Pakistan’s Last PN MİLGEM-Class Corvette PNS TARIQ (F 283) Has Been Launched
The fourth and final ship of Pakistan’s MİLGEM Project, PNS TARIQ, was launched at the Black May Shipyard and Engineering Factory in Karachi, Pakistan, under the prime contractorship of the Turkish ASFAT shipyard. The launch ceremony of PNS TARIQ was attended by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Vice President of Turkey Cevdet Yılmaz, Deputy Minister of Defense of Turkey Celal Sami Tüfekci, and Commander of the Pakistan Navy Amjad Khan Niazi.
Speaking at the ceremony, Prime Minister Sharif admired the collaboration of the Ministry of Defense Production, the Ministry of National Defense of Turkey, M/s ASFAT, KS&EW, and the Pakistan Navy for their synergized efforts to make the project a success and congratulated them on the successful launch of the ship. He added that the relationship between Pakistan and Turkey is unique because of the deep-rooted historical ties between the two brotherly countries, and such defense cooperation will continue in the future as well.
Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz praised the brotherly Pakistan-Turkey relations and acknowledged the possibility of greater collaboration in defense production. The Vice President also emphasized that Pakistan and Turkey’s defense cooperation includes the construction of corvettes, submarine modernization, training aircraft, and helicopter sales.
On September 6, 2018, the Pakistan Navy and Turkish company ASFAT agreed to produce four MİLGEM class corvettes for the Pakistan Navy, with ASFAT serving as the prime contractor. According to the conditions of the arrangement, two of the corvettes were built in Turkey’s Istanbul shipyard, while the other two were built in Pakistan’s Karachi shipyard. These four ships are be delivered six months apart, with the delivery of the first ship scheduled for next month.
The corvettes, known as MİLGEM or JINNAH, will significantly increase the Pakistan Navy’s combat potential by performing surface, air, and anti-submarine warfare, reconnaissance, surveillance, defense against asymmetric threats, and command and control assignments. The corvettes are equipped with a platform hangar and extensive support equipment for a 10-ton helicopter capable of performing helicopter missions at any time of day. The ships have a length of 108.8 meters and a width of 14.8 meters. It can accelerate to 26 knots per hour using two diesel engines and a gas turbine, and has a displacement of 2,400 tons with a draft of 4.1 meters.
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.