China gives Pakistan two ships for security of CPEC sea route and Gwadar Port

GWADAR: China handed over two ships to the Pakistan Navy here on Saturday for joint security along the sea route of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Recently built in China and equipped with state-of-the-art guns, the ships will be part of the navy.

Chinese officials, who reached Gwadar aboard the ships, handed them over to their Pakistani counterparts at a ceremony at the Gwadar port. Commander of the Pakistan Fleet Vice Admiral Arifullah Hussaini received the ships which have been named after two nearby rivers Hingol and Basol.

GWADAR: A group photo of senior Chinese and Pakistani Navy Officials at 
the handover ceremony of two ships by China to Pakistan here on Saturday.

Director General of the Pak­is­tan Maritime Security Age­ncy Rear Admiral Jamil Akh­ter, Commander West Commo­dore Mohammad Waris and top naval and civilian officials were present on the occasion.

“The Chinese ships have be­come part of the Pakistan Navy from today,” Vice Adm­iral Hussaini said, adding that the navy would become stronger with the induction of the ships.


The Chinese government will provide two more ships namely Dasht and Zhob to the navy. Work on the ships is in progress in China and will be completed soon.

China is extending help and cooperation to Pakistan for security along the CPEC’s land and sea routes.

Pakistan has already raised a new division of the army to ensure security along the CPEC route and in and around the Gwadar port. Security of Gwadar city has been handed over to the army’s new division raised during the tenure of former chief of army staff retired Gen Raheel Sharif. Speaking at the ships handover ceremony, Vice Admiral Hussaini said that the economic corridor was a reality. It would prove to be a game-changer for Pakis­tan and China, and the entire region would benefit from it.

“The CPEC will open new vistas of speedy development in Balochistan and create thousands of jobs for its youths,” he said.

He termed the induction of the Chinese ships into the Pakistan Navy a historic moment and said that the ships would be deployed for the security of the Gwadar port and the sea route of the CPEC.

Vice Admiral Hussaini said: “It is a great day for Pakistan and its people as such kind of ships have been inducted in the navy for the first time.”

With the passage of time, he said, Pakistan-China friendship was becoming stronger and deeper than the ocean.

He said that the navy and Gwadar had historic relations as the navy had arrived in the town when it was merged with Pakistan.

It was a matter of happiness that the Baloch youth were joining the navy to serve Pakistan and its people, he added.

Pakistan Fires Babur 3, First Submarine Launched Nuclear Capable Cruise Missile

Pakistan fired its first submarine-launched cruise missile on Monday, the military said, a show of force for a country that sees its missile development as a deterrent against arch-foe India.

The launch of the nuclear-capable Babur-3 missile, which has a range of 450 km (280 miles) and was fired from an undisclosed location in the Indian Ocean, is likely to heighten long-running tension between India and Pakistan.

The nuclear-armed neighbors have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947. Both nations have been developing missiles of varying ranges since they conducted nuclear tests in May 1998.

"Pakistan eyes this hallmark development as a step toward reinforcing the policy of credible minimum deterrence," the military's media wing said in a statement.

A spokesman at the Indian defense ministry was not immediately available to comment on the Pakistani missile test.

India successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable, submarine-launched missile in 2008 and tested a submarine-launched cruise missile in 2013.

The Pakistani military said the Babur-3 missile was "capable of delivering various types of payloads and will provide Pakistan with a Credible Second Strike Capability, augmenting deterrence".

An army spokesman later confirmed the language meant the missile was equipped to carry nuclear warheads.

The Babur-3 is a sea-based variant of the ground-launched Babur-2 missile, which was tested in December. The military said the missile had features such as "underwater controlled propulsion and advanced guidance and navigation".

Last year, Pakistan said it was "seriously concerned" by India's test of anti-ballistic missiles which media reports said could intercept incoming nuclear weapons.

According to media reports, on May 15 India tested a locally designed Anti-Ballistic Missile system which could in theory intercept a nuclear-carrying ballistic missile.

Babur Cruise Stealth Missile Version 2 Successfully Test Fire

Pakistan on Wednesday conducted a successful test of an enhanced version of the indigenously developed Babur Cruise Missile, an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement said.

Babur Weapon System version - 2 incorporates advanced aerodynamics and avionics that can strike targets both at land and sea with high accuracy, at a range of 700 kilometres, ISPR added.

“It is a low flying, terrain hugging missile, which carries certain stealth features and is capable of carrying various types of warheads”, said the statement.

“Equipped with state of the art navigational technologies of Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM) and all time Digital Scene Matching & Area Co-relation (DSMAC) which enables it to engage various type of targets with pinpoint accuracy even in the absence of GPS navigation. Babur Weapon System is an important force multiplier for Pakistan’s strategic defence.”

The statement said that the launch was witnessed by Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, senior officers from Strategic Plans Division, Strategic Forces, scientists and engineers of strategic organisations.

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee congratulated the scientists and engineers on achieving yet another milestone of great value and significance. He appreciated the technical prowess, dedication and commitment of scientists who contributed to the success of this launch.

Pakistan Ready to Buy Half Million New Infantry Rifles CZ 806 BREN A2

Pakistan is getting a new infantry rifle. In late November at the IDEAS-2016 Expo in Karachi, Pakistan’s state-run arsenal Pakistan Ordnance Factories signed a letter of understanding with the Czech small arms manufacturer Česká Zbrojovka.
This suggests that Pakistan and C.Z. are about to begin negotiations for Pakistan to adopt, and eventually begin license-production of, C.Z.’s 806 BREN 2 rifle.

The Pakistani army launched a search for a new infantry rifle in November 2015. Preliminary trials took place at the beginning of 2016 with five rifles — the FN SCAR, CZ-806 BREN 2, Zastava M21, Beretta ARX-200 and Kalashnikov AK-103.

The army appears to have tentatively selected the CZ-806 BREN 2. It’s unclear exactly which caliber the new Pakistani BREN 2 might fire, but initial reports suggested a move toward NATO’s standard 5.56-by-45-millimeter round. However, C.Z. appears to have also offered the BREN 2 chambered in 7.62-by-39-millimeter.

CZ's new 806 BREN 2, this version chambered in the standard 5.56-by-45
millimeter NATO round.

Pakistani troops currently carry locally-produced Heckler & Koch G3A3 battle rifles chambered in 7.62-by-51 millimeters and Kalashnikov-style Chinese Type 56s chambered in 7.62-by-39 millimeter.
If Pakistan wishes to continue the established ammunition duality, C.Z. would have to to introduce the much-mooted 7.62-by-51-millimeter battle rifle variant of the BREN.

C.Z. and the POF “declared that they will intensively negotiate a delivery of complete technology for the production of small arms,” state-owned Radio-Pakistan reported. “Mutual interest refers to gradual launching of production in Pakistan, ranging from light assembly to maximum localization of production.”

The licensing deal could be similar to the one POF struck with Heckler & Koch to indigenously produce the G3. C.Z. would provide the necessary machinery and technical guidance to first manufacture some parts and assemble parts kits and later transition into fully-local production. Pakistan will need to reequip as many as half a million troops over the coming decade.

The BREN 2 is versatile and modular enough to meet multiple operational requirements — and could simplify training if Pakistan retains both the 7.62-by-39 and 7.62-by-51 calibers. C.Z.’s rifle is also more cost-effective to manufacture than the FN SCAR or Beretta ARX-200 are — an important factor for the cash-strapped Pakistani military.

The CZ-806 BREN 2 represents a massive improvement in capability and modularity over the Pakistani army’s current Cold War-era small arms. The 806 has the benefit of being a refinement of the earlier 805 used by the Czech armed forces. In 2015 C.Z. made weight and production cost reductions by improving the 806’s manufacturing process.

Following operational feedback from the Czech army, C.Z. made a number of ergonomic improvements to the 806, adding a new folding stock and a non-reciprocating cocking handle and adjusting to the rifle’s ambidextrous controls.

Pakistan adopting the 806 would be a huge boon to C.Z. But for the deal to move forward, C.Z. will probably need to offer commercial incentives such as overseas sales to help Pakistan spread out the cost of production.

India signs 5 Billion Dollars Deal With US

NEW DELHI: India has signed a $750 million agreement with the United States to buy 145 howitzer artillery guns from BAE Systems, an official said on Thursday, its first such deal in three decades. India, the world’s number one defence importer, is updating its military capabilities with hardware worth tens of billions of dollars in the face of long-standing tensions with China and Pakistan.

It has been in discussions since 2012 to buy BAE Systems’ M777 ultra-lightweight guns through the US Foreign Military Sales programme. “India has signed the letter of acceptance which formalises the contract between India and the US for the howitzer guns,” a defence official said in New Delhi.

The deal, worth nearly 50 billion rupees, will see 25 guns being delivered in ready-to-use condition with the rest being assembled in India, the official said. The howitzers, with a maximum range of 30 kilometres, will be used by the army’s mountain artillery divisions along India’s high-altitude frontiers.

India has fought three wars with arch-rival Pakistan since independence in 1947, but China is increasingly seen as the main focus of its ambitious military modernisation and procurement policy.

India last purchased howitzers for the army in 1986, when it bought 410 field guns from the Swedish arms giant AB Bofors. The Bofors deal became mired in corruption allegations and cost then Congress Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi the 1989 national elections.

BAE Systems said in February it had chosen India’s Mahindra group to build a plant for assembling the artillery guns. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he wants foreign manufacturers that win lucrative hardware deals to invest in India by partnering with local firms. “The first two howitzers should be delivered within the next six months,” the official said.