Abbas Khattak Air Chief Marshal Abbas Khattak , NI ( M ) , SBt , ( born 16 July 1943 ) , is a retired four - star general and air - force officer in the Pakistan Air Force who served as the 14th Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force from 8 November 1994 to 7 November 1997 . Air Chief Marshal Khattak , a fighter pilot and an aviator of Pakistan ' s F - 16 Fighting Falcons , was a senior member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of Pakistan Air force career . Born in Peshawar , one of four children , he graduated from Cadet College Hasan Abdal and joined PAF Academy . He entered the Pakistan Air Force on 20 January 1963 in the 35th GD ( P ) Course . Thereafter , he went to the United States to join the United States Air Force where he got commission from Nellis Air Force Base , North Las Vegas , Nevada . During his career , Khattak took part in two wars . Khattak came back to Pakistan , joining the Pakistan Air Force to participate in Indo - Pakistani War of 1965 . In the 1965 war , he was one of the eight fighter pilots who took part in the famous attack on Pathankot airfield led by Squadron Leader Sajjad Haider from the No . 19 Squadron ( Sherdils ) . In 1971 , he was based in Sargodha Air Force Base where he , as Wing Commander commanded a small batch of fighter jets . He earned a gallantry award , Sitara - e - Basalat during the 1971 war . A fighter pilot of the F - 16 Fighting Falcon , Khattak was stationed in PAF Base Minhas , and was made Air Officer Commanding of F - 16A Fighting Falcon Batch . Khattak became increasingly involved in the Soviet War in Afghanistan as the war began to progress to Pakistan . On November 20 , 1988 , Abbas Khattak of Squadron No 14 Tail Choppers , while flying the F - 16 , shot down a Soviet Air Force Antonov An - 26 while on a reconnaissance mission inside Pakistan . Military training . Khattak is a graduate of Pilot Training Course , USA ; Flying Instructors ' School Course , Risalpur ; Air Command and Staff College , USA ; Armed Forces War Course at National Defence College , Rawalpindi ; and Royal College of Defence Studies , UK . Command and staff appointments . His command appointments include ; Officer Commanding No . 15 Squadron ; Officer Commanding , No . 33 Wing ; Officer Commanding , Combat Commanders ' School ; Base Commander , PAF Base Faisal and Masroor ; and Air Officer Commanding , Southern Air Command . His staff appointments include ; Director of Flight Safety , Assistant Chief of Air Staff ( Plans ) , Deputy Chief of Air Staff ( Training ) and Deputy Chief of Air Staff ( Operations ) . Chief of Air Staff . Abbas Khattak was appointed as Chief of Air Staff on 8 November 1994 . At promotion , he superseded at least two senior officers ; Air Marshal Shafique Haider , then Vice Chief of Air Staff and Air Marshal Dilawar Hussain , then Chairman Pakistan Aeronautical Complex . During his tenure as the Air Chief , Khattak tried to acquire the French Dassault Mirage 2000 - 5 as an alternative to the F - 16 , after U . S military embargoes . Unfortunately for him and the then government of Benazir Bhutto , the President of Pakistan dissolved the national assembly on charges of corruption - a major arms deal was averted . During his tenure , Pakistan worked with China to develop the K - 8 Karakorum . After his retirement he was succeeded by Air Marshal Parvaiz Mehdi Qureshi . He is married and has two sons .