On Tuesday, Pakistan Navy conducted the groundbreaking ceremony in collaboration with state-owned Turkish defense contractor ASFAT to start construction of the MILGEM Ada Class Corvette.
The ceremony was organized at Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW), a specialized shipbuilding division of the Pakistan Navy.
Addressing the attendants of the ceremony, KSEW’s Managing Director, Rear Admiral Ather Saleem, said:
The MILGEM Ada Class Corvettes will be state-of-the-art surface platform equipped with the modern surface, subsurface and anti-air weapons, sensors, and combat management system. These ships will be among the most technologically advanced platforms of the Pakistan Navy and will significantly contribute to maintaining peace, stability, and balance of power in the Indian Ocean region.
The Pakistan Navy had signed a deal with ASFAT in July 2018 to acquire 4 MILGEM-class ships to further consolidate its defensive capabilities.
It was finalized under the agreement that 2 MILGEM-class ships will be built in Pakistan while 2 will be built in Turkey.
In this regard, following a formal ceremony held in Istanbul last week, the Turkish Navy initiated the construction of 2 MILGEM-class ships.
ABOUT MILGEM
The MILGEM Ada Class Corvette is a modern naval ship combatant stealth patrol and anti-submarine warfare.
MILGEM is a naval ship that is 326.8 feet long and 47.3 feet wide, and can accommodate 106 naval staff. It has a capacity of 2,400,000 kg for displacement, a maximum range of 6,500 km and a top speed of 56 km / h.