Turkey-Pakistan Fourth Corvette Launched: Equipped With Multi-Peran Weapons, Anti-Submarines And Hard To Track

Launches of Civil Servant Corvette Tariq (283). (Source: ASFAT)

JAKARTA - The fourth or last warship of the Turkish cooperation program with Pakistan was officially launched to strengthen the Islamabad Navy, strengthening cooperation between the two countries.

The ship, named Civil Servant Tariq (283), is the fourth and last MILGEM corvette made by Turkey for Pakistan, unveiled at a ceremony in the southern port city of Pakistan, Karachi.

"Outside of its own needs, Turkey is also building ships for many developed countries in the world," said Vice President Cevdet Y waylmaz at the ceremony.

"Thanks to the capacity we have developed in the defense sector, we have the ability to voluntarily manage the process in which we are involved, without anyone's consent," he continued.

"The formation of peace and global stability relies on the establishment of a fair balance in the defense industry," said Y waylmaz.

The MILGEM corvette is equipped with multi-player weapons for advanced surface, subsurface and anti-air and remote sensors, which are integrated through combat management systems with advanced network centers.

The ship with anti-submarine combat capabilities has an average length of 99 meters (325 feet), with a carrying capacity of about 24,000 tons and can move at a speed of 29 nautical miles.

Not only that, this new generation of warships is difficult to track because of its low radar cross-section, and will further enhance the defense capabilities of the Pakistan Navy.

It is known that the MILGEM sea platform (National Ship) project is a Turkish warship program, which aims to develop multipurpose corvettes and frigates that can be used in various missions. The missions include reconnaissance, surveillance, early warning, anti-submarine warfare, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air warfare, and amphibious operations.

In July 2018, Pakistan's Navy signed a contract for the acquisition of four Class Ada vessels with Turkey's state-owned defense company, ASFAT. Two corvettes are planned to be built in Turkey and two others in Pakistan, in a deal that includes technology transfers.

The first corvette ship was launched in August 2021, the second corvette ship in May 2022 and the third corvette ship in November 2022.