Chinese-made Weapons, Radar on Frigate Being Built for Pakistan

Pakistan has ordered Chinese-made weapons and radar for the Type 054AP frigates it has requisitioned from the China State Shipbuilding Corp (CSSC).

"The ship will have vertical launch cells (canisters) that can fire Chinese HQ-16 air-defense missiles and other kinds of missiles,” an unnamed CSSC source was quoted as saying to the Chinese military run Chinamil website.

“In the past, the Pakistani Navy would ask to use Western radars or weapons on ships constructed by Chinese shipbuilders. But it seems that all weapons and radars on the new ship will be Chinese products, which reflects the Pakistani Navy's confidence in our technology and capability," Cao Weidong, a senior researcher at the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA)'s Naval Military Studies Research Institute was quoted as saying by Chinamil.cn today.

China recently started construction of an export version of one of its advanced warships, the Type 054A guided missile frigate called the Type 054AP with the ‘P’ probably standing for ‘Pakistan,’ and could mean a ship customized for the South Asian nation.

The ship is under construction at CSSC’s Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai, and will be equipped with modern detection and weapon systems capable of anti-ship, anti-submarine and air-defense operations. Altogether four such ships had been ordered.

The ship has a displacement of about 4,000 metric tons and is equipped with advanced radars and missiles. About 30 Type 054As are in service with the PLA Navy, the report said.