According to a Tweet released by Loongnaval, China will deliver this summer the first Type 054A/P Jiangkai II-class frigate to the Navy of Pakistan. According to news published in June 2018, Pakistan has signed an agreement for the purchase of two more Type 054A Jiangkai II-class guided missile frigates with Chinese shipbuilder China Shipbuilding Trading Co Ltd. (CSTC). In 2017, Pakistan had already signed a contract with China for the purchase of two Type 54A.

In total, the Pakistani Navy will receive four Type 54A frigates from China; The first Type 054A/P for Pakistan was launched on August 22, 2020. The second one was launched on January 29, 2021. On November 1, 2019, China’s Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding held a steel cutting ceremony for the Pakistan Navy’s third and fourth Type 054A/P frigates.

The Type 054A/P is an export and improved version of the Chinese-made Type 054 multi-role frigate which entered service with the Chinese Navy in 2007. It is a development of the Type 054 frigate, using the same hull but with improved sensors and weapons. A total of 26 Type 54 frigates are in service with the Chinese Navy.

The Type 054A Jiangkai II-class is a guided missile frigate that has anti-surface capabilities and can be used to conduct anti-warfare and anti-submarine warfare operations. The construction of the hull is based on stealth technology featuring sloped sides and reduced superstructure for minimizing the radar cross-section.

The Type 054A has a length of 134.1 m, a beam of 16m, and a loaded displacement of 4,053 tones. The ship has a crew of 165 people. She is powered by Combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) propulsion system that includes four SEMT Pielstick (now MAN Diesel) 16 PA6V-280 STC diesel engines, each developing 5,700 kW (7,600 hp). The frigate can reach a top speed of 27 knots (50 km/) with a maximum cruising range of 8,025 nautical miles (14,682 km).

The Type 054A is equipped with Type 344 multifunctional fire control radar, four Type 345 fire-control radars used to guide the HQ-7 short-range surface-to-air missile, MR-36A surface search radar and two Racal RM-1290 navigation radars, operating in I-band. The ship is also equipped with one MGK-335 medium-frequency active/passive sonar system, a H/SJG-206 towed array sonar, a ZKJ-4B/6 (developed from Thomson-CSF TAVITAC) combat data system, an HN-900 Datalink, SNTI-240 SATCOM communication system, and an AKD5000S Ku band SATCOM.

The Type 054A is armed with 32-cell VLS (Vertical Launching System) able to launch HQ-16 SAM surface-to-air missile, Yu-8 anti-submarine rocket launcher, eight C-803 anti-ship / land-attack cruise missiles, one PJ26 76 mm dual-purpose naval gun, two Type 730 7-barrel 30 mm CIWS guns or Type 1130, six 324mm Yu-7 ASW torpedo launchers, twelve Type 87 240mm anti-submarine rocket launcher (36 rockets carried) and two Type 726-4 18-tube decoy rocket launchers.

The Type 054A has a stern flight deck and a hangar able to accommodate one Kamov Ka-28 Helix or a Harbin Z-9C helicopter.