PNS Saif (F253)

	PNS Saif (FFG-253), a F-22P Zulfiquar-class frigate anchored in the Manila South Harbor in the Philippines in 2017.
History
Pakistan
Name	PNS Saif
Namesake	Saif (Lit. talwar, sword)
Builder	Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard Co. in China
Laid down	4 November 2008
Launched	28 May 2009
Commissioned	19 September 2010
In service	2010–present
Homeport	Karachi Naval Base
Nickname(s)	Saifuddin
Status	In active service
General characteristics
Class and type	F-22P Zulfiquar-class frigate
Displacement	2,500 tonnes (standard); 3,144 tonnes (full load);
Length	123.2 m (404 ft 2 in)
Beam	13.8 m (45 ft 3 in)
Draught	3.76 m (12 ft 4 in)
Propulsion	CODAD (Combined Diesel and Diesel); 2 × Tognum MTU 12V 1163 TB 83 at 10.5 MW; 2 × MTU cruise diesels at 6.6 MW;
Speed	29 kn (54 km/h) maximum
Range	4,000 nmi (7,400 km)
Complement	202, 14 officers and 188 enlists.
Sensors and ; processing systems	SUR 17 air surveillance radar; SR-60 air/surface search radar; KH 2007 navigation radar; Type 347 CIWS fire-control radar; CIWS electro-optical director; Radar warning receiver suite;
Electronic warfare ; & decoys	RWD-8 intercept, NJ8I-3 jammer; Decoy flare, chaff launchers;
Armament	Guns:; 1 × 76.2 mm calibre AK–176M main gun; 2 × Type 730B CIWS; Missiles:; 1 × 8-cell FM-90N SAM launcher; 2 × 4-cell C-802 SSM launchers; Other:; 2 × 3-cell ET-52C torpedo launchers; 2 × 6-cell RDC-32 anti-submarine rockets;
Aircraft carried	1 × Harbin Z-9EC ASW helicopter
Aviation facilities	Flight deck and enclosed hangar

PNS Saif (FFG-253) is a F-22P Zulfiquar-class guided missile frigate which serves as the front line warship of the Pakistan Navy since her commission in 2010.^[2]

Operational history

Saif was constructed and built in China by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard Co. where her keel laying was performed.^[3] Saif was subjected to the extensive sea trials conducted by the Pakistan Navy in China under Captain Zubair Shafiq on June-July 2010, and was acquired on 9 November 2010.^[4]

On 19 September 2010, Saif was commissioned into the military services of the Pakistan Navy with Adm. Noman Bashir overseeing her commissioning ceremony in China.^[5] She is the second warship to have the name Saif, which is a talwar (Urdu: تلوار) or sword (Arabic: سيف). Her commissioning ended the construction phase of the project in China.^[6]