[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text dp_text_size=”size-4″]Today, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif along with Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz jointly launches the fourth MILGEM Class Corvette PNS Tariq at the Karachi Shipyard.
The MILGEM project, which began in 2018, envisions the building of four Corvettes for the Pakistan Navy, two in Pakistan and two in Turkey.
In November of last year, the prime minister attended the launching ceremony of the third Naval Corvette, PNS Khyber, in Istanbul.
The first two Corvettes, PNS Babur and PNS Badar, were launched in August 2021 and May 2022, respectively, in Istanbul and Karachi.
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According to the Foreign Office, the MILGEM project is a lasting symbol of Pakistan-Turkey maritime collaboration.
It is a tangible step towards self-reliance and indigenization, and it will meet Pakistan Navy’s key security needs, according to the statement.
A contract for the building of four Milgem class vessels based on the Turkish Ada-class design was signed in July 2018 between Turkey’s Military Factory and Shipyard Management Corporation (ASFAT) and Pakistan’s National Defence Ministry Ammunition Production and Karachi Shipyard.
Nurettin Canikli, Turkey’s defence minister at the time, described the agreement as “the largest defence export of Turkey in one agreement.”
The deal calls for two corvettes to be built in Turkey and two at Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KS&EW). The contract also includes provisions for Turkey to transfer design rights and construction know-how to Pakistan.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
