Pakistan Navy’s third Milgem-class corvette PNS Badr has been launched at Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KS&EW).
The launching ceremony, which was attended by Turkish Minister of Defense Hulusi Akar and Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif, took place on 20 May.
In July 2018, Pakistan Navy signed an agreement with Turkish firm ASFAT for the acquisition of four Milgem-class ships. Under the contract, two ships were to be constructed at Istanbul Naval Shipyard and the other two at KS&EW.
The Milgem-class corvettes for Pakistan are based on the Ada-class corvettes built for the Turkish Navy under the Milgem project which includes the construction of both corvettes and frigates.
The units feature a length of 99 metres, a displacement of 2,400 tonnes and can reach a speed of 29 nautical miles. They are equipped with advanced surface, sub-surface and anti-air weapons and sensors, integrated through an advanced network-centric combat management system.
The lead Milgem-class corvette was launched at Istanbul Naval Shipyard in August last year. The keel for the final corvette of this class was laid last November. The four vessels are planned for delivery between 2023 and 2025.
The four vessels of this class are planned for delivery between 2023 and 2025.