A Dutch ship manufacturing company, Damen Shipyards, has started the production of the second batch consisting of two Yarmook-class corvettes for the Pakistan Navy.
According to the details, the steel-cutting ceremony of the second batch was held at the Constanta Port in Romania, which was attended by Pakistan’s Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Amjad Khan Niazi, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Romania, Dr. Zafar Iqbal, and other senior officials of the navy.
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The offshore patrol vessel, Damen OPV 2600, will empower the navy in search and rescue operations. In addition, it will also provide additional security to global trade routes from piracy and other such threats.
It is pertinent to mention that the navy’s Directorate General (DG) of Procurement and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) Production inked contracts for two more Damen corvettes in 2020 after the navy acquired two Yarmook-class ships, PNS Yarmook 271 and PNS Tabuk 272.
More About Damen OPV 2600
The two new Pakistan Navy corvettes weigh around 2,600 tons as they have the capability for additional upgrades in their air defense. They have an Aselsan Gokdeniz anti-air missile system and a Vertical Launch System (VLS) for surface-to-air missiles (SAM).
In addition, Damen OPV 2600 also features 11 launchers for RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAMs) along with advanced radars and a close-range acoustic weapon. These corvettes can host a helicopter on their deck and have a hangar along with two rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs).
