Pakistan displays naval offensive capabilities during demonstration
Date Posted: 12-Mar-2010
Jane's Defence Weekly
Farhan Bokhari JDW Correspondent - Islamabad
Pakistan's navy carried out the largest demonstration of its missile capabilities in years on 12 March, using submarines, surface ships and aircraft.
The exercise was immediately interpreted by Western defence analysts as a significant display of the country's naval offensive capability, mainly geared towards the much larger naval presence of India in the Indian Ocean.
"While re-emphasising the Pakistan Navy's commitment to defend the motherland, this strike capability would also send a message of deterrence to anyone harbouring nefarious designs against Pakistan," the Pakistan Navy said after the exercise.
The announcement confirmed the exercise area as the northern Arabian Sea without elaborating further on its location.
A senior Pakistan Navy official said the demonstration involved a Chinese frigate, the F22P, for the first time, which fired the Chinese-supplied C-802 anti-ship missile. It operated alongside one of Pakistan's three French-supplied Agosta 90B submarines and two US-supplied P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft.
"The P-3C fired an Exocet 39 [AM39] missile as well as a US-supplied Harpoon missile, while the SM-39 missile was fired from the submarine. All these weapons hit their targets with precision," said the Pakistan Navy official.
A Western defence official in Islamabad said the tests, which were designed to reaffirm the Pakistan Navy's capability, still left questions over the future acquisition of new hardware. The Pakistan Navy has been negotiating to purchase three new submarines to replace its ageing Agosta 70 submarines, which it has operated since the 1970s.
The Type 214 submarine made by Germany's Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) has been widely reported to be the navy's preferred choice, although a contract has not been finalised mainly due to Pakistan's financial constraints.