FFG-568 衡阳/Hengyang
Pakistan shops for warships to replace British
frigates, modernize Navy
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s Navy is acquiring new warships as
part of a fleet expansion and modernization program to replace six Type 21
frigates acquired from the British in the 1990s.
The service also seeks to meet increasing domestic
requirements while maintaining regional security commitments.
A naval spokesman told Defense News that a “contract has
been placed in June 2017” for one Type 054A Jiangkai II frigate featuring the
same sensors and weaponry as Chinese ships. An order for two more is under
consideration.
The Type 054A forms the backbone of China’s naval force.
The 29th was launched in December.
A protracted program for Turkish corvettes is also moving
forward. A contract for four Ada-class corvettes under the Turkish Milgem
program was awarded in the final week of November. Negotiations continue on
whether all four will be constructed in Turkey, or two in Pakistan, but a
decision is pending.
An initial request has also been made for up to two
corvettes from U.S.-based Swiftships. “Initial negotiations are underway,”
according to the naval spokesman, but further progress depends on U.S.
congressional approval.
The confirmation of both frigate and corvette programs
comes as a surprise. During Pakistan’s biennial defense exhibition IDEAS 2016,
Defense News was informed that available funding clashed with the need to
replace a large number of ships.
The first mention of a frigate deal with China was made
by outgoing naval chief Adm. Muhammad Zakaullah during his farewell speech in
October. No additional details were forthcoming at the time; but in early
December, the commanding officer of Pakistan’s F-22P frigate Saif reportedly
told Chinese media a Type 054A frigate had been ordered.
Author, analyst and former Australian defense attache to
Islamabad Brian Cloughley says the new ships are desperately needed.
“Almost anything would be better than the Type 21s. They
were 1970s vintage and should have been retired in 2000 at the latest. The new
frigates will be a welcome addition to the [Pakistani Navy] fleet and will
ensure continuation of the commitment to [Combined Task Forces] 150/151 as well
as patrolling home waters.”
Five Type 21 frigates remain operational, but they are
worn and obsolete despite upgrades.
It’s questionable how much longer Pakistan’s sole
Perry-class frigate, Alamgir (formerly McInerney) can remain operational, as it
received a very limited upgrade, and the F-22P frigates are in need of improved
sensors and weaponry.
At IDEAS 2016, Chinese shipbuilders proposed a new
frigate design for Pakistan with improved defenses against increasingly
sophisticated anti-ship missiles. Though similar to the F-22P, it featured
vastly improved sensors and weaponry comprising an integrated mast with a
four-faced phased array radar, a 32-cell vertical launching system containing
HQ-16 medium-range surface-to-air missiles, and an HQ-10 point defense missile
system.
But Pakistan rejected the proposal, instead selecting the
Type 054A.
“It is sensible for Pakistan to select a tried and proven
vessel, and it appears that China will be prepared to provide upgraded
ancillaries as they are developed,” Cloughley said.
He added that a deepening Sino-Pakistani relationship is
understandable, pointing to joint production of the JF-17 Thunder as a best
example of successful cooperation.
“There is increased movement towards China in many ways,
and military equipment is but one of them,” he said. “It makes sense for
Pakistan to obtain frigates as well as other items, and as the U.S. appears to
be leaning ever further towards India, none of Pakistan’s armed forces can
afford to be too reliant on Washington.”
However, Pakistan still views good relations with the
U.S. as important. The Turkish corvette features a variety of American
equipment, such as the power plant and the RIM-116 RAM missile defense system.
A representative for Turkish defense firm STM, which
designed the Ada corvette, previously told Defense News that Pakistan’s
corvettes would feature the same systems as those in Turkish service.
However, American equipment may have to be arranged in a
government-to-government contract between Islamabad and Washington. And the
Type 054A and the Ada programs may only cover replacement of the Type 21s.
The Swiftships program is needed to ensure Pakistan has
sufficient ships to maintain regional security commitments. The only such
design Swiftships offers is its 75-meter Swift corvette.
The company said it is unable to comment on the matter
because it is a government-to-government program.
Making it difficult to predict Pakistan’s next step here
is the requirement for U.S. congressional approval, said Claude Rakisits, a
Pakistan expert and senior fellow at Georgetown University. What is certain is
that Congress is generally “not well-disposed toward Pakistan,” making
congressional rejection likely.
Still, lobbying efforts by the Pentagon and State
Department emphasizing Pakistan’s commitment to CTF 150 and CTF 151 could swing
Capitol Hill toward approval.
“It would be a powerful argument, which could persuade
the waverers to give the approval,” Rakisits said. “It’s not as if these ships
would change the balance of forces on the subcontinent.”
Type 054A Jiangkai II frigate: Details
