Pakistan plans to command a surface fleet of at least 50 ships. That should be enough to defend Pakistani waters.
Current inventory:
Frigates: 9
Corvettes: 5
FACs: 10
Under development/construction/sea trials:
Corvettes: 9 (3 Milgem, 6 Jinnah)
Gun Boats: 20
I am not trying to be harsh. Pakistan’s defense planners need to face a simple reality.
platforms age out, and pretending otherwise is dangerous. The Navy may have nine frigates today, but the
F‑22P class is already halfway through its service life. In 10–15 years, they’re gone.
Just-FYI, these are Chinese older style frigates, hull life is limited and they get rusted pretty quickly.
If shipbuilding continues at its current glacial pace, Pakistan will fall behind faster than people expect.
The same logic applies to the Air Force.
JF‑17 Block 1s are not immortal. They will hit their replacement window in about a decade. Yet production remains stuck at
15–20 aircraft per year, which is not enough to replace older jets, expand the fleet, and meet export commitments simultaneously. 6 Jinnah frigate won't be ready anytime soon.
This mindset of “we have it, so we’ll keep it forever” is exactly how militaries fall behind. Without
accelerated production, Pakistan will face a capability gap that no amount of optimism can fix. I have given a simple solution, design New indigenous Corvette based on MILGEM‑G / TF‑100 concepts with VLSM and energy weapons. it's smaller and cheaper compared to Frigate. In next 15 years, Pakistan needs at least 6 to 8 in service.
BY 2045, Total: 14–16 corvettes, plus 12–16 FACs and 6–8 OPVs.