PNS TUGHRIL

  • Recently, China handed over the first Type 054A/P frigate (warship) to Pakistan. It is named the PNS Tughril.
  • The PNS Tughril is the first hull of four Type 054 frigates being constructed for the Pakistan Navy.

Important points:

  • The ship is a technologically advanced and highly capable platform with enormous surface-to-surface, surface-to-air and underwater firepower, besides extensive surveillance potentials.
  • This warship has world-class stealth capability and can easily dodge any radar.
  • It also has long-range missiles and a state-of-the-art cannon capable of firing multiple rounds in a minute.
  • The warship is fitted with a state-of-the-art Battle Management System (BMS), which will increase the fighting capability of the Pakistan Navy manifold.
  • BMS basically helps communicate between the radar and the interceptor missile.

Concerns for India:

  • It will strengthen Pakistan Navy’s capabilities to respond to maritime challenges to ensure seaward defence in the Indian Ocean region
  • It will form the mainstay of the Pakistan Navy fleet while bolstering the Pakistan Navy’s maritime defence capabilities.
  • Besides the advanced naval ships, China also partners with the Pakistan Air Force to build JF-17 Thunder fighter aircraft.
  • Besides building its first military base in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa in the Indian Ocean, China has acquired Pakistan’s Gwadar port in the Arabian Sea which connects with China’s Xinjiang province by land in the USD 60 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
  • China is also developing Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port after it acquired it on 99 years’ lease.
  • The modernisation of the Pakistan Navy coupled with the acquisition of the naval bases was expected to shore up the Chinese Navy’s presence in the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea.

SOURCE: THE HINDU,THE ECONOMIC TIMES,MINT

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