A shipyard in Shanghai on Friday launched the second of four multi-role warships being built for the Pakistan Navy.
Pakistan first announced in 2017 a deal for the 'Type-054 A/P' frigates. The Type-054 A/P is derived from the Type-054A frigates in service with China's People's Liberation Army Navy.
Frigates are medium-sized warships capable of carrying sensors and weapons for anti-ship, anti-submarine and anti-air warfare.
The Type-054A ships of the People's Liberation Army Navy have a displacement of around 4,000 tonnes. The Type-054A vessels were among the first Chinese warships to feature extensive 'stealth' characteristics to reduce chances of detection by enemy radars and infrared sensors.
The Type-054A is numerically one of the most important classes of warships in the People's Liberation Army Navy. The US Navy's Office of Naval Intelligence has estimated 30 Type-054A frigates entered service with the People's Liberation Army Navy between 2008 and 2019. The Diplomat, a US-based online publication focussing on the Asia-Pacific, in 2015 estimated that a single Type-054A cost around $348 million.
"These will be some of the most technologically advanced platforms of the Pakistan Navy Surface Fleet, equipped with modern surface, subsurface and anti-air weapons, sensors and combat management systems," Admiral M. Amjad Khan Niazi, Chief of Naval Staff of the Pakistan Navy, was quoted as saying by Global Times.
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The Type-054A/P ships will be the most advanced warships of the Pakistan Navy, particularly with respect to air defence capabilities. The Type-054A class can carry up to 32 surface-to-air missiles in a vertical launch system. The Type-054 A/P is expected to carry the Chinese HQ-16 surface-to-air missiles that have a range of around 40km and can engage aircraft and anti-ship missiles. This would mark a quantum leap for the Pakistan Navy, which has lacked modern air defence systems.
In December, images circulating on Chinese social media implied that the Type-054 A/P ships could have an advanced radar system, the SR2410C. The SR2410C, reportedly, has a range of over 250km and can track 150 surface and aerial targets.
It was originally announced all four Type-054 A/P ships would be delivered to the Pakistan Navy by 2021. The Pakistan Navy has been recapitalising its fleet in recent years, buying new off-shore patrol vessels designed in the Netherlands, corvettes from Turkey and smaller missile boats from China. Pakistan has also ordered eight submarines from China.