Pakistan’s strategy against Indian navy is simple, to locate, engage and destroy any Indian naval ship operating in hostile areas
In that sense Type 054A does not fit into any part of PNs doctrine, even considering a DDG is out of the question, plus to provide a true air defence umbrella is beyond the task of many lone DDGs, something like Type 45 can manage it in a breeze though because its design to operate alone
PN will not use its surface fleet to directly engage IN fleet, that is suicide, PN has shifted to any navy’s biggest threat, the low flying supersonic anti-ship missile, based from land, sea, and air
So it’s no wonder then that the 4 x ZDK-03 AWACS operate from No.4 Squadron from PAF Masroor Karachi which will be joined by a naval squadron of JF17 Thunders equipped with C-802 anti-ship missiles, together they form the central strike force to engage the Indian navy from a distance and are a deadly combination
That means such a squadron with up to 20 aircraft could carry 40 x C802 missiles, even if only 25% get through that is 10 missiles, enough to knock out 3-4 major surface vessels, in war they will be making multiple waves of attacks, where they re-arm and attack again so we can see the effect such a squadron will have on the Indian Navy, and Pakistan’s Naval squadron is one of the most highly trained squadrons experts in surface engagement
If we can station a few JF17 in Oman and make a sweep around the rear of the Indian fleet an angle from where they least expect, equivalent to a land outflanking manoeuvre the effect will be devastating, and if India makes the mistake of attacking civilian areas or civil shipping then PN will also respond, we already have Babur cruise missiles and now we also have air launched land attack cruise missiles which has been tested from Mirage III its called Ra’ad and has 350 km range and is nuclear capable
So this leaves no space for any vessel like Type 054A or Type 052C/D in PN