Turkey Delivers First MİLGEM-class Corvette PNS Babur To The Pakistan Navy
‘PNS BABUR’, the first of the four ships produced for the Pakistan Armed Forces within the framework of the ‘Pakistan MİLGEM Project’, carried out as the main contractor by the ASFAT company affiliated with the Turkish Ministry of Defense, was delivered with an official ceremony held at the Istanbul Shipyard Command. Many senior officers from the Turkish and Pakistani navies attended the ceremony, including Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, Pakistani Defense Minister Anwar Ali Hayder, Turkish Naval Forces Commander Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu and Pakistan Naval Forces Commander Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi.
Speaking at the ceremony, Turkish Minister of Defense Yaşar Güler said that there are strong bonds of friendship and brotherhood between Turkey and Pakistan, whose roots go back to the depths of history, and that this understanding of close friendship and brotherhood still paves the way for versatile cooperation and excellent relations.
Noting that relations with Pakistan in every field are improving day by day, Minister Yaşar Güler said, “our projects in the field of defense industry constitute one of the important pillars of our cooperation. Moreover, considering that cooperation and solidarity between friendly and allied countries have become more important than ever in this increasingly fragile global security environment, defense industry collaborations are also of great importance,” continuing that the MİLGEM project is ‘critically important’ for both nations.
Pakistan Naval Forces Commander Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi said that PN MİLGEM Ships, equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, will play a key role in maintaining peace and stability in the region. The Admiral also stated that the Pakistan Navy has adopted the indigenization of platforms and therefore it is extremely pleasing to see modern warships being built in cooperation with the brother country Turkey.
The Pakistan MİLGEM Project, which is the largest single naval export of the Turkish defense industry, includes the production of 4 MİLGEM ADA Class Corvettes for the Pakistan Navy under the main contractorship of ASFAT. According to the terms of the agreement, which also includes technology exchange, two of the corvettes are being built in Turkey’s Istanbul shipyard, and the other two are being built in Pakistan’s Karachi shipyard. The program started on March 11, 2019, and the first ship of the class, PNS Babur, was launched on August 15, 2021. PNS Babur was delivered to the Pakistan Navy after cruise tests and sea acceptance tests. According to ASFAT’s delivery timetable, the second ship will be delivered in March 2024, the third ship in September 2024, and the last ship will be delivered to the Pakistan Navy in March 2025.
The MİLGEM Corvette configuration developed for the Pakistan Navy is also known as the ‘JINNAH Class Corvette.’ The JINNAH Class Corvettes are very similar in design and features to the Turkish Naval Forces’ Ada and Istanbul class frigates. The JINNAH class corvettes, according to ASFAT, are designed to perform surface, air, and anti-submarine warfare, reconnaissance, surveillance, defense against asymmetric threats, and command and control tasks. Corvettes of the JINNAH class are 108.2 meters long and 14.8 meters wide. The vessels have a displacement of 2,400 tons and a draft of 4.1 meters and can accelerate to 26 knots per hour using two diesel engines and a gas turbine. The corvettes also come equipped with a platform hangar and plenty of support gear so that a 10-ton helicopter can perform sorties at any time of day.
PN MİLGEM corvettes are equipped with two 6-cell Surface-to-Air Guided Missile Systems, two 3-Launcher Surface-to-Surface Guided Missile Systems, a 76mm SUPERRAPID Main Gun, a Torpedo Launching System, a Close Air Defense System, two 25 mm Remote Controlled Stabilized Gun Systems (STOP), a Hull Mounted Sonar and a Torpedo Jamming / Deception System (TKAS). Among the electronic systems on board are the Hızır torpedo jamming and deception system, the ARES-2N electronic warfare system, the SMART-S Mk2 S-Band 3D radar, the AKREP (AKR-D Blok B-1/2) fire control radar, the SeaEye-AHTAPOT electro-optical surveillance system, the Northrop Grumman production LN-270 INS/GPS navigation system, and the Meteksan production YAKAMOS hull-mounted sonar.