Reading Time: 6 minutes approx.
PAK NAVAL CHIEF Confirms That PAKISTAN NAVY Would Transform Into Most Modern NAVAL FORCE Of The World With The Help Of PAKISTAN Iron Brothers TURKIYE And CHINA In Next 5 Years:
PAK NAVAL CHIEF (CNS) Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi has confirmed that PAKISTAN NAVY will be transformed in to the Most Modern NAVAL FORCES of the World with the help of PAKISTAN Iron Brothers TURKIYE and CHINA in the next Five years during interview with the Prominent TURKISH DEFENSE Magazine, DEFENSE TURKEY on Friday, December 30, 2022.
PAKISTAN NAVAL CHIEF (CNS) Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi gave a comprehensive and detailed interview to the DEFENSE TURKEY Magazine, where he outlined the various short-term and long-term NAVAL Projects of PAKISTAN NAVY.
“Progressive capability development is an important pillar of my vision for the PAKISTAN NAVY. Our developmental strategy hinges upon the induction of force multipliers, indigenization, and maintaining diversified options to mitigate external dependence,” CNS Admiral Niazi said.
While emphasizing that the PAK NAVY is well equipped for the accomplishment of assigned tasks that include seaward defense of Sacred Country PAKISTAN, the CNS Admiral Niazi shared information about the PAKISTAN NAVY’s most important procurement and modernization programs and the envisaged time frame of realization for the next 5 years.
“As warships are the mainstay of any Navy, induction of more ships is in the offing. In this regard, Type 054 A/P Frigates are being acquired from PAKISTAN Iron Brother CHINA. Two vessels have already been inducted, and the remaining two are likely to join the PN Fleet by 2023. Two YARMOOK Class OPVs have already been inducted, while two larger and more capable OPVs are under construction in Romania,” he continued.
“At the same time, we believe in making the best use of the available resources. We have contracted the construction of frigates and corvettes with the support of friendly countries, including PAKISTAN Iron Brother TURKIYE and PAKISTAN Iron Brother CHINA,” he added.
“The PN is also procuring four MİLGEM Class Corvettes at various stages of construction in TURKIYE and Sacred Country PAKISTAN. Building on the experience gained during the construction of MİLGEM Class Ships, the PN has contracted the JINNAH Class Ship, which will be our first ever indigenously designed and built frigate-sized warship,” CNS Admiral Niazi added.
“Moreover, the HANGOR Class S/Ms Program is progressing well, and S/Ms are under various stages of construction in PAKISTAN and CHINA.”
“PAKISTAN NAVY has acquired Jet LRMPAs (Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft) for highspeed surveillance and deep-sea strike capability, which are currently under modernization,” PAK NAVAL CHIEF added.
PAKISTAN NAVY BABUR Class Corvettes are armed with MBDA’s new generation ALBATROS NG Naval Based Air Defense (NBAD) System, PAK NAVAL CHIEF (CNS) Admiral Niazi emphasized that ALBATROS SAMs are also considered for JINNAH Class Frigates and F-22P Ships.
“In the case of PN-MİLGEM, the successful construction of the PN-MİLGEM Class was taken as a template, and ASFAT’s deeper understanding and rich experience of working with TURKISH and Western OEMs have also been a factor in arriving at this decision.
“We have all the confidence in MBDA, ASFAT, HAVELSAN, and Thales to make this integration a success and add this much-needed AAW capability to the PAKISTAN Fleet,” PAK NAVAL CHIEF added in the statement.
“Broadly answering the last part of your question, standardization of equipment is always a preferred option for ease of operation and maintenance. Accordingly, ALBATROS SAMs are under consideration for JINNAH Class Frigates and F-22P Ships,” Admiral Niazi continued.
“The induction of force multipliers is one of my priorities in pursuing PN Development Plans. The PN is thus focusing on integrating UAVs to improve surveillance capabilities in our Area of Responsibility (AOR). PAKISTAN NAVY is already operating Tactical UAVs, which include Scan Eagle and LUNA NG Unmanned Aerial Systems,” he added.
Reminding that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) recently acquired a large number of BAYRAKTAR TB2 and AKINCI UCAVS from PAKISTAN Iron Brother TURKIYE, CNS Admiral Niazi stated that BAYRAKTAR TB2 UCAVs are also being evaluated for induction into the PAK NAVY to augment further the service’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities and support naval operations.
“We have also inducted CH-4 MALE UCAVs from PAKISTAN Iron Brother CHINA. In short, during the next five years, the PAKISTAN NAVY Fleet will be transformed into a modern and potent Fleet, equipped with the latest frigates, corvettes, OPVs, modern submarines, LRMPAs, and UCAVs in service,” CNS Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi confirmed.
“Furthermore, the PN has also acquired Medium Altitude Long Endurance Combat UAVs (MALE UCAVs) CH-4 from PAKISTAN Iron Brother CHINA. Moreover, PN procurement and R&D efforts are being steered to induct additional unmanned systems to achieve cost-effective Maritime Domain Awareness in our AoI (Areas of Influence). In this regard, BAYRAKTAR TB2 UCAVs are being evaluated for induction into the PN,” CNS Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi concluded.
