PNS Yarmook (271) arrived at the NAVDEX marina pier in Abu Dhabi on February 19, 2023, one day before the exhibition. After her arrival, H.E. Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, Ambassador of Pakistan to the United Arab Emirates, visited the ship.
Yarmook‘s visit to the exhibition is defined as increasing relations between the two countries.
“IDEX continues to benefit an increasing number of international decision-makers from within the defence- industry, government, armed forces and military personnel. PNS YARMOOK is the lead ship of the class inducted in Pakistan Navy in 2020. The ship is equipped with state of the art equipment, modern systems and fully ready-to-counter- challenges at sea.”
Pakistan’s Embassy to UAE
On the first day of the exhibition, Naval News paid a visit to PNS Yarmook and took a tour with ship personnel. The most notable change on the ship was the preparations for the deployment of Harbah anti-ship missiles, which were developed by Pakistan using domestic resources and have an operational range of approximately 280 kilometers. The missile launchers and cable channels were installed on the ship. Naval News learned that 4×2 Harbah missiles will be fitted aboard PNS Yarmook this year.
In June 2017, Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence signed an agreement with Damen Shipyards to build two offshore patrol vessels (OPV). The lead ship, PNS Yarmook, was commissioned in February 2020, and the second ship, PNS Tabuk, entered the service for the Pakistan Navy in November 2020.
After the commissioning, PNS Yarmook participated in the Mediterranean Shield operation of the Turkish Navy, which is conducted by the Turkish Navy assets only, marking the first foreign ship to contribute to this operation.
The technical specifications of the OPV:
- Displacement: 2,300 tons
- Length: 90 m
- Beam: 14.4 m
- Top Speed: 23 knots
- Range: 6,000 nautical miles
- Endurance: 40 days
- Crew: 60+
The Yarmook-class OPVs’ propulsion system architecture is CODAD (Combined Diesel and Diesel), consist of 4 Caterpillar 3516 diesel engines delivering power to 2 shafts.
The Yarmook-class OPV is fitted with a 30 mm Aselsan SMASH remote weapon station, two Aselsan STAMP remote weapon systems, and a Phalanx Block 1B close-in weapon system. These ships will have land-attack capability after Harbah missiles are deployed.
The ships can house a helicopter and an unmanned aerial vehicle in separate hangars. Yarmook class OPVs can carry two RHIB (rigid-hulled inflatable boats), specifically one 11.5 m and one 6.5 m RHIB. The OPVs are designed to accommodate two twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) for special mission-based operations
