On 03 November, the Pakistan Navy (PN) signed a contract with Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW) to construct the first Jinnah-class frigate, an original surface combatant jointly designed by the PN’s Platform Design Wing (PDW), which was previously known as the Naval Research and Design Institute (NRDI), and Askeri Fabrika ve Tersane İşletme AŞ (ASFAT), the main contractor for the PN’s Babur-class (MILGEM) corvette program.
Officially signed during the 2025 Pakistan International Maritime Expo and Conference (PIMEC 2025), the PN stated that the lead ship will join the fleet from 2027 to 2028.
The Jinnah-class frigate – also designated AS3400 – has a displacement of 3,300 tons, length of 119.45 m, and beam of 15.40 m. Originally planned for a combined-diesel-and-diesel (CODAD) propulsion system, the PN revealed that its ships will instead use a combined-diesel-and-gas (CODAG) system (which may improve the ship’s speed, but with the potential trade-off of less range or endurance).
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