider (pvt) Ltd |title=Chief of the Naval Staff Visits Coastal Areas |url=https://www.hilal.gov.pk/eng-article/detail/NDE0.html |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=www.hilal.gov.pk |language=en |archive-date=8 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231008055740/https://www.hilal.gov.pk/eng-article/detail/NDE0.html |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |title=Publication |url=https://www.usiofindia.org/strategic-perspective/pns-siddique-commissioned-the-virtues-of-dispersal.html |access-date=2023-12-10 |website=www.usiofindia.org}}

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.{{Cite web |last=APP |date=2017-05-25 |title=Naval Air Station in Turbat becomes operational, will provide support to CPEC |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1335356 |access-date=2023-12-10 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}} 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.

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. 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.{{Cite web |last=Team |first=Quwa |date=2017-05-25 |title=Pakistan operationalizes new naval air base in Baluchistan |url=https://quwa.org/2017/05/25/pakistan-operationalizes-new-naval-air-base-baluchistan/ |access-date=2023-12-10 |website=Quwa |language=en-US}}

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

{{Pakistan Naval Air Arm}}

Category:Pakistan Naval Air Stations

Category:Military installations in Balochistan, Pakistan

{{Pakistan-mil-stub}}