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Pakistan Navy Gets Second OPV 2600 Batch-II Ship
On 17 December, the Pakistan Navy (PN) took delivery of its fourth – and, at least currently, last – Yarmouk-class offshore patrol vessel (OPV) from Damen Shipyards Group, the PNS Yamama.
The PNS Yamama is also the second of the PN’s Batch-II order, which was made up of a pair of Damen OPV 2600s. The OPV 2600 is larger and more capable than the OPV 1900s that formed the initial pair the PN ordered from Damen in 2017.
Like the three preceding Yarmouk-class OPVs, the PNS Yamama was constructed at Damen’s Galati Shipyard in Romania. The PN inducted the first pair of ships, the PNS Yarmouk and PNS Tabuk, in 2020, while the third OPV, PNS Hunain, was delivered earlier this year in July.
Like its sister ship PNS Hunain, the PNS Yamama has a displacement of 2,600 tons as well as a length of 98 m and beam of 14.6 m. It can accommodate 140 personnel, two rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIB), and a medium-weight naval helicopter.
The PN began ordering these OPVs in 2017 via a contract with Damen for two ships. It seemed that Damen won a bid for these ships, with the U.S.-based Swiftships being the other contender for the program. Swiftships had proposed its 75 m Swift Corvette to the PN.
Overall, the Yarmouk-class OPVs are a key piece of the PN’s wider strategy to both modernize and expand its surface combatant fleet. In fact, the PN is aiming to grow its surface fleet as many as 50 ships, of which at least 20 would be ‘major surface vessels’ like frigates.
These OPVs play a complementary role to the PN’s larger multi-mission ships, such as the newly inducted Babur-class corvette and Tughril-class frigate.
Where the Babur-class and Tughril-class are primarily geared for conventional warfare operations, such as anti-ship warfare (AShW), the PN is likely using the Yarmouk-class OPVs for sea policing, counterterrorism, anti-narcotics, and other broader maritime security missions.
However, while conventional warfare operations are not the primary roles of the Yarmouk-class OPVs, these ships can be configured as such if and when required.
For example, the PNS Yarmouk and PNS Tabuk can be equipped with anti-ship cruising missiles (ASCM) for long-range anti-ship and land-attack strikes. If armed with the domestically produced Harbah, for example, the OPVs can strike surface targets at least 280 km away.
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