Pakistan commissions its first Type 054A/P Tughril-class guided missile frigate

 

The PNS Tughril as seen in Shanghai before commissioning. Photo c/o Times of India.

The Pakistan Navy (PN) has commissioned its first Tughril-class Type 054A/P guided missile frigate, as confirmed by an official statement.

The ship, named the PNS Tughril (F261), was commissioned during ceremonies held on 08 November 2021 in Shanghai, China, and attended by Pakistan's Ambassador to China Moin ul-Haque.

The ship, which was named after Tugrul I which is one of the founders of the Seljuk Empire,  is the first of four ships ordered by the Pakistan Government in 2017 and 2018, and was built by Chinese shipbuilder China Shipbuilding Trading Company's Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai.

The ship is also the third Pakistan Navy warship to hold the same name after an O-class destroyer commissioned in 1951, and a Gearing-class destroyer commissioned in 1980.

Ambassador ul-Haque said that the new frigate would strengthen efforts for peace and stability in the South Asian region, and is a tantamount to a new chapter of long-standing relations between Pakistan and China.

The ship's design was based on the Type 054A frigate built for China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), with some modifications to suit the requirements of the Pakistan Navy.

It is currently the most advanced surface combatant in the Pakistan Navy, and also the largest and most advanced warship made by China for export to another country.

The Type 054A/P Tughril-cass displaces at over 4,000 tonnes, is 135 meters long, and are are armed with a 32-cell Vertical Launch System (VLS), equipped with the HHQ-16 surface-to-air missiles (SAM) and the Yu-8 anti-submarine rockets (ASROC), 2 quadruple CM-302 supersonic anti-ship cruise missile launchers, a PJ-26 76 mm main naval gun, 2 triple Anti-Submarine Torpedo launchers, 2 Type 87 Anti-Submarine rocket launchers, two Type 726-4 18-tube decoy rocket launchers and two Type 1130 close-in weapon systems (CIWS).

Three more ships are in different phases of construction, and are expected to be completely delivered to the Pakistan Navy by 2023. The second ship of the class was launched on January 2021, a;so at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai.




[1] Jane's
[2] Daily Pakistan
[3] Anadolu Agency