Pakistani OPV-2600 ships will fire lightweight RIM-116 missiles
According to a post on Twitter by Conflict Watch PSF, the Pakistani navy will be armed with lightweight RIM-116 surface-to-air missiles. Pakistan’s future two OPV-2600 ships will receive this armament. At the moment, the information remains officially unconfirmed.
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The RIM-116 missiles are of American-German production. Raytheon and Diehl BGT Defense are the companies involved in the production of the missile. The RIM-116 has been an obsolete design since the mid-1970s, but has been continuously updated and remains in service in countries such as the US, Germany, Japan, Greece, Turkey, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt.
About RIM-116
The RIM-116 uses a blast fragmentation warhead. The missile is powered by the Hercules/Bermite Mk. 36 solid-fuel rockets. The operational range of the RIM-116 is up to 10 km, and the maximum flight speed is Mach 2. This missile is famous for its exceptional precision. According to official data, her hit accuracy is 95%.
What missile guidance system the Pakistani navy will choose remains to be seen. But, in principle, RIM-116 can be targeted in three ways: through passive radio frequency/infrared homing, through infrared only, or through infrared dual-mode enabled [radio frequency and infrared homing].
There are currently three variants of the RIM-116 developed – Block 0, Block 1, and Block 2. If Pakistan acquires Block 2, the navy of the Asian country will have a very precise missile system. Block 2, also called RIM-2C is highly maneuverable thanks to a four-axis independent control actuation system. Block 2 also features increased rocket motor capacity, improved passive radio frequency seeker and upgraded infrared seeker components, and advanced kinematics.
At the end of last year, the construction of the two ships for the Pakistan Navy began. The executor of the order is Damen Shipyards. However, these are not the first OPV ships to be used by the Pakistan Navy. In its composition, it has OPV vessels manufactured by the Shipyard Group. It was the good impressions of the ships’ performance that led Islamabad to order these two ships from Damen Shipyards.
About OPV-2600
OPV 2600 are second-generation ships. Their mission is to ensure the security of the coasts, and they can be used for both airborne and coastal missions, such as rescue, search, etc. These ships are often used against sea pirates and smuggling traffic.
Pakistan’s OPV 2600 will be 98 meters long. The power unit of these ships will be built by 4x 2350 kW diesel engines, which will guarantee a maximum speed of 24 knots. The vessel can operate at sea state 6 and is capable of surviving at sea state 9 thanks to its active fin stabilizing system. It will be able to accommodate 60 people.
Apart from the alleged acquisition of RUM-116, the two Pakistani ships will be armed with a main gun of up to 76 mm on the ship’s bow deck and two 20 mm guns as secondary weapons. The ships will have fire control sensors as well as medium-range radars.
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