PAF Base Mushaf PAF Base Mushaf ( formerly PAF Base Sargodha ) is a Pakistan Air Force airbase located at Sargodha in the Punjab province of Pakistan . It is the headquarters of the PAF Central Air Command . It was known as PAF Base Sargodha until 2003 , when it was renamed in honour of former Base Commander and Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir , whose aeroplane crashed on a routine flight near Kohat the same year . It has also been nicknamed the PAF ' s " Top Gun " base due to the PAF ' s elite Combat Commanders School being based there . History . PAF Base Sargodha was originally an abandoned WW2 airfield until July 1951 , when a PAF Care and Maintenance Party arrived at the base . Construction of infrastructure , supervised by Wing Commander R . D . Rollo , was completed by 16 November 1959 . Originally named PAF Station Sargodha , the first base commander was Group Captain Salahuddin who took over in November 1959 and fighter squadrons began transferring to the base . Nos . 5 , 11 and 16 Squadrons of No . 33 Wing were present with their F - 86F Sabre fighters by April 1960 . PAF Base Sargodha has initially hosted almost all new types of combat aircraft introduced by the PAF , including the F - 86 , F - 104 , F - 6 , Mirage and F - 16 . Combat Commanders School . In 1976 the Combat Commanders School ( CCS ) was formed , replacing the PAF ' s Fighter Leaders ' School . It has four aims : Pilots are normally selected to undergo training at the CCS after around 9 to 12 years of service with the PAF . Once selected by the Air Headquarters they undergo three courses : the 4 - 5 month Combat Commanders Course , the 3 month Weapons Course and the 4 - 5 week Fighter Integration Course . These courses are reputed to be very tough and some pilots fail them . The successful graduates can go on to attain the rank of Wing Commander and command a squadron . Dissimilar Air Combat Training ( DACT ) 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 has two squadrons under its command , the " Skybolts " currently flying the Dassault Mirage III / 5 and the " Dashings " currently flying the Chengdu F - 7P . CCS staff pay annual visits to all PAF fighter squadrons to evaluate and enhance combat capabilities . In June 1990 the Squadron Combat Upgradation Programme ( SCUP ) was initiated and four month - long cycles were conducted by October 1990 , each involving two fighter squadrons , F - 16 pilots and ground controllers . SCUP was replaced by the regular Exercise Saffron Bandit in 1992 , which is a more demanding and complicated near - realistic environment for participating pilots . Exercise Saffron Bandit is still supervised and its syllabus constantly improved by the CCS . Incidents . On 1 November 2007 a suicide bomber struck the 50 - seat bus carrying PAF officers to nearby Kirana Ammunition Depot , killing 11 people ( including 7 officers ) and injuring 28 . The bombing took place on Faisalabad Road , where a motorcycle loaded with explosives rammed the bus and triggered the blast . All the officers were new recruits posted to PAFB Mushaf for training . This was the last major attack before the 2007 state of emergency was imposed on the country .