Chinese Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard laid the keel of the third Type-054A/P class frigate for Pakistan Navy in Shangai.
Type 054 A/P Class Frigate, will be the most technologically advanced surface platform of Pakistan Navy Fleet, fitted with state of the art surface, Subsurface and Anti-Air weapons, Combat Management System and Sensors. These ships will significantly contribute to maintaining peace and security in the Indian Ocean.
Pakistan’s Chief Naval Overseer (China) Commodore Rashid Mehmood Sheikh, as being the Chief Guest commended the timely achievement of keel laying milestone of the ship despite ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and appreciated CSTC/ HZ Shipyard for their concerted efforts.
The procurement of Type 054A/P Class Frigates for Pakistan Navy would play an important role in geo strategic milieu and help in thwarting any aggression posed by the adversaries. The new inductions will significantly enhance maritime defence and deterrence capabilities of Pakistan Navy and would contribute in maintaining balance of power in the Indian Ocean Region.
Keel laying ceremony of the second MILGEM Class Corvette being constructed for the Pakistan Navy was held on 30 April at Istanbul Naval Shipyard
The Pakistan Navy’s first Type 054A/P frigate was launched by China’s Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai on 22nd August.
Type 054 A/P class frigates :
The Type 054A/P displaces at 4,200 tons. It was designed as a multi-mission platform capable of anti-ship warfare (AShW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and anti-air warfare (AAW). It currently serves as the mainstay frigate of China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), which operates 30 Type 054As.
The ships Pakistan is getting are similar to their PLAN counterparts, except they make use of export-grade versions of key subsystems and weapons. Pakistan’s Type 054A/Ps will house a 32-cell vertical launch system (VLS) carrying the LY-80N medium-range surface-to-air missile (SAM), two triple ASW torpedo tubes, and a possibly different AShW capability.
Official illustrations of the Type 054A/P in 2018 showed either a two-by-three or two-by-two cell suite for anti-ship cruising missiles (ASCM). This modification could be for compatibility with Pakistan’s locally manufactured ‘Harbah’ dual-ASCM/land-attack cruise missiles (LACM). If derived from the Babur LACM (which is likely), the Harbah ASCM/LACM should have a range of 450 km to 700 km-plus.
Check out Naval Library App to find out the specifications of the Type 054 frigates.
