China State Shipbuilding Corp building 4 Type 054AP frigates for Pakistan.

The Type 054AP frigates will be an export version of a Chinese advanced guided missile frigate, the Type 054A. These vessels are due to be delivered to Pakistan as part of a major arms deal between Pakistan and China State Shipbuilding Corp, a State-owned defense contractor.

Type 054A frigate in China (Picture source : chinamil.com )

These frigates will be equipped with modern detection and weapon systems, and will be capable of anti-ship, anti-submarine and air-defense operations. It is said that they will have a fully loaded displacement of about 4.000 metric tons and that these vessels may be armed with vertical launch cells able to fire Chinese HQ-16 air-defense missiles.

It also appears that these 4 ships could be the largest and more powerful combat vessels ever exported by China and that these frigates could double the combat power of the Pakistani Navy’s fleet.