PNS Azmat

PNS Azmat is the lead ship of the Azmat class Fast attack crafts of the Pakistan Navy. Azmat was commissioned on 24 April 2012 at Tianjin, China after being launched on 20 September 2011. It has the pennant number 1013.

Design
The PNS Azmat is considered by many as a Stealth boat, due to its hull and design, even though it was not designed that way. The small Fast Attack Craft is a green water vessel anddoes not have blue water capabilities, and so it is mostly used to patrol the coast, and to assist the Coast Guard in any special operations that require extensive firepower.

Armament
The PNS Azmat packs quite a lot of firepower for such a small ship. For offense, it uses eight C-802 anti ship cruise missiles, carried in two quadruple missile containers. Also, rather than using a larger 75mm to 100mm main gun, it uses a smaller, fully automatic 23mm gun. There are various reasons for this. Firstly, lack of hull space meant that less 75mm to 100mm rounds could be carried at a time. Secondly, the 23mm gun is much lighter than a larger 75mm to 100mm gun, which therefore increases the speed of the ship. Thirdly, a 23mm gun is much easier to maintain than a larger 75mm to 100mm gun. For its defensive capabilities, the FAC uses a CIWS. Also, the boats speed itself is also considered as a defense system, as it can outmaneuver older, less maneuverable anti-ship missiles.