By Tayfun Ozberk
The fourth and final PN MILGEM-class corvette for the Pakistan Navy was laid down on November 5th at Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KS&EW) by ASFAT Inc, a Turkish Ministry of Defense-affiliated contractor company. The event was announced on social media by ASFAT and the Pakistan Navy.
The ceremony of the fourth PN MILGEM-class corvette was attended by high-ranking officials including Admiral Amjad Khan Niazi, Chief of the Pakistan Navy, and Esad Akgün, General Manager of ASFAT.
Admiral Niazi, speaking at the ceremony, stated that it is a historic moment because the Ministry of Defence Production, Pakistan Navy, Karachi Shipyard, and M/s ASFAT of Turkey have joined forces to build two Corvettes in Pakistan, while another two are under construction in Turkey. The Naval Chief praised KS&EW’s performance and stated that indigenization is at the forefront of national policy, and it is encouraging to see state-of-the-art warships being built in Pakistan.
ASFAT’s General Manager also made a speech during the ceremony and stated the importance of the PN MILGEM project. Mr. Akgun also revealed in his speech that they have completed the design of Jinnah-class frigates for the Pakistan Navy. He emphasized that Pakistan-Turkey cooperation has grown with the Jinnah project, which has been in the design phase for two years.
According to ASFAT’s press release, the second PN MILGEM corvette would be launched in Karachi, Pakistan, in May 2022. The first ship of the project, PNS Babur (F-280), was launched in Istanbul on August 15, 2021. The first two corvettes are expected to enter service for the Pakistan Navy in 2023, followed by another two corvettes in 2024.
The construction of corvettes in Pakistan is intended to boost the local shipbuilding sector by gathering know-how and improving KS&EW capabilities. The addition of these ships is expected to increase the Pakistan Navy’s operational capacity.
The exact configuration of the Pakistan Milgem-class ships has not been made public yet. During the Aman Naval Exercise held in February 2019, Admiral Abbasi said that Pakistan ships will be fitted with a 16-Cell VLS behind the main gun. It is expected that the Babur-class corvettes will be armed with MBDA’s Albatros NG air defense system and Harbah Anti-ship and land-attack missiles.
The propulsion system for all the MILGEM ships consists of one LM2500 gas turbine in a combined diesel and gas turbine configuration with two diesel engines; the total propulsion power is 31,600 kilowatts.
Turkey’s Ada-class are multipurpose corvettes able to conduct a wide range of missions, including reconnaissance, surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air warfare.
Pakistan’s Babur-class Main specifications:
Displacement: 2,926 tonnes
Length: 108.2 m
Beam: 14.8 m
Draft: 4.05 m
Propulsion: CODAG
Max speed: 31 knots
Range: 3500 nautical miles
Endurance: 15 days at sea
Crew: 93+40
Turkey’s Ada-class Main specifications:
Displacement: 2400 tonnes
Length: 99m
Beam: 14.4m
Draft: 3.9m
Propulsion: CODAG
Max speed: 31 knots
Range: 3500 nautical miles
Endurance: 10 days at sea
Crew: 93
