Inclusion of Turkish MILGEM corvettes into Pakistan Navy’s (PN) fleet will significantly bolster its capabilities, remarked Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Amjad Khan Niazi on Tuesday (today).
According to DGPR Pakistan Navy, CNS Admiral Amjad Khan Niazi attended the steel cutting ceremony of fourth MILGEM-Class Corvette ship at Karachi shipyard.
Expressing his views, the naval chief termed MILGEM corvettes as a significant addition to PN fleet. CNS Admiral Amjad Khan Niazi also praised he mutual cooperation between Ministry of Defence Production, Pakistan Navy, Karachi Shipyard and Turkish Company for the construction of navy ships.
These ships will enable Pakistan Navy in tackling with emerging conventional and non-conventional threats.
It is pertinent to know that Pakistan signed a contract with Turkey in 2018 for the construction of four MILGEM class corvettes for Pakistan Navy.
Two of these corvettes will be built in Turkey, while two will be constructed in Pakistan at Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW).
The contract between Pakistan Navy and ASFAT (Turkish state-owned defence firm) also includes complete Transfer of Technology (ToT) which will significantly bolster Pakistan’s shipbuilding capacity.
Earlier this year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended ‘Welding Ceremony’ of third MILGEM class ship of PN held in January in Turkey.
MILGEM Class Corvettes
The MILGEM Class Corvettes will be state-of-the-art Surface platform equipped with a modern surface, subsurface and anti-air weapons, sensors and Combat Management System. These ships will be among the most technologically advanced platforms of Pakistan Navy and will significantly contribute to maintaining peace, stability and balance of power in the Indian Ocean Region.
GENESIS (Gemi Entegre Savaş İdare Sistemi, i.e. Ship Integrated Combat Management System), a network-centric combat management system developed by HAVELSAN and originally used in the upgraded G-class frigates of the Turkish Navy, was contracted for the first two Ada-class corvettes on May 23, 2007.
The MILGEM ships have a national hull mounted sonar developed by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey.
Sonar dome has been developed by STM’s subcontractor ONUK-BG Defence Systems, extensively employing nano-enhanced Fiber Reinforced Polymer. The Ada class features an electronic chart precise integrated navigation system (ECPINS) supplied by OSI Geospatial.
Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS), delivered by STM’s subcontractor Yaltes JV, monitors and controls machinery, auxiliary systems, electrical power generation and distribution.
The main systems integrated in IPMS include a power management system, fire detection system, firefighting and damage control system, CCTV system and stability control system.
