The Pakistan Navy is an important customer of China's first-class shipbuilding industry, and in recent years has introduced a variety of Chinese-style surface ships from China, the most notable of which is the Type 054A P missile frigate. This is China's first export of medium and high-end frigates, and it is also a breakthrough in China's high-end exports. The Type 054A P missile frigate has a vertical launch unit and phased array radar, which is capable of performing a variety of tasks such as air defense, anti-ship, and anti-submarine, and is the backbone of the Pakistan Navy. However, the Type 054A P missile frigate is, after all, only a frigate, and its performance and firepower are not yet comparable to the destroyers of the Indian Navy, not to mention the presence of aircraft carriers in the Indian Navy. As a result, the Pakistan Navy still needs a more powerful surface ship to enhance its maritime capabilities and deterrence. And this kind of surface ship is the Type 052DE missile destroyer.
The Type 052DE missile destroyer is an export version of the Type 052D missile destroyer used by the Chinese Navy and is one of the most advanced destroyers in China. The Type 052DE missile destroyer has 64 vertical launch units and can launch a variety of missiles, including long-range anti-aircraft missiles, anti-ship missiles, anti-submarine missiles, cruise missiles, etc. Among them, the most interesting is that the Type 052DE missile destroyer can launch two anti-ship ballistic missiles, the YJ-21E and CM-401, both of which are killer missiles specifically aimed at aircraft carriers, with ultra-high speed and penetration capabilities, and can inflict a fatal blow on aircraft carriers. The Type 052DE missile destroyer is also equipped with a phased array radar and data link system, which can achieve accurate detection and command of air and sea targets, and improve combat efficiency and coordination capabilities.
The Type 052DE missile destroyer has many advantages for the Pakistan Navy. First of all, the Type 052DE missile destroyer can effectively solve the anti-aircraft carrier needs of the Pakistan Navy, which has been a long-standing problem for the Pakistan Navy. The Indian Navy has two aircraft carriers and poses a huge threat to the Pakistani Navy. Although the Pakistan Navy has submarines and frigates, these ** anti-aircraft carrier capabilities are limited, and it is difficult to deal with the aircraft carrier formation of the Indian Navy. The Type 052DE missile destroyer can use its powerful anti-ship ballistic missiles to carry out long-range strikes against the aircraft carriers of the Indian Navy, thereby neutralizing the aircraft carrier advantage of the Indian Navy and enhancing the maritime deterrence of the Pakistan Navy.
Secondly, the Type 052DE missile destroyer can enhance the comprehensive combat capability of the Pakistan Navy, allowing it to deal with various maritime threats. The Pakistan Navy is a small navy that does not have the resources and budget to build dedicated surface vessels, so it needs a surface vessel that can be proficient in everything to perform a variety of tasks. The Type 052DE missile destroyer is such a surface ship, which can perform not only anti-ship and anti-aircraft carrier tasks, but also air defense, anti-submarine, land strikes and other tasks, and is a multi-purpose destroyer. Type 052DE missile destroyers can adjust the configuration of their missiles according to different tasks, so as to achieve the best combat results. For example, the Type 052DE missile destroyer can meet the vast majority of the needs of the Pakistan Navy with the configuration of 8 anti-ship carrier killers + 8 cruise missiles + 8 anti-submarine missiles + 8 * 4 FM-3000N medium and short-range anti-aircraft missiles + 32H HQ-9 long-range air defense missiles.
Finally, the Type 052DE missile destroyer can form a good synergy with the existing Chinese surface ships of the Pakistan Navy and improve the overall strength of the Pakistan Navy. The Pakistan Navy has introduced Chinese surface ships such as the S-26P, F-22P, and 054A P from China, all of which have the same or similar design concepts and technical systems as the Type 052DE missile destroyers, so they can achieve high interoperability and compatibility. The Type 052DE guided missile destroyer can share data and information with these Chinese surface ships to achieve joint operations and coordinated operations, thereby improving the combat effectiveness and efficiency of the Pakistan Navy. In addition, the Type 052DE missile destroyer can also transfer crews from medium-sized surface ships to quickly build combat effectiveness and reduce the time and cost of training and adaptation.
To sum up, the Type 052DE missile destroyer is a very suitable surface ship for the Pakistan Navy, which can effectively solve the anti-aircraft carrier needs of the Pakistan Navy, enhance the comprehensive combat capability of the Pakistan Navy, and form a good synergy with the existing Chinese surface ships of the Pakistan Navy, which is an ideal choice for the Pakistan Navy. If the Pakistan Navy can introduce Type 052DE missile destroyers from China, it will greatly enhance its maritime strength and deterrence, and thus gain the upper hand in the maritime confrontation between India and Pakistan.