Pakistan's first domestically built frigate visits Turkey

Pakistan's first domestically built F-22 frigate, the PNS Aslat, is at Turkey's Golcuk Naval Base from Oct. 22-25 to participate in various harbor and sea exercises with the Turkish Naval Forces. A press release from the Pakistani Embassy in Ankara stated that the visit of the PNS Aslat to the Golcuk Naval Base, the main base of the Turkish Navy on the east coast of the Sea of Marmara, will further strengthen bilateral ties. There was a reception ceremony onboard the ship on the evening of Oct. 22. Reciprocal visits of high-level defense delegations, exchange training programs and visits by naval units are a regular feature of Turkish-Pakistani defense relations. The Turkish F-496 frigate the TCG Gokova participated in the AMAN-13 naval exercise organized by the Pakistan Navy from March 4-8, 2013. The PNS Aslat was commissioned by the Pakistan Navy on April 17, 2013, and is the fourth Sword-class frigate to be added to the Pakistan Navy fleet. The warship, which is capable of operating independently or as part of a task force in multi-threat environments, forms part of the mainstay of Pakistan Navy surface combatants. The PNS Aslat is equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors for anti-submarine, anti-surface and anti-air operations with comprehensive self-defense capabilities; it has a Z9EC-20 helicopter that enables it to conduct dedicated anti-submarine operations, thus enhancing the ship's operational range.