China delivered the largest that it has ever exported to Pakistan Chinese, the Global Times reported on 8 November. Designed and built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC), the Type 054A/P frigate, christened PNS Tughril, was delivered to the Pakistan Navy in a commissioning ceremony in Shanghai.
The PNS Tughril is the first hull of four Type 054 frigates being constructed for the Pakistan Navy. The ship is a technologically advanced platform with enormous surface-to-surface, surface-to-air and underwater firepower, besides extensive surveillance potentials. It is equipped with state-of-the-art combat management and an electronic warfare system along with modern self-defence capabilities. The Type 054A/P frigate can simultaneously execute a number of naval warfare missions in a highly intense multi-threat environment.
The frigate was launched in August 2020, and the Chinese shipyard completed the process in just 14 months. The new frigate is named after “Tugrul the First,” one of the founders of the Seljuk Empire, which governed modern-day Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey between the 11th and 14th centuries.
Pakistan signed an initial contract for the delivery of two Type 054 A/P frigates in 2017. An additional contract for two more ships was announced in June 2018. According to the contract, all four ships are built in China and the first two are expected to be delivered to the customer by year-end.
The Pakistan Navy is currently undertaking an important renewal of its fleet, with the procurement of several modern platforms: In addition to these frigates from China, Pakistan will also commission new corvettes from Turkey and OPV from the Netherlands. It is also modernizing its submarine force. In 2016, Pakistan agreed to pay China $5 billion for the acquisition of eight Chinese Yuan-class type-041 diesel submarines by 2028 in order to shift the force balance with its arch rival India.
About the Frigate
The Type 054A is a multi-role frigate and is recognized as the backbone of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) fleet of surface combatants with 30 vessels in commission. They have a length of 134 meters, a beam of 16 meters for a displacement of 4,000 tons. They have a crew complement of 165 sailors and are fitted with:
- A H/PJ-26 76mm main gun
- 2×4 CM302 anti-ship missiles
- 32x VLS cells for HQ-16 surface to air missiles
- 2x Type 730 30mm CIWS
- 2x Triple Torpedo launcher.
In PLAN service, those frigates feature a Type 382 radar which shares a close resemblance with the Russian MR-710 Fregat radar. Unlike the Pakistan Navy variant – whose first ship-in-class is fitted with an SR2410C radar – the Type 054A in Chinese Navy service does not feature a long-range/metric wave radar.
Chinese Collaboration
PNS Zulfiquar (FFG-251) is the lead ship of the F-22P Zulfiquar-class guided missile frigates since 2009. Four ships of this clas have been delivered – PNS Zulfiqar (2006), PNS Shamsheer (2009), PNS Saif (2010) and PNS Slat (2013, built in Pakistan). The first three were constructed in Shanghai.
PNS Azmat is the lead ship of the Azmat-class missile boats of the Pakistan Navy based on the Chinese design Type 037II Houjian-class.
PNS Nasr (A47), is a Fuqing-class replenishment tanker currently in service with the Pakistan Navy built by the Dalian Shipbuilding Co. in China
In April 2015, the Government of Pakistan approved purchase of 8 export version of Type 039B (Upgraded) from China for $5 billion for the Pakistan Navy. Four of the eight of the submarines will be built in Pakistan. In late 2016 it was officially confirmed that China will see about four submarines delivered by 2023 and the remainder delivered by 2028.
