Islamabad, 3 September 2024 (TDI): The addition of two new warships to its fleet, PNS Babur and PNS Hunain, has allowed the Pakistan Navy to significantly improve its maritime defense capabilities, according to a statement released by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
Defense Day, which is a significant day for the country’s naval might, will see the official induction ceremony.
Two ships were concurrently added to the Pakistan Navy’s fleet: PNS Hunain, an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) built in Romania, and PNS Babur, the first MILGEM/Babur-class ship built in Turkey.
President Asif Ali Zardari was the primary guest of honor at the ceremony. PNS Babar was inaugurated on August 15, 2021, after construction got underway on June 4, 2020.
On September 23, 2023, the ship was formally put into service.
The ISPR said that the Babar-class ships, which are outfitted with a Vertical Launching System (VLS), are made for multi-dimensional warfare and can take on threats in the air, underwater, and on the surface.
In Istanbul and Karachi, three more Babur-class vessels are presently being built at different phases of development: PNS Badr, Tariq, and Khyber.
Built at Romania’s Galati Shipyard, PNS Hunain is the third OPV of the Yarmook class.
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This 2,600-ton ship is intended for use in search and rescue missions in addition to surface and aerial combat.
It has two 20mm secondary cannons in addition to its 76mm main gun, and it is outfitted with a VLS system that can fire surface-to-air missiles.
The ships are intended to greatly increase the operational capability of the Pakistan Navy, and their arrival is evidence of Pakistan’s expanding defense cooperation with Romania and Turkey.
