No. 9 Squadron (Pakistan Air Force)
No. 9 Squadron, named the Griffins, is a Pakistan Air Force fighter squadron assigned to the No. 38 Multi-Role Wing of the PAF Central Air Command. The squadron is stationed at PAF Base Mushaf, Sargodha. It was the PAF's first fighter squadron, has been commanded by seven Chiefs of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force. The squadron crest is a red griffin which symbolises strength, aggressiveness and vigilance. Scrolls around the squadron crest display the battle honours Sargodha 65 and Karachi 71. The Griffins are considered as the PAF's most elite unit as well as its most senior.
No. 9 Squadron was originally raised on 13 November 1943 at Risalpur. The squadron was formed at Lahore on 3 January 1944, equipped with the Hawker Hurricane IIC, by Squadron Leader A.W. Ridler of the Royal Air Force. During this time the squadron was commanded by then Squadron Leader Asghar Khan and deployed in Burma where it was extensively involved in World War II operations against the Japanese, later being awarded the sword of a Japanese general for its services. The squadron was also converted to the Spitfire VIII in 1945, still with then Squadron Leader M. Asghar Khan in command.
In July 1947, then Squadron Leader Asghar Khan was a member of the Air Force Reconstitution Committee and insisted the squadron be transferred to the Royal Pakistan Air Force (RPAF). The squadron was thus established at Peshawar as the RPAF's first fighter squadron, equipped with eight Hawker Tempest fighters and commanded by Squadron Leader M. Ibrahim Khan. The squadron converted to the Hawker Fury in July 1950 and moved to Kohat in November 1956. The unit is believed to have created the first aerobatics team in the sub-continent with the formation of the Red Dragons in 1957. In March 1961 the squadron converted to the F-104 Starfighter.
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