To achieve another milestone in its friendship with Pakistan, China launched the second Type 054A/P frigate for Pakistan on Friday at the Hudong Zhonghua (HZ) Shipyard in Shanghai.
The launching of this ship commemorates the 70 years of friendship and diplomatic ties built upon historic ties between the ‘iron brothers’.
The order for the construction of these warships was placed in 2017. The first of the four Type 054A/P frigate was received in August 2020. The remaining two are expected to be received by the end of this year. All the ships are being delivered as per schedule.
Pakistan Navy Chief Naval Overseer (CNO) Commodore Azfar Humayun SI (M) and representatives of the M/s China Shipbuilding Trading Company (CSTC) and HZ Shipyard graced the launch ceremony with their presence.
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Pakistan Navy Chief Naval Overseer underscored that the launching of these Type 054A/P warships will remarkably upgrade Pakistan’s maritime capabilities.
“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,” remarked Admiral M Amjad Khan Niazi, Chief of the Naval Staff of the Pakistan Navy.
“These ships will boost [the] potency of our fleet and significantly contribute in maintaining peace and security in the region,” the Pakistani Admiral said.
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Commodore Azfar Humayun, Pakistan Navy Chief Naval Overseer, at the launch ceremony said that he appreciates the commitment and hard work of China Shipbuilding Trading Company and Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard to keep this important program on track despite the difficult and unprecedneted times of the ongoing pandemic.
These ships are China’s most advanced frigates. The Type 054A/P frigates have unmatchable air defense capabilities, and come with a better-advanced radar system, and can hold a large number of missiles with a longer range.
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According to the Pakistan Navy, the Type-054A/P ships are state of the art frigates equipped with a modern surface, subsurface, and anti-air weapons and sensors. Once constructed, these ships will be the most technologically advanced platforms of the Pakistan Navy which will strengthen its capability to meet future challenges and maintain peace, stability & power equilibrium in the Indian Ocean Region.
The Pakistan navy is currently working on renewing its naval fleet by purchasing the most advanced platforms. In addition to the Type-054 A/P ships from China, Pakistan Navy is set to commission new corvettes from Turkey and OPV from the Netherlands.