Keel laying ceremony for 3rd MILGEM Class corvette of Pakistani Navy was held in Turkey.

According to a statement published by the Pakistani embassy in Turkey on April 31, 2021, the keel laying of the third MILGEM Class Corvette being constructed for the Pakistan Navy was held at Istanbul Naval Shipyard (INSY), Turkey.
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The official ceremony of the keel laying ceremony of the third MILGEM Class corvette for the Pakistani Navy. (Picture source Pakistan embassy in Turkey)

Commodore Ehsan Ahmed Khan, Chief Naval Overseer (Turkey) of Pakistan Navy stationed at Istanbul Naval Shipyard was the chief guest. Senior management of M/s ASFAT, INSY, representatives from Turkish Lloyed and other dignitaries as well as Naval Attache of Pakistan Embassy Ankara Captain Mazhar Bashir attended the ceremony.

While addressing guests at the ceremony, Commodore Ehsan said today’s event is a defining moment to further cement the bonds of brotherhood and friendship between the two strategically aligned nations with common values, culture and faith. He acknowledged the commitment and dedication of M/s ASFAT, INSY and Turkish Ministry of National Defence for meeting the challenging construction schedule despite ongoing global pandemic.

The event marked an important milestone in the construction schedule for the third MILGEM Corvette for the Pakistan Navy. Pakistan Navy has concluded a contract with M/s ASFAT for construction of four corvettes out of which two are being constructed at INSY whereas the remaining two are being constructed at Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works. These corvettes will be fitted with state of the art surface, sub-surface and anti-air weapons and sensors integrated through an advanced Network Centric Combat Management System.

The induction of MILGEM corvettes will significantly enhance the maritime defence and deterrence capabilities of Pakistan Navy which will ensure secure and stable seas. These corvettes will become a core element of Pakistan Navy’s kinetic response to traditional and non-traditional challenges and to maintain balance of power in the Indian Ocean Region.

In July 2018, Pakistani has announced that Turkey has won a tender to build four MILGEM corvettes for the Pakistan Navy. The MILGEM ships build for the Pakistani Navy is based on the Ada-class corvette but modification requested by Pakistan including the use of 16 vertical launch system (VLS) able to fire the LY-80 surface-to-air missile. The HQ-16, which is the land export version of the LY-80 is already in service with the Pakistani army since 2017. Most of the subsystems will be supplied bt the Turkish company Aselsan.

The Pakistani Navy MILGEM ship will be fitted with the SMART-S Mk2 search and targeting radar. It is an active phased array radar offering an instrumented range of 250 km. The radar can detect and track up to 500 airborne and surface targets. The ship will be also equipped with the Aselsan ARES-2NC electronic support measures (ESM) suite which allows passive monitoring as well as categorize and record enemy radar and communication signals.

The Ada-class ship is powered by combined diesel and gas (CODAG) propulsion systems that will include one gas turbine engines, two diesel engines, and 2 shafts. The ship will be able to reach a top speed of 30 knots(56 km/h) with a maximum cruising range of 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h).