PNS Aslat (F254)

Last updated
IMCMEX 141105-N-TD490-309 (15562561097) (cropped2).jpg
PNS Aslat (FFG-254), a F-22P Zulfiquar-class frigate patrolling off its deployment with U.S. Navy in the Indian Ocean in 2014.
History
Naval Ensign of Pakistan.svg Pakistan
NamePNS Aslat
Namesake Arabic: Astro Boy
Builder KSEW Ltd. in Pakistan
Laid down10 December 2009
Launched16 June 2011
Commissioned17 April 2013 [1]
In service2010–present
Homeport Karachi Naval Base
StatusIn active service
General characteristics
Class and type F-22P Zulfiquar-class frigate
Displacement
  • 2,500 tonnes (standard) [2]
  • 3,144 tonnes (full load)
Length123.2 m (404 ft 2 in)
Beam13.8 m (45 ft 3 in)
Draught3.76 m (12 ft 4 in)
Propulsion
  • CODAD (Combined Diesel and Diesel)
  • 2 × Tognum MTU 12V 1163 TB 83 at 10.5 MW
  • 2 × MTU cruise diesels at 6.6 MW
Speed29 kn (54 km/h) maximum
Range4,000 nmi (7,400 km)
Complement202, 14 officers and 188 enlists.
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament
Aircraft carried1 × Harbin Z-9EC ASW helicopter
Aviation facilities Flight deck and enclosed hangar

PNS Aslat (FFG-254) is a F-22P Zulfiquar-class guided missile frigate currently in active service with the Pakistan Navy since her commission in 2013.

Contents

Operational history

Aslat's design, construction and the steel cutting took place in KSEW, Ltd. in Karachi, Sindh in Pakistan in 2009. [3] [4] Her keel laying and launch ceremony took place on 16 June 2011 with Adm. Noman Bashir witnessing its ceremony. [5] [6]

On 18 April 2013, Aslat was commissioned into the military service of the Pakistan Navy and was presented with her colors by Adm. Asif Sandila. [7] With the commissioning of the Aslat, the project of building the Zulfiquar-class guided missile frigates concluded the $750 million technology transfer contract with China. [8]

The second warship has the namesake of Aslat, which is a type of Arab sword used by Arab warriors in the Early Islamic conquests. [9]

PNS Aslat was deployed in the Red sea because of the attacks made on international ships and vessels by the Houthi Rebels of Yemen Starting from late 2023 , following the Isarel - Hamas war . In December 2023 , the rebels also claimed an attack on a Pakistan-bound ship from Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea. The Pakistani navy said the main purpose of the patrol is to ensure the safety of Pakistani and international merchant ships, adding that its warships always patrol the Arabian Sea to ensure its “constant presence.” [10] [11]

Related Research Articles

PNS <i>Hangor</i> (S131) Pakistani submarine

PNS/M Hangor (S-131) was a Daphné-class diesel-electric submarine that served in the Pakistan Navy from 1969 until its decommissioning in 2006. It is the first submarine to sink a ship after World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pakistan Navy</span> Maritime service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces

The Pakistan Navy (PN) is the uniform naval warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The President of Pakistan is the Supreme Commander of the Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff, a four-star admiral commands the navy. The Pakistan Navy operates on the coastline of Pakistan in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman. It was established in August 1947, following the independence of Pakistan from the United Kingdom.

PNS <i>Tariq</i> (D-181)

PNS Tariq (DDG-181) was the lead ship of the Tariq-class destroyers in the Surface Command of the Pakistan Navy that served in the military service from 1993 until 2023. Prior to being commissioned in the Pakistan Navy, she served in the Royal Navy, as general purpose frigate HMS Ambuscade.

<i>Zulfiquar</i>-class frigate

The Zulfiquar-class frigate, also known as F-22P or in English: Sword class, is a class of multi-mission guided missile frigates, in service with the Pakistan Navy. The class is based on an updated model of the Chinese design, the Type 053H3. The frigates were designed and built jointly in Hudong–Zhonghua Shipbuilding in China and the KS&EW Ltd. in Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works</span> Shipyard in Karachi, Pakistan

The Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works Limited is a major defence contractor and shipbuilding company situated in the West Wharf in Karachi, Sindh in Pakistan.

USNS <i>Supply</i> (T-AOE-6) Supply-class fast combat support ship

USNS Supply (T-AOE-6), ex-USS Supply (AOE-6), is the lead ship of the Supply-class fast combat support ships. She was commissioned in 1994 and decommissioned in 2001, after which she was transferred for service with the U.S. Military Sealift Command.

PNS <i>Zulfiquar</i> (F251)

PNS Zulfiquar (FFG-251) is the lead ship of the F-22P Zulfiquar-class guided missile frigates since 2009. She was designed and constructed by Chinese firm, Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in Shanghai, for the Pakistan Navy. The vessel's design is primarily influenced from the Type 053H3 frigate.

Military exercises are conducted by the Pakistan Armed Forces to increase combat readiness, and to identify problems in logistics, training, and current military doctrine. They also test the ability of units to work together. Lastly, they act as a visible expression of military might, which acts as a deterrent to potential enemy action. An important component of each exercise is the after-action assessment. Since 1989 the four branches services have increasingly begun coordinated exercises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evacuation of Pakistani citizens during the Yemeni civil war (2015)</span>

The evacuation of Pakistani citizens was a civil-military combined effort by Pakistan to extract and evacuate overseas Pakistanis from war-torn areas of Yemen.

At least two ships of the Pakistan Navy have been named Aslat:

PNS <i>Moawin</i> (A39)

PNS Moawin (A39), is a fleet replenishment tanker currently in service with the Pakistan Navy. Designed by the Turkish firm, STM, she was built and constructed by the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works in Karachi, Pakistan. Moawin is noted for its displacement, being the largest warship ever built in Pakistan.

PNS <i>Babur</i> (D-182) Tariq-class destroyer in the Pakistan Navy (1993-2015)

PNS Babur (D-182) was a Tariq-class destroyer that served in the Surface Command of the Pakistan Navy from 1993 until being decommissioned in 2014. Before commissioning in the Pakistan Navy, she served in the Royal Navy, formerly designated as HMS Amazon as a general purpose frigate.

PNS <i>Khaibar</i> (D-183) Tariq-class destroyer of the United Kingdom and later Pakistan

PNS Khaibar (DDG-183) is the Tariq-class destroyer currently in active duty in the Surface Command of the Pakistan Navy since 1994.

PNS <i>Badr</i> (D-184) Ship of the Pakistani navy

PNS Badr (D-184) was the Tariq-class destroyer that served in the Surface Command of the Pakistan Navy from 1994 until being decommissioned from the service in 2014.

PNS <i>Tippu Sultan</i> (D-185) Pakistani naval ship

PNS Tippu Sultan (DDG-185), a Tariq-class destroyer, served in the Pakistan Navy after it was acquired in 1994. Her design was based on the British Type 21 frigate, and previously served in the Royal Navy as HMS Avenger as a general purpose frigate.

PNS <i>Shah Jahan</i> (D-186)

PNS Shah Jahan (DDG-186) was a Tariq-class destroyer in service with the Pakistan Navy since being recommissioned in 1994. Based on the British design, Type 21 frigate, she previously served in the Royal Navy as HMS Active as a general purpose frigate.

PNS <i>Shamsheer</i> (F252)

PNS Shamsheer (FFG-252) is the second F-22P Zulfiquar-class guided missile frigate currently in active service with the Pakistan Navy since her commissioning in 2009.

PNS <i>Saif</i> (F253)

PNS Saif (FFG-253) is a F-22P Zulfiquar-class guided missile frigate which serves as the front line warship of the Pakistan Navy since her commission in 2010.

<i>Tughril</i>-class frigate Class of multi-role warships for the Pakistan Navy

The Tughril-class frigates, formally classified as the Type 054A/P frigates, are a series of modified guided-missile frigates built by Hudong–Zhonghua Shipbuilding (HDZH), for the Pakistan Navy. The Type 054A/P is a modified derivative of the Type 054A frigate and was specifically customised to meet the operational requirements of the Pakistan Navy; the class features several capabilities - including anti-surface warfare (ASuW), anti-aircraft warfare (AAW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and low radar observability. The frigates form the mainstay of the Pakistan Navy's active naval fleet. The class also supplants the obsolete Tariq-class destroyers.

References

  1. "Handing over Ceremony – PNS Aslat (F22P Frigate)". www.karachishipyard.com.pk. Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works Limited.
  2. F 2 2 P Frigate Archived 2009-06-02 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Commissioning of 4th F22P Ship – PNS ASLAT". www.karachishipyard.com.pk.
  4. "Fourth F-22P frigate of Pakistan Navy launched". www.thenews.com.pk. The News International. 17 July 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  5. "Launching Ceremony – F22P Frigate". www.karachishipyard.com.pk. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  6. Newspaper, the (16 June 2011). "First indigenously built F-22P frigate". DAWN.COM.
  7. Newspaper, the (18 April 2013). "F-22P frigate inducted into PN fleet". DAWN.COM.
  8. "Pakistan commissions last Zulfiquar frigate". www.spacewar.com. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  9. "PNS ASLAT holds Reception at Jeddah Islamic Port". pid.gov.pk. Islamabad. February 21, 2018.
  10. "Pakistan deploys warships in Arabian Sea following recent Houthi attacks".
  11. "Pakistan deploys warships in Arabian Sea following 'maritime incidents'".