PAKISTAN Navy has inducted two newly built warships, PNS Babur and PNS Hunain, into its national fleet. This significant development marks another milestone in Pakistan Navy’s ongoing effort to strengthen its maritime force and ensure the protection of its maritime interests in a rapidly evolving strategic environment. The induction of these modern vessels stands as a testament to the unwavering commitment of successive naval leadership, including the incumbent, to enhance the naval defence capabilities.
In recent years, Pakistan Navy has entered into strategic defence partnerships with friendly countries such as Turkiye, Romania and China. These collaborations have been characterized by a focus on the transfer of technology, ensuring that Pakistan not only acquires state-of-the-art defence equipment but also gains the expertise to build these assets indigenously. PNS Babur is a cutting-edge frigate built under the Pakistan-Turkiye defence cooperation agreement. These are versatile warships capable of combating on surface, underwater and in the air, providing comprehensive defence against a variety of threats. Equipped with a vertical launching system (VLS), these 2888-tonne ships can counter air threats effectively and serve as powerful platforms for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare. PNS Hunain, the third Yarmouk-class offshore patrol vessel built in Romania is categorized as Guided Missile Corvette due to its exceptional versatility and combat power and is suitable for surface and air warfare as well as search and rescue operations. Its induction symbolizes a significant leap in Navy’s capability to conduct multi-dimensional naval operations. The timing of these induction reflects that our quarters concerned are fully cognizant of defence needs in a challenging regional environment. With an increasingly hostile neighbourhood in the form of India, enhancing naval capabilities is not just a priority but a strategic necessity. Pakistan Navy indeed has a glorious past of valiant service and remarkable achievements and we are confident that it will persist on this path of enhancement and modernization, embracing new technologies and fostering international partnerships to continue to live up to the expectations of the nation.
