The ''Zulfiquar''-class frigate ( ur, ذوالفقار, lit=''Sword''), also known as F-22P or in English: ''Sword'' class, is a

class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...

of multi-mission

guided missile frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

s, in service with the

Pakistan Navy ur, ہمارے لیے اللّٰہ کافی ہے اور وہ بہترین کارساز ہے۔ English language, English: Allah is Sufficient for us - and what an excellent (reliable) Trustee (of affairs) is He!(''Quran, Qur'an, Al Imran, 3:173' ...

. 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 Hudong–Zhonghua Shipbuilding is a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). It produces civilian and military ships. Hudong–Zhonghua claims to be the "Cradle of Chinese Frigates and Landing Ships" for its work for the Peop ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

and the KS&EW Ltd. in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. The frigates perform missions including air defense, enemy interdiction, extraction and patrolling the economic exclusive zone (EEZ).

History

Negotiation, procurement, and development

After the return of the and s in 1994, Pakistan entered in negotiation with

to jointly built and design the class of four frigates in 1996–1999. Initial interests were directed towards procuring the Type 053 and

Type 054 The Type 054 (NATO Codename Jiangkai I) is a class of Chinese multi-role frigates that were commissioned in the People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force in 2005. They superseded the Type 053H3 frigates. Only two ships, ''Ma'anshan'' (525), and ...

frigates in 2004, eventually signing a bilateral agreement with China to design the frigates influenced from both designs at the initial price of $600 million

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

with the conclusion of the

technology transfer Technology transfer (TT), also called transfer of technology (TOT), is the process of transferring (disseminating) technology from the person or organization that owns or holds it to another person or organization, in an attempt to transform invent ...

to Pakistan on 4 April 2006. The contract was expanded with China as the

ordered to equip the ''Zulfiquar'' class with six Z-9EC helicopters with anti-submarine capability and additional ammunition according to their specifications, concluding the final cost at $750 million

. The

Chinese government The Government of the People's Republic of China () is an authoritarian political system in the People's Republic of China under the exclusive political leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It consists of legislative, executive, mili ...

awarded the contract to the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

, where the last three ships were constructed and built, while Pakistan awarded the contract to KS&EW Ltd. for the construction and development of the last ship. The lead ship, , was launched in Shanghai on 5 April 2008, and completed several sea trials in China. On the way to Pakistan, ''Zulfiquar'', under the command of Captain Zahid Ilyas paid a goodwill visit to

Port Klang Port Klang ( ms, Pelabuhan Klang) is a town and the main gateway by sea into Malaysia. Known during colonial times as Port Swettenham ( ms, Pelabuhan Swettenham) but renamed Port Klang in July 1972, it is the largest port in the country. It is l ...

in Malaysia in August 2009, and also paid a goodwill visit to Colombo Port in Sri Lanka where she was visited by the Commander of the

Sri Lanka Navy ta, இலங்கை கடற்படை , image = Sri Lanka Naval Seal.png , image_size = 180px , caption = Emblem of Sri Lanka Navy , dates = , c ...

, Vice Admiral

Thisara Samarasinghe Admiral Thisara Sugeeshwara Gunasekara Samarasinghe RSP, VSV, USP, ndc, psc, DISS, MNI, SLN (born: 16 July 1955) was the Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy from 15 July 2008 to 15 January 2011. He had a distinguished 36-year career in the ...

, on 5 September 2009. PNS ''Zulfiquar'' was commissioned into the Pakistan Navy by then-Rear Admiral

Asif Sandila Admiral Mohammad Asif Sandila (Urdu: محمد ﺁصف سندیلہ; born: 1954, ), is a retired four-star admiral in the Pakistan Navy who was the 14th Chief of Naval Staff of the Pakistan Navy. Prior to this command appointment, Sandila brie ...

(senior

fleet commander The Fleet Commander is a senior Royal Navy post, responsible for the operation, resourcing and training of the ships, submarines and aircraft, and personnel, of the Naval Service (United Kingdom), Naval Service. The Vice-Admiral incumbent is requ ...

of the Surface Command), which was docked at the

Karachi Port The Port of Karachi ( ur, , ''Bandar gāh Karāchī'') is one of South Asia's largest and busiest deep-water seaports, handling about 60% of the nation's cargo (25 million tons per annum) located in Karachi, Pakistan. It is located on the Kar ...

on 15 September 2009. The second frigate of her class, PNS ''Shamsheer'', was launched on 31 October 2008, and commissioned on 19 December 2009 at Shanghai. PNS ''Shamsheer'' reported to its base on 23 January 2010. The third frigate of her class, PNS ''Saif'', was commissioned in the Navy on 15 September 2010. The fourth and last frigate PNS ''Aslat'' was built with transfer of technology at the KS&EW Ltd. and commissioned on 17 April 2013. In 2010, Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Numan Bashir, quoted in the media of the Navy's intention to expand its fleet by procuring additional ships. In 2015, it was reported that Pakistan Navy awarded the contract to the KS&EW Ltd. to build two more ''Zulfiquar''-class frigates, which as of September 2018 are being constructed.

Design and technology

The ''Zulfiquar'' class hull uses many of the

radar cross-section Radar cross-section (RCS), also called radar signature, is a measure of how detectable an object is by radar. A larger RCS indicates that an object is more easily detected. An object reflects a limited amount of radar energy back to the source. ...

reduction features of the Chinese Type 054 frigate to help it evade detection by radar mounted on other ships, aircraft and

anti-ship missile An anti-ship missile (AShM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. A good ...

s. The

armory Armory or armoury may mean: * An arsenal, a military or civilian location for the storage of arms and ammunition Places *National Guard Armory, in the United States and Canada, a training place for National Guard or other part-time or regular mili ...

features the Chinese engineered Russian patent,

AK-176 The AK-176 is a Soviet naval gun mounted in an enclosed turret, that may be used against sea, coastal, and aerial targets, including low flying anti-ship missiles. The system is designed to arm small displacement ships and comprises the Gun Mou ...

M–a 76.2 mm calibre– being the main artillery

gun A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, pr ...

with the distinction of that the Chinese variant adopts the stealth turret to reduce

. The gun is designed to engage enemy warships, aircraft and anti-ship missiles. In front of the main gun are two 6-cell RDC-32, the

anti-submarine rocket An anti-submarine missile is a standoff anti-submarine weapon. Often a variant of anti-ship missile designs, an anti-submarine systems typically use a jet or rocket engine, to deliver an explosive warhead aimed directly at a submarine, a depth ...

launchers. The ''Zulfiquar'' class is a guided missile frigate (FFG) with the introduction and the installation of the armament comprises eight C-802 "Eagle Strike", the Chinese manufactured subsonic

surface-to-surface missile A surface-to-surface missile (SSM) or ground-to-ground missile (GGM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea and strike targets on land or at sea. They may be fired from hand-held or vehicle mounted devices, from fixed ins ...

s, carried in two launchers with four cells each that are fitted between the foremast and the funnel. These containers are also compatible with the CY series anti-submarine rockets and may be loaded with a combination of anti-ship and anti-submarine weapons. In addition, the warships are installed with the FM-90N "Red Flag", a Chinese-built

surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-aircraft syst ...

system, is fitted between the main deck and main gun. The launch pad has eight cells each containing one missile and is fitted on a mount that can be elevated and traversed in the direction of the threat. The FM-90N can engage several targets, including

supersonic Supersonic speed is the speed of an object that exceeds the speed of sound ( Mach 1). For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) at sea level, this speed is approximately . Speeds greater than five times ...

and subsonic

sea-skimming Sea skimming is a technique many anti-ship missiles and some fighter or strike aircraft use to avoid radar, infrared detection, and to lower probability of being shot down during their approach to the target. Method Sea-skimming anti-ship missi ...

missiles, using different guidance modes simultaneously. The system is also designed to engage small targets such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Zulfiqar3

A single Type 730B, a close-in weapon system (CIWS), is mounted on the aircraft hangar. Comprising two seven-barrel

Gatling gun The Gatling gun is a rapid-firing multiple-barrel firearm invented in 1861 by Richard Jordan Gatling. It is an early machine gun and a forerunner of the modern electric motor-driven rotary cannon. The Gatling gun's operation centered on a cyc ...

s of 30 mm calibre, the F-22P is believed to be the first ship armed with the Type 730B. which uses off-mount sensors such as the Type 347G radar and the OFC-3

electro-optic Electro–optics is a branch of electrical engineering, electronic engineering, materials science, and material physics involving components, electronic devices such as lasers, laser diodes, LEDs, waveguides, etc. which operate by the propag ...

director. The guns are mounted side by side on the aircraft hangar, with the off-mount sensors in between. The CIWS can be upgraded with the

FL-3000N The HQ-10 () is a short range surface-to-air missile designed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), currently in service as a point defense missile system aboard PLA Navy warships. Development The system was first adopted ...

fire-and-forget missile system by installing up to two single-round FL-3000N launchers on each existing CIWS gun mount. The Harbin Z-9EC anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter is equipped with a surface-search radar, low frequency dipping sonar, radar warning receiver, doppler navigation system and armed with torpedoes. The helicopter can be armed with one torpedo on the starboard side. A small antenna on the roof may provide a

data-link A data link is the means of connecting one location to another for the purpose of transmitting and receiving digital information (data communication). It can also refer to a set of electronics assemblies, consisting of a transmitter and a recei ...

, allowing the Z-9 to act as a relay for targeting data between the ship and long range

anti-ship missiles An anti-ship missile (AShM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. A good nu ...

such as the

C-802 The YJ-83 (; NATO reporting name: CSS-N-8 Saccade) is a Chinese subsonic anti-ship cruise missile. It is manufactured by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Third Academy.Gromley et al.: page 101 Description The YJ-83 uses mi ...

Ships in class

Deployments

War on Terror

Afghan war and Yemen conflicts

The lead warship, PNS ''Zulfiquar'', has been deployed on operations in the War on Terror. She was attacked by AQIS-affiliated militants and rogue Pakistan Navy personnel who attempted to capture the ship and use it to attack US Navy vessels on 6 September 2014. The attack was foiled by Pakistan's Navy SEALs Teams. The attackers had intended to use ''Zulfiquar''s anti-ship missiles to attack the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

Fleet in the

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...

. Ten militants which included four rogue ex-Pakistani navy personnel were killed by Pakistani forces in their efforts to foil the capture attempt. Four other officers who were involved but who did not participate in the attack were later apprehended.

Gallery

PNS ''Zulfiquar'' (251),

lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very complex and may ...

of the ''Zulfiquar''-class frigates, during a visit to Port Klang, Malaysia, on 27 August 2009: File:The side of the PNS Zulfiquar.jpg, The pennant number of PNS ''Zulfiquar''. File:C-802 anti ship missile.JPG, Two 4-cell C-802 anti-ship missile launchers. File:ET-52C torpedoes.jpg, ET-52C torpedo launchers.

References

External links

Defense News – Pakistan Gets New Chinese Frigate (7 April)

Defense News – China Delivers Frigate To Pakistan: Navy (30 Jul 2009)

Business Recorder – Talks on with Germany, US for subs and frigates: F-22P Frigate arrives from China (13 September 2009)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zulfiquar Frigate classes Frigates of Pakistan Ships built in Pakistan Ships built in China China–Pakistan military relations 2009 in Pakistan