The Pakistan Navy formally welcomed its third Yarmook-class offshore patrol vessel (OPV) in a ceremony at the Port of Constanta in Romania on Friday, July 26. Like its sisters, PNS Hunain was built as a multi-purpose surface combatant that is also equipped to carry a helicopter, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and two rigid inflatable boats (RIBs).
The 98-metre-long OPV also has deck space for two 20-foot containers housing mission-specific equipment modules. The armament consists of a 30mm naval gun, 12.7mm machine guns, a 20mm close-in weapon system, and surface-to-surface missiles.
Hunain belongs the Yarmook-class Batch II ships, which are around seven metres longer than their Batch I sisters. Power is provided by four diesel engines that drive controllable-pitch propellers to deliver speeds of up to 24 knots.
The OPV will be used primarily for anti-air warfare and anti-surface warfare. Secondary missions will include search and rescue (SAR), humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR), maritime border surveillance, and counter-drug operations.
