Launch of F-22P at Hudong Shipyard in Shanghai on April 7

[z9-ec]

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Naval Chief lauds Sino-Pak cooperation in defence.

BEIJING, Apr 4 (APP):Lauding the Defence cooperation between China and Pakistan at various levels, the Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Afzal Tahir Friday expressed gratitude to People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy for providing whole-hearted support for implementation of ambitious F-22P Frigate project. “As we all know that the military cooperation between Pakistan and China is very long standing,” he said adding that our military cooperation strengths from the deep rooted understanding and friendship at the political level.

Admiral Afzal Tahir who held meetings with Chinese Defence Minister General Liang Guanglie, Commander of PLA Navy Admiral Wu Shengli and other senior officials during his visit was talking to media persons here.

The highlight of his visit is the launching of first F-22P Frigate - PNS Zulfiqar

at Hudong Shipyard in Shanghai on April 7, in which he will be the chief guest. Three of the four ships of this class for which both the countries have signed a pact in 2005 will be built in China while the fourth one to be constructed at Karachi Shipyard under transfer of technology agreement. “Its a very comprehensive project that is being undertaking by the two sides as far as for the collaboration between the two navies is concerned” he said. He pointed out that PLA is providing all assistance to meet our requirements in the construction of these ships that will play a very pivotal role for our surface fleet as these ships will be utilized in defence of our maritime interest.

“These ships are being built in accordance with the naval standards” he said adding that when the ships are launched the PLA Navy will also provide support in training of our personnel.

The project he said is going to act as catalyst for further cooperation in the construction of naval ship between Pakistan and China. The Naval Chief said as far as the defence collaboration is concerned under the overall umbrella of strong political understanding between our two countries, it will continue to strengthen in the coming days. Admiral Afzal Tahir said we are sure that the armed forces of both the countries would benefit from this cooperation.

APP

Congrats to all fellow and people

[Proud to be Pakistani]

Before time Completion!

Nice to see good things like this!

We need to strenghten our Naval Forces.

[Imran Khan]

god news for all pakistan.i hope it will be arrive soon in pakistan and we seen F22P in our sea

[z9-ec]

China-made frigate ready to set sail for Pakistan

The first of four F-22P frigates ordered by the Pakistani navy from China three years ago will be launched on Monday from a Shanghai shipyard.

The deal marks the navy's first purchase of a major fighting unit from China. In the past, it procured such military hardware from Western countries including Britain and France.

Pakistani Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Afzal Tahir, who will attend the launch ceremony, said the frigates will "form a very important component" of the country's surface fleet.

"They will be deployed for the defense of our maritime interests and to meet our commitments in other aspects of maritime diplomacy," he said yesterday in Beijing, adding the shift from West to East displays the navy's confidence in Chinese industry.

As well as the four frigates, the deal will include the transfer of Chinese naval shipbuilding technology to its neighbor, as the last vessel is expected to be finished at a shipyard in Karachi, Pakistan, in 2013, under an agreement signed in April 2005.

This will be "a catalyst" for cooperation on the construction of vessels, Tahir said.

"It will enhance Pakistan's capabilities in shipbuilding and also the Karachi shipyard's capabilities in managing the construction of a large warship," he said.

The importance of the launch has extended beyond collaboration in shipbuilding. It also acts as testimony to the two Asian nations' strong ties in military cooperation in a broader sense, Tahir said.

Beijing and Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, have always enjoyed sound military cooperation, and last March, the PLA navy took part in its first-ever multilateral naval exercise AMAN-07 in Karachi.

"We were very happy to see the PLA ships operating with other navies of the world in Pakistani waters. And of course their performance was excellent and exemplary," Tahir said, adding Pakistan will host a similar exercise next March.

"We are very hopeful the PLA ships will participate again with the navies of other countries in the interests of stability in the world's maritime domain."

On Thursday, the naval chief met with China's Defense Minister General Liang Guanglie, with whom he spoke of deepening exchanges and cooperation between the defense departments and armed forces of the two countries.

Liang said the defense departments and militaries have maintained long-term exchanges and conducted multilevel cooperation across a wide range of fields.

He also said he hopes the two sides will make joint efforts to promote exchanges and bilateral cooperation to serve the development of the strategic cooperative partnership of the two countries.

China Daily.

[opinion786]

Under Musharraf:

The Military Might (to counter regional adventurers) is much better:

1. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has achieved a landmark in the development of its Airborne Early Warning and Capability (AEWC) Program with the unveiling of its first Saab 2000 AEWC aircraft in a ceremony at the Saab facility in Sweden, the PAF said in a statement on 4 April 2008.

2. Pakistan has started formal manufacturing of JF-17 Thunder Jets in Pakistan

3. Dec 2007: Some of the Military hardware Pakistan has received recently:

a- YLC-6 (10 Qty) Air surveillance radar from China
b- AS-350B-3 version (10 Qty) from France
c- MTU-538 Diesel engine (4 Qty) for Jalat FAC from Germany
d- Luna UAV (4 Qty) systems from Germany
e- Falco UAV (4 Qty) systems from Italy
f- Type-43 ASW torpedo (25 Qty) from Sweden
g- 6V-53 Diesel engine (AV) (20 Qty) for Talha APC and Al Qaswa ALV from USA.

4. Nov 27 2007: Pakistan Navy Ship Zarrar, the first of Multi Role Tactical Platform (MRTP-33), was commissioned into Pakistan Navy at an impressive ceremony here at PN Dockyard. The Attack craft acquired from Turkey is planned to be fitted with requisite guns and missiles commensurate with its role of coastal defence/offensive operation.

5. Jan 2007: The United States has handed over the first of eight P-3 Orion reconnaissance and anti-submarine aircraft to Pakistan, the navy said. Washington agreed in late 2005 to supply $970 million worth planes to Pakistan. The four-engined Lockheed P-3 Orion is a highly maneuverable, all-weather aircraft primarily designed for reconnaissance, anti-submarine and anti-surface vessel operations.

6. October 2006, the construction of the first F22P FFG was started at Shanghai Hudong Shipyard. The first F22P FFG would take 4 years to finish, and the initial three F22P FFGS would be built at Shanghai Hudong Shipyard.

[Proud to be Pakistani]

Just wanted to add few more Defence Purchases in those:

1. F-16 MLU Program .... and Block52 F-16 Purchase

2. MBDA SPADA Medium Range Air Defence System

[fatman17]

China-made frigate ready to set sail for Pakistan

The first of four F-22P frigates ordered by the Pakistani navy from China three years ago will be launched on Monday from a Shanghai shipyard.

The deal marks the navy's first purchase of a major fighting unit from China. In the past, it procured such military hardware from Western countries including Britain and France.

Pakistani Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Afzal Tahir, who will attend the launch ceremony, said the frigates will "form a very important component" of the country's surface fleet.

"They will be deployed for the defense of our maritime interests and to meet our commitments in other aspects of maritime diplomacy," he said yesterday in Beijing, adding the shift from West to East displays the navy's confidence in Chinese industry.

As well as the four frigates, the deal will include the transfer of Chinese naval shipbuilding technology to its neighbor, as the last vessel is expected to be finished at a shipyard in Karachi, Pakistan, in 2013, under an agreement signed in April 2005.

This will be "a catalyst" for cooperation on the construction of vessels, Tahir said.

"It will enhance Pakistan's capabilities in shipbuilding and also the Karachi shipyard's capabilities in managing the construction of a large warship," he said.

The importance of the launch has extended beyond collaboration in shipbuilding. It also acts as testimony to the two Asian nations' strong ties in military cooperation in a broader sense, Tahir said.

Beijing and Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, have always enjoyed sound military cooperation, and last March, the PLA navy took part in its first-ever multilateral naval exercise AMAN-07 in Karachi.

"We were very happy to see the PLA ships operating with other navies of the world in Pakistani waters. And of course their performance was excellent and exemplary," Tahir said, adding Pakistan will host a similar exercise next March.

"We are very hopeful the PLA ships will participate again with the navies of other countries in the interests of stability in the world's maritime domain."

On Thursday, the naval chief met with China's Defense Minister General Liang Guanglie, with whom he spoke of deepening exchanges and cooperation between the defense departments and armed forces of the two countries.

Liang said the defense departments and militaries have maintained long-term exchanges and conducted multilevel cooperation across a wide range of fields.

He also said he hopes the two sides will make joint efforts to promote exchanges and bilateral cooperation to serve the development of the strategic cooperative partnership of the two countries.

China Daily.

was this the keel/hull laying ceremony or what?

[WebMaster]

It seems that the ship is ready to roll out tomorrow, much earlier than expected. But then Chinese shipping industry is at its peak!

[Imran Khan]

not like india order in 1980 and recive in 2015

[z9-ec]

was this the keel/hull laying ceremony or what?

Nope, according to my imformation this is the actual roll out ceremony the keel-laying ceremony was held in 2007 while the construction began in 2006. Dawn - 2007

[fatman17]

Nope, according to my imformation this is the actual roll out ceremony the keel-laying ceremony was held in 2007 while the construction began in 2006. Dawn - 2007

so the basic structure of the ship is ready as it goes into dry - dock. then the 2nd phase starts - the infrastructure then the 3rd phase the weapons and equipment. this is great progress.

[z9-ec]

The first images have emerged.

[Imran Khan]

i am so happy to seen F-22P ready

[fatman17]

China completes naval frigate for Pakistan

BEIJING, April 5 (Reuters) - A Shanghai shipyard has completed the first of four frigates for delivery to Pakistan, the China Daily reported on Saturday, in the first such order from China by the Pakistani navy.

The deal is a 'catalyst' for cooperation on construction of other vessels, the paper said, citing Pakistani chief of naval staff Muhammad Afzal Tahir. He will attend a launch ceremony for the F-22P frigate in Shanghai on Monday.

The fourth and last vessel will be completed at a Karachi shipyard in 2013, to fulfill a pledge to transfer Chinese shipbuilding technology that was part of the April 2005 agreement to build the frigates.

'They will be deployed for the defense of our maritime interests and to meet our commitments in other aspects of maritime diplomacy,' the paper quoted Tahir as saying. It noted that Pakistan had previously procured such military hardware from Western countries, including Britain and France.

The F-22P is a modification of a Chinese frigate that uses a Russian-designed main gun rather than a Chinese model. It will be armed with eight surface-to-air missiles and eight surface-to-surface missiles, according to an entry in the online encyclopedia Wikipedia.

China and Pakistan, which share a border, are long-time allies, while tension persists in China's relations with Pakistan's arch-rival India. Tahir met with China's minister of defense and navy chief during his visit to Beijing this week.

Last March, China's navy participated for the first time in a multilateral naval exercise near Karachi, that also included the U.S., British, Turkish, and French navies. Pakistan will host a similar exercise next March, Tahir said.

China is developing its shipbuilding industry to rival yards in South Korea and Taiwan. This month, a Shanghai shipyard delivered the country's first-ever liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier, four months behind schedule.

[gpit]

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"China and Pakistan, which share a border, are long-time allies, while tension persists in China's relations with Pakistan's arch-rival India."

I would say that even there is no Sino-India tension, Sino-Pakistan friendship will still perpetuate: there are more than just military interests that bind them: energy, trade,... you name it.

Unfortunately, I'm sorry to say that, Nehru and the elites in India made a wrong calculation about China and his own country years ago, and created an environment that favors hostile forces/influences against China even after him. That hostility does more harm to India than to China.

Finally, a stable and balanced South Asia is not only in the interest of China, probably is also in the interest of India and Pakistan, and of the world in general.