8-Pass Charlie
Pakistani bomber pilot / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about 8-Pass Charlie?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Najeeb Ahmad Khan, commonly known as 8-Pass Charlie, was a Pakistani bomber pilot who raided the Adampur Airbase in India a number of times during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, notably starting a series of airstrikes on the base by a solo raid.[1][2][3]
Najeeb Ahmad Khan Air Commodore (Rtd.) | |
---|---|
Personal details | |
Born | (1933-08-24) 24 August 1933 (age 90) Kaimganj, British India |
Nationality | Pakistani Canadian |
Spouse | Surraya (m. 1964) |
Relations | Jamal A. Khan (Brother) |
Children | Babar Najeeb |
Parent |
|
Residence | Canada |
Nickname | 8-Pass Charlie |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Pakistan |
Branch/service | Pakistan Air Force |
Years of service | 1954–1981 |
Rank | Air Commodore |
Unit | |
Commands | Base Commander of Malir Airbase Air Attachè of Pakistan to France |
Battles/wars | |
Awards | Sitara-e-Jurat Tamgha-i-Basalat |
He was named "8-Pass Charlie" by his impressed Indian adversaries at the Adampur base as he used to make eight passes, one for each bomb, on selected targets with improving efficiency instead of safely dropping all of his bomb load and exiting. He is also known to have had expertise in disguising his attack run by confusing anti-aircraft gunners by cutting throttles before entering a dive.[1][2]