Maintain The Balance Of Power In The Indian Ocean, Pakistan Will Operate Stealth Frigates From China

The launch of the Type 054A/P PNS Tughril stealth frigate. (Source: Pakistan Navy via Global Times)

JAKARTA - China has sent the largest and most advanced stealth warship it has ever built to Pakistan, a move that is billed as a friendship between the two countries as well as maintaining the balance of military power in the Indian Ocean.

Designed and built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC), the frigate was delivered to the Pakistan Navy during a commissioning ceremony in Shanghai, CSSC announced in a statement on Monday, as quoted by the Global Times November 10.

The Type 054A/P frigate with the name PNS Tughril is the first of four frigates of its kind, ordered by the Pakistan Navy, and has a multi-purpose war.

The Pakistan Navy said the advanced technology embedded in this frigate gave it the ability to carry out surface-to-surface, surface-to-air, and underwater weapons to support external surveillance.

Equipped with advanced combat management and electronic warfare systems along with modern self-defense capabilities, the Type 054A/P frigate can simultaneously carry out a number of naval warfare missions in highly intense multi-threat environments, the Pakistan statement said.

"The completion and delivery of the ship is another great achievement of China-Pakistan friendship, and will further enhance the all-weather strategic cooperation partnership between the two countries," the Chinese shipbuilding company said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque said the assignment of civil servant Tughril ushered in a new chapter in the Pakistan-China friendship, which has matured through the test of time and remains steadfast in all areas, according to a statement from the Pakistan Navy.

"In the context of the region's overall security paradigm, the Tughril-class frigates will strengthen the Pakistan Navy's ability to respond to maritime challenges to ensure seaward defense, maintain peace, stability, and balance of power in the Indian Ocean region," said Ambassador Moin, who also praised China's joint efforts for the important achievement of timely delivery of well-equipped and robust frigates despite the global pandemic.

As for Deputy Party Secretary and Council Director of CSSC Du Gang who praised the timely construction of PNS Tughril stressed, the commissioning of the ship is a major milestone and testimony to the long-lived friendship of China-Pakistan, as the two countries are bound by an affinity of trust, compassion, and similarity.

Separately, the Chief of Mission of the Pakistan Navy who oversaw the construction of the 054A/P frigate, Commodore Rashid Mehmood Sheikh, said the PNS Tughril, as a multi-mission capable frigate, would become the mainstay of the Pakistan Navy fleet while strengthening the maritime defense capabilities of the Pakistan Navy.

Meanwhile, Zhang Junshe, a senior researcher at the PLA Naval Research Academy, told the Global Times in a previous interview that the Type 054A, on which the Type 054A/P is based, is the most advanced frigate in China.

Compared to previous Chinese frigates, the new ship has better air defense capabilities, as it is equipped with an upgraded radar system and a larger number of missiles with a longer range, Zhang said, noting that the Type 054A frigate also has world-class stealth capabilities.