Tariq-class destroyer

PNS Babur, a Tariq-class destroyer, in 2004
Class overview
Name	Tariq class
Builders	Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd. in United Kingdom VT Group, plc in United Kingdom KESW, Ltd. in Pakistan
Operators	Pakistan Navy
Preceded by	Type 12 Leander
Succeeded by	Zulfiquar class
Cost	$120 million USD (2002): 97–98 [1]
Built	1969–1975
In commission	1993–present
Completed	6
Active	2
Retired	4
General characteristics
Type	frigate/Guided missile[2][3]
Displacement	As built in the United Kingdom: 3,250 long tons (3,302 t) full load As modernized in Pakistan: 3,700 long tons (3,759 t) full load
Length	384 ft (117 m) o/a
Beam	41 ft 7 in (12.67 m)
Draft	19 ft 6 in (5.94 m)
Propulsion	COGOG 2 × Rolls-Royce TM3B gas turbines, 50,000 hp (37 MW) (sustained) 2 × Rolls-Royce RM1C gas turbines (cruising), 9,900 hp (7.4 MW) (sustained)
Speed	32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph)
Range	4,000 nmi (7,400 km) at 17 kn (31 km/h) 1,200 nmi (2,200 km) at 30 kn (56 km/h)
Complement	15 Officers, 200 Enlists
Sensors and processing systems	Air-to-surface search radar: 1 × Marconi Type 992R 1 × Thales Signaal D08 Surface search radar: 1 × Kelvin Hughes Type 1006
Electronic warfare & decoys	TKWA/MASS (Multi Ammunition Softkill System)
Armament	1 × Vickers 4.5 in (114 mm)/55 Mk.8 AS/AA gun 1 × Phalanx CIWS 2 × triple STWS-1 torpedo launchers (for Mk 46 LWTs) [Badr and Shahjahan only] 2 × 4-cell Mk 141 launchers (for Harpoon SSMs) [Badr, Babur and Shahjahan] or 1 × 6-cell LY-60N SAM launcher [Tariq, Khaibar and Tippu Sultan]
Aircraft carried	1 × Lynx HAS.3 helicopter 1 × Alouette III helicopter 1 × Camcopter S-100 UAV
Aviation facilities	Flight deck and hangar

The Tariq-class frigate are the class of guided missile Frigate warships that were acquired through transfer from the Royal Navy in 1993–94. The Tariqs were formerly commissioned in the Royal Navy's Surface Fleet as the Amazon class/Type 21 as they were only classified as a general purpose frigate in the Royal Navy.^[4]

The British frigates were immediately acquired when the United States refused to renew the lease of the four Garcia and four Brooke-class frigates, due to the enforcement of the Pressler Amendment.^{: 147–148 [5]} Therefore, Pakistan had to return the vessels to the United States at the end of their five-year lease.^{: 476 [6]}

Upon acquisition, all six frigates were reconfigured to enhance their engineering design and construction and military software updates that feature the Swedish technology, giving them missile launching capability.^[7]

In 2008, the Pakistan Navy had carried out a successful test of the Camcopter S-100, an unmanned aerial vehicle, from the flight deck of a Tariq-class destroyer.^[8] The Tariq-class destroyers are currently in process of phasing out from their services, and will eventually be decommissioned by 2020.^[9]

Ships[]

Image	Name	Former name	Commissioned with RN	Fate
	Babur	Amazon	Commissioned in the Royal Navy in 1974	Transferred in 1993 to Pakistan Navy. Decommissioned in December 2014.[10]
	Tariq	Ambuscade	Commissioned into Royal Navy in 1975.	Transferred to Pakistan Navy in 1993, currently in active duty service as the lead ship of her class.
	Tippu Sultan	Avenger	Commissioned into Royal Navy in 1975	Transferred to Pakistan Navy in 1994. Decommissioned in 2020.[11]
	Khaibar	Arrow	Commissioned into Royal Navy in 1976	Transferred to Pakistan Navy in 1994, currently in active duty service.
	Badr	Alacrity	Commissioned into Royal Navy in 1977	Transferred to Pakistan Navy in 1994. Decommissioned in 2014.[12]
	Shah Jahan	Active	Commissioned into Royal Navy in 1977	Transferred to Pakistan Navy in 1994. Decommissioned in January 2021. [13]

Negotiation and procurement[]

The Brooke and Garcia-class guided missile destroyers being commissioned into Pakistan Navy in 1986.^{: 147–148 [5]} All were returned to United States in 1993–95.^{: 476 [6]}

Procurement and negotiation of acquiring the Type 21 frigates dates back to 1966 when the United Kingdom first offered to Pakistan to jointly built three Type 21 frigates but the Ayub administration rejected the proposal who wanted to allocate the funds to acquire Daphné-class submarines from France.^: 63 [5] Since 1966, Pakistan Navy had long eyed of acquiring the Type-21 frigates from the United Kingdom, submitting several proposals to the Government of Pakistan to materialize the plans of acquiring the Type-21 frigates in 1970s.^: 65 [5]

In 1987–88, Admiral T. K. Khan entered in negotiating with the Royal Navy and began lobbying to the Zia administration for releasing the funds to acquire the Type 21 frigates in 1988.^{: 62–63 [14]}

Despite the initial efforts with the Royal Navy, the Pakistan Navy went towards leasing the four Garcia and four Brooke-class warships from the United States Navy in 1988, selected based on the technological evaluation and Pakistani military specifications.^{: 147–148 [5]: 97 [1]} The lease was set for five years with an option of renewing or purchasing the lease afterwards based on the mutual understanding between two nations.^{: 148 [5]}

After the enforcement of the military embargo by the United States Congress in 1994, the lease was not renewed, therefore, the eight warships had to be returned to the United States Navy in Singapore, resulting Pakistan's sea borders vulnerable to foreign activities.^{: 148 [5]: 476 [6]}

During this time, Admiral S.M. Khan used his personal relations with the British Admiral of the Fleet Sir Julian Oswald, who helped him with negotiation with the British government to immediately procured and acquired the entire frigates of the Amazon class/Type 21 from the British Royal Navy in 1993–94.^{: 476 [6]}

The Pakistan MoD authorized the purchase of the entire fleet of Type 21 frigates from the United Kingdom at a cheapest price tag of US$60 million, and reportedly spent nearly the same amount on classifying and modernizing the warships from their role as the general purpose frigates to destroyer standards.^{: 97–98 [1]}

On 1 November 1993, the lead ship, Tariq (formerly HMS Ambuscade), reported to its base in Karachi and the transfer all warships completed on 1 January 1995.^[7] The induction of the Tariq-class destroyers marked the replacement of the Garcia and Brooke-class frigates in the Pakistan Navy's surface command.^[7]

Modernization[]

In 2002, it was reported that Pakistan had spent additional US$60 million to modernize the Tariq-class fleet according their Navy's specification from the general purpose frigates to the combat variant destroyer standards.^{: 97–98 [1]} In the service of the Royal Navy, the Seacat, Exocet, torpedo tubes, and Lynx helicopters were distinct features in the Amazon/Type 21 frigates.^[10] With the Pakistan Navy's service, Exocet and the Seacat missiles were removed as well as torpedo tubes which were subsequently removed in all warships with the exception made in Badr and Shah Jahan.^[7]

The weapon systems and computers fitted in the Tariqs features Swedish technology.^[7] The flight deck and the Lynx helicopters remained with the Tariqs and arrived in Karachi with their respective warships.^[7]

The Royal Navy did not transfer the Exocet and Seacat missiles that were replaced with the Chinese-made LY-60 SAM system.^[7] Instead, the more capable U.S.-built Harpoon missiles were installed to replace the British weapon systems.^[7] Extensive installation of computer software and missile deployments allowed the classification of Tariq from the DDE (destroyer escort) to the DDG (guided missile), with lead ship featuring the installation of LY-60 guided missiles.^[7]

In 2008, it was reported by the ISPR that the Pakistan Navy have successfully tested a flight takeoff and landing of the Camcopter S-100 UAV from a Tariq-class flight deck.^[15]

References[]

External links[]

• "Tariq (Amazon) Class (TYPE 21) (DD/FF) « PakDef Military Consortium". pakdef.org.