Pakistan will acquire four modern frigates and eight submarines from its close ally China as part of the efforts to modernise Pakistan Navy and add to its offensive capabilities, its chief has said. China on January 29 launched the second Type 054A/P multi-purpose naval missile frigate for the Pakistan Navy (PN). The guided-missile frigate is the mainstay of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, with 30 vessels in commission.
Chinese naval experts say the Type 054A, on which the Type 054A/P is based, is China’s most advanced frigate with an improved radar system and long-range missiles. The Pakistan Navy has contracted the construction of four Type 054A/P frigates from China since 2017, and the first ship was launched in August 2020.
As part of the modernisation, the PN is replacing its existing ageing platforms with acquisitions from friendly countries along with transfer of technology for their in-country construction, Admiral M Amjad Khan Niazi told China’s state-run…