Di Vincenzo Santo*
(Da The Diplomat – 6 marzo 2018)
Ankara. Turkish state-owned defense contractor Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik ve Ticaret A.Ş. (STM) has won a contract for the mid-life upgrade of the second of three Agosta 90B-class (aka Khalid-class) diesel-electric attack submarines equipped with air-independent propulsion systems, currently in service with the Pakistan Navy. […] Pakistan selected STM over French shipbuilder Direction des Constructions Navales Services (DCNS), the original designer and producer of the Agosta 90B-class, in a competitive bidding process in June 2016. […]
“The modernization works will include the replacement of the submarine’s entire sonar suite, periscope systems, command and control system, radar and electronic support systems. […] The three Agosta 90B attack submarines were inducted into service with the Pakistan Navy between 1999 and 2008.
The first-of-class PNS Khalid was built by DCNS in France, while the second boat of the class, PNS Saad, was assembled by KSEW (Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works in Karachi) from submarine modules delivery by DCNS. The third attack submarine, PNS Hamza, was built locally in Karachi. Next to French-built Exocet anti-ship missiles, the upgraded Agosta 90B boats will purportedly also be armed with the nuclear-capable Babur-3 submarine-launched cruise missile (SLCM), currently under development. […]

Pakistan selected STM over French shipbuilder Direction des Constructions Navales Services (DCNS)
*Generale CA ris
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