China launches 2nd advanced naval frigate for Pakistan

Beijing:  China on Friday launched the second naval missile frigate equipped with an improved radar system and long-range missiles for its all-weather ally Pakistan to help it bolster maritime defence and deterrence capabilities, according to a media report.
 The Pakistan Navy has contracted the construction of four Type 054A/P frigates from China since 2017, and the first ship was launched in August last year.
The Type 054A multi-purpose, guided-missile frigate is the mainstay of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, with 30 vessels in commission.
The second Type 054A/P frigate for Pakistan was launched on Friday in Shanghai which will significantly enhance Pakistan’s maritime defence and deterrence capabilities, the state-run Global Times reported.
 Zhang Junshe, a senior research fellow at the PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute, told the daily earlier that the Type 054A, on which the Type 054A/P is based, is China’s most advanced frigate.
 Compared with previous Chinese frigates, the new version has better air defence capability, as it is equipped with an improved radar system and a larger number of missiles with a longer range, Zhang said, noting that the Type 054A frigate also has world-class stealth capability.