Pakistan Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

antiterror13 said:

Type 022 is a better choice for Pakistan, proven, cheaper, faster, stealthier and have similar power pack

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A.Man said:

She Is On Her Way To Pakistan!

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antiterror13 said:

Type 022 is a better choice for Pakistan, proven, cheaper, faster, stealthier and have similar power pack

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Jeff Head said:

Is that the crew standing aboard? I thought the crew was expected to be like 15 or so...I see 25-30 standing there.

If they get a total of four of these they will have a nice group. It will be interesting to see if PK ultimately affords and acquires their own version of the 054A.

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duskylim said:

The Type 22 FAC performs the role that it's predecessor's had during the Mao era - that of hiding in close inshore waters then suddenly coming out to strike the enemy's fleet (assuming they come in that close) with a large saturation missile attack.

It is useful for smaller navies facing a larger but not necessarily modern opponent that operates within missile range in restricted waters close to shore or one attempting an amphibious landing.

It could be quite useful for countries like Pakistan, Iran (in the Persian Gulf) or North Korea but has little to offer in terms of range and endurance.

It would not fair very well against an opponent that could operate fixed-wing aircraft carriers, helicopter carriers or even submarines which could hunt them down and dispatch them.

It's nice to have but has only limited use.

But of course the PLAN has the resources to deploy it, and the old Mao doctrine to justify it.

Sadly Pakistan does not have that luxury.

That means that it's naval vessels have to perform multiple tasks, instead of being purpose designed to do one thing well.

This new Azmat class fits the bill nicely, it can patrol and has reasonable range and endurance, it has strong anti-ship capability, and basic AAA (I think this is limited by cost and top-weight), and very importantly, it is available at an affordable price, comes with ToT, and can be maintained and serviced locally.

Just my 2 cents.

P.S. - Jeff - I think the crew is large because it's actually 2 crews one for the Azmat and another for the sister ship - both training simultaneously during the delivery/shake-down cruise.

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duskylim said:

Why indeed I did.

In fact, there is a degree of uncertainty over what the maximum range of a ship- or shore-launched YJ-82/83 really is, with 180 km being cited as the range of the early YJ-82 models.

The fact remains however, that a carrier borne fixed-wing aircraft or helicopter can successfully attack it at even longer ranges than that (that's assuming that the maximum range is 200+ - 250km).

So long as it operates within the range of land-based air cover then it remains viable platform, and can provide considerable anti-ship capabilities using massed missile attacks along the Chinese coast, but this most definitely is NO blue-water vessel.

Despite the virtues of the catamaran design, one only has to actually ride out rough seas on a small vessel to understand what I mean.

There is not much a catamaran design can do if the wave the vessel encounters is larger than the ship itself.

That said, within the busy and confined waters off the Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese (where the YJ-82/83 missile can cover the entire western seaboard) and Vietnamese coasts, AND within the range of the PLAAF and PLANAF's air cover, they can be very effective strike vessels.

However their short range and poor endurance (due to their small tonnage which places definite limits on fuel and stores) and also the limitations of their sensor suite (another result of their small size) means that they cannot operate alone on the high seas.

Effective operation of these vessels requires that one take into consideration their LIMITATIONS as well as their strengths, so although they carry a heavy punch with 8 YJ-82/83s are stealthy and can sprint at high speed, they on their own cannot effectively protect themselves from air strikes nor do they have the sensor suite to use their missiles at the maximum range.

Going back to the Azmat class, to patrol effectively and economically, they do not need the high speed sprint capabilities of the Type 22 FAC but rather a good turn of speed (the word adequate comes to mind), Stealth - which they have, and adequate volume and tonnage for stores and fuel in order to patrol a larger area.

They too have a considerable anti-ship punch, and have better sea-keeping qualities.

Again, they are a compromise but one that suites the Pakistani navy's needs well.

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