Pakistan Navy's Chinese Submarines.

Pakistan Navy has recently announced a deal for eight variants of the Type 039 Yuan Class submarines from China, which shall be an addition to the Pakistan Navy Fleet. With some older submarines retiring, this seems a wise acquisition, but is there a slight oversight by the Navy in this deal?

With 4 submarines reported to be arriving in 2022-2023, and 4 more to be constructed in Karachi and handed over by 2028, the deal represents a tactical failure. With the world and technology moving apace, the submarines are in danger of being well out of date by the time all eight are operational. While they do represent an improvement for the Pakistan Navy, they are by no means the only subs needed. In a similar time frame, India is expected to add 15-20 Submarines, which means that the Naval Battle will not be any easier.


The Type 039A is China's first AIP powered submarine, and has the advantage of being one of the quietest submarines of its class, meaning it is significantly harder to detect. One of the greatest advantages for Pakistan is that construction at KSEW (Karachi Shipping and Engineering Works) means that great technical expertise will also be obtained, which will help Pakistan in furthering their own indigenous submarine ambitions.

The time frame though, could be better, and it is that alone which means that the deal turns from a good one, to one that might potentially be good.


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India’s Russian-Built Frigate Completes Sea Trials

 

 

MOSCOW, April 17 (RIA Novosti) - The last in a series of three frigates that Russia is building for India at the Yantar shipyard in the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad has completed sea trials, a shipyard spokesman said on Wednesday.

The Trikand frigate carried out workup trials on March 14 and was cleared for final state trials on April 4, which started on April 8, spokesman Sergei Mikhailov said.

Earlier on Wednesday the frigate effectively engaged a target flying at 50 meters above the sea level with its surface-to-air missile system, he added.

The frigate’s Indian crew are to complete their onboard training practice within the next several days and after that it will return to the shipyard for a final inspection.

The frigate is due to be handed over to the Indian Navy this June, Mikhailov said.

Russia and India signed a $1.6 billion contract on the construction of three modified Krivak III class (also known as Talwar class) guided missile frigates for India in 2006.

The first frigate, INS Teg, joined the Indian Navy on April 27, 2012, and the second, The Tarkash, arrived at the port of Mumbai in India on December 30, 2012.

The frigates are each armed with eight BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles.

They are also equipped with a 100-mm gun, a Shtil surface-to-air missile system, two Kashtan air-defense gun/missile systems, two twin 533-mm torpedo launchers and an antisubmarine warfare (ASW) helicopter.