What are Pakistan Navy’s 'Tughril class' frigates? The Chinese Type 054A are called ‘Swiss army knife’ among attack ships | 5 POINTS

Chief of the Naval Staff of the Pakistan Navy Admiral Naveed Ashraf had recently hailed his country acquiring the Type 054A/P frigates from the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) as a major achievement in the equipment cooperation between the two countries. The frigates were labelled "among the most advanced surface combatants" by Admiral Naveed Ashraf, who went on to add that their availability has greatly strengthened the Pakistan Navy's multi-mission capability, particularly in air defence, anti-submarine warfare and maritime surveillance.

 

The statements were made by the Admiral during an exclusive interaction with Beijing-based Global Times. During the interaction, he also confirmed that the Pakistan Navy will receive the first of the eight Hangor-class submarines from China in 2026. He also showed optimism that the two countries' defence cooperation will not stop with the submarines and attack frigates, but will further strengthen in the future.

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The Pakistan Navy has contracted the construction of four ships from China since 2017. The Type 054A/Ps have become crucial for Pakistan's patrolling and operations in the North Arabian Sea and the broader Indian Ocean region, he had told Global Times. The guided-missile frigates are called 'Tughril class' by the Pakistan Navy and are reportedly customised for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and low radar observability. It is said that Islamabad currently possesses four of them and could acquire another four in the near future as part of modernising its fleet. Apart from Pakistan, they are being used by the Royal Thai Navy as well. 

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Secrecy surrounding Chinese military-grade productions and systems is usual, and the case is no different with these ships. Beijing has not officially disclosed much about them to the world, including unit costs and technology involved. Unconfirmed reports have claimed that Pakistan spent $348 million for the procurement. However, here are five things to know about the Type 054A/P Tughril frigates, which are the most fearsome attack frigates at the Pakistan Navy’s dispense.

 

1. The first Type 054A was named 'Xuzhou' (Xinhua News Agency spells it 'Zhoushan') by the Chinese Navy. It was laid down in 2005 and entered service in January 2008. Its design is said to be heavily influenced by the French La Fayette-class frigate, which was the outcome of the French Navy's demand for an attack ship to be deployed for non-traditional missions and high-intensity threats posed by the post-Cold War era.

 

2. Type 054A is known by the name 'Jiangkai-II' in NATO documents. In a 2015 report, Diplomat called it "China’s most prolifically produced large, modern major surface combatant." It further called them "the cornerstone of the PLAN’s surface warfare capabilities at present and has actually seen sustained (and ongoing) operational deployments." Reliable reports state that as of 2023, PLAN operates more than 30 Type 054A frigates — confirming that the Chinese military brass is convinced of its reliability and cost-effectiveness.

 

3. In a 2014 report co-authored by Kristen Gunness of Vantage Point Asia, Morgan Clemens of Defense Group Inc. and Gabe Collins from University of Michigan Law School, the ship was declared the first large modern surface combatant that the PLAN thinks it “got right.” Ever since their induction, these frigates have undergone significant development and redesign, the report added. The authors argued that this was because of the PLAN’s broader plan to make it their highest-end multi-function warship. The report called it a “Swiss army knife”-type ship which is used for escort and patrol missions in the South China Sea, counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden as well as non-combat missions. It was a 054A that the communist regime sent to Libya to conduct the PLAN’s first non-combatant evacuation operation, the report pointed out.

 

4. Pakistan received the first Tughril in November 2021. Designed and built by China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC), the frigate was delivered to the Pakistan Navy in a commissioning ceremony in Shanghai. According to the manufacturers, it is the largest and most advanced warship China has ever exported. Pakistan was quoted as saying by a Global Times report that the reason for their purchase of Type 054A/P frigates was its capability to simultaneously execute a number of naval warfare missions even in "highly intense multi-threat environments."

 

5. According to information available on Wikipedia, the Chinese-built Tughril are 134 meters long and has a beam of 16 meters. It uses a CODAD propulsion system, powered by four Shaanxi 16 PA6 STC diesel engines, each producing 5700 kW. The ship can reach a speed of 27 knots (about 50 km/h) and has a range of 8,025 nautical miles. In terms of armament, the frigate is equipped for multiple roles. For air defence, it has a 32-cell VLS that fires LY-80N surface-to-air missiles. For surface warfare, it carries CM-302 anti-ship missiles in two twin launch units. For anti-submarine warfare, it is fitted with two Type 87 rocket launchers and two Yu-7 torpedo launchers. The ship also has guns for close and medium-range combat, including a 76 mm H/PJ-26 naval gun and two Type 1130 CIWS for defence against incoming threats. Additionally, it carries two Type 726-4 decoy launchers to mislead enemy missiles.

Defence