Turkey, Pakistan Begin Construction of Modern Warships

On Tuesday, the Pakistan Navy held the groundbreaking ceremony to start the construction of the MILGEM Ada. Class Corvette in collaboration with state-owned Turkey defense contractor ASFAT.

Addressing the attendants of the ceremony, KSEW’s Managing Director, Rear Admiral Ather Saleem, said:

The MILGEM Ada Class Corvettes will state-of-the-art surface platform equipped with the modern surface, subsurface and anti-air weapons, sensors, and combat management system. These ships will 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.

Two state-of-the-art warships to locally constructed for the Pakistani Navy as part of a transfer of technology agreement signed between Pakistan and Turkey. The contract for four MILGEM Class Corvettes equipped with modern weaponry and sensors signed in 2018. Another two will build in Turkey.

A steel-cutting ceremony marking the beginning of construction was held in the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW) yesterday. This ceremony attended by officials of the Pakistani Navy, representatives of Turkey’s state-run defence firm ASFAT. And the Managing Director of KSEW, Rear Admiral Ather Saleem, reports Anadolu Agency.

Last week, the keel-laying – or the formal recognition of the start of the construction ceremony. For the first ship held at Turkey’s Istanbul Navy Shipyard. During a previous ceremony, in October 2019, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistan Navy Chief Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi cut the first metal plate of the first MILGEM ship.

However, The Pakistani Navy will receive the first two MILGEM ships in 2023 and the remaining two by 2025.

A spokesperson of the Pakistan Navy said that the domestic construction of the ships will help promote the shipbuilding industry. However, He added the construction of MILGEM-class ships reflects the strong bonds that exist between Pakistan and Turkey.

According to Pakistan’s The Nation, these ships will be among the most technologically advanced platforms in the country. They will significantly contribute to maintaining the balance of power in the Indian Ocean Region.

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