TSAMTO, August 6. According to the Pakistani media, the launch ceremony of the third of the four Type-054A/P class frigates ordered for the Pakistani Navy took place at the enterprise of the Chinese company Hudong Zhonghua in Shanghai.
According to representatives of the Pakistani Navy, after delivery, the Type-054A/P class frigates will become the most technologically advanced surface platform in the Pakistani fleet.
As reported by TSAMTO, the contract concluded in June 2017 for the supply of the first two Chinese-built Type-054A/P frigates to the Pakistani Navy became known at the end of 2017. In June 2018, a contract signing ceremony was held for the supply of two additional frigates of the series. The total cost of the sale was not disclosed. It was planned that the delivery would be fully completed in 2021. However, according to current plans, only the first ship will be delivered to the customer this year.
The launch ceremony of the Type-054A/P class lead frigate for the Pakistan Navy took place at the Hudong Zhonghua enterprise on August 22, 2020. The second frigate was launched on January 29, 2021. In November 2019, a ceremony was held dedicated to the start of steel cutting for the construction of the second pair of frigates of the Type-054A/P class. The laying of the keel of the third frigate took place in May 2021.
The Type-054A class frigate (Jiangkai-2) is a modern combat ship adopted by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy in 2007. The length of the frigate is 134 m, the maximum width is 16 m, the displacement is 4050 tons, the crew is 165 people. The ship is equipped with a combined CODAD-type GEU with four 16 PA6V-280 STC diesel engines with a capacity of 5700 kW from SEMT Pielstick and is capable of reaching a maximum speed of 27 knots. The cruising range is 3,800 nautical miles at a speed of 18 knots.
The exact data on the weapons and detection means of the Type-054A/P frigates of the Pakistani Navy have not yet been disclosed. The armament of the PLA Navy frigate includes a 76-mm PJ26 artillery installation, two 30-mm Type-1130 AU. The ship is equipped with a 32-container vertical launcher, which allows the use of HHQ-16 anti-aircraft guided missiles (firing range up to 40 km), two quadruple launchers with C-803 anti-ship missiles in the middle part of the frigate. To expand the capabilities to combat submarines, the frigate is equipped with GAS installed on the hull, two RBU-1200 rocket-propelled bomb launchers, two three-tube 324-mm torpedo tubes with light Yu-7 torpedoes. The ship can accept Ka-28 or Z-9C helicopters.
