Pakistan Navy press release
PN MILGEM Class ships are the most technologically advanced surface platforms being constructed for Pakistan Navy. The ships will be fitted with latest Command & Control Systems including modern weapons and sensors. The contract for construction of 04 MILGEM class ships for Pakistan was signed between Ministry of Defence Production, Pakistan and M/s ASFAT (Turkish Firm) in 2018. Under the project, two ships are under construction at Istanbul Naval Shipyard, while the other two are being constructed at KS&EW, Karachi.
While addressing on the occassion, Honourable Prime Minister of Pakistan admired the collaboration of Ministry of Defence Production, Ministry of National Defence of Turkiye, M/s ASFAT, KS&EW and Pakistan Navy for synergized efforts to make the project a success and congratulated them on successful launch of the ship. He added that relationship between Pakistan and Turkiye is unique because of deep rooted historical ties between the two brotherly countries and such defence cooperation shall continue in future as well.

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz while addressing the ceremony termed the brotherly Pakistan-Turkiye relations as exemplary and acknowledged the potential for more collaboration in the field Defence Production. He lauded the efforts and remarkable work done by KS&EW and M/s ASFAT and emphasized for adopting proactive approach for timely completion of undergoing projects. He strongly condemned the recent incidents of terrorism in Pakistan and appreciated the people of Pakistan for their all out support during the earthquake in Turkiye.
Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi during his speech highlighted that these ships will significantly enhance Pakistan Navy’s combat potential and will augment peace and security in the region. The Admiral emphasized that PN has kept the policy of indigenization at the forefront and hence it is very satisfying to see the state of the art warship being built in the country.
Earlier, MD KS&EW Rear Admiral Salman Ilyas in his welcome address highlighted that Karachi Shipyard is fully cognizant and completely aligned with the goals set forth by the Government of Pakistan for self- reliance in defence shipbuilding industry.
The ceremony was attended by senior government officials from Pakistan and Turkiye including officers and key representatives of Pakistan Navy, M/s ASFAT and KS&EW.
About PN MILGEM / Babur-class corvettes

PN MILGEM Program consists of 4 ships, 2 ships are being built in Istanbul Shipyard Command and another 2 are being built in KS&EW. Turkish Ministry of Defence owned ASFAT Inc. is the primary contractor of the project. The program started on 11 March 2019. The deliveries of the ships, which will be able to perform all kinds of military duties from air defense to submarine defense, are expected to be made at six-month intervals starting from August 2023.
The exact configuration of the Pakistan Milgem-class ships has not been made public yet. During the Aman Naval Exercise held in February 2019, Admiral Abbasi said that Pakistan ships will be fitted with a 16-Cell VLS behind the main gun. It is expected that the Babur-class corvettes will be armed with MBDA’s Albatros NG air defence system and Harbah Anti-ship and land attack missiles.
The propulsion system for all the MILGEM ships consist of one LM2500 gas turbine in a combined diesel and gas turbine configuration with two diesel engines; total propulsion power is 31,600 kilowatts.
Turkey’s Ada-class are multipurpose corvettes able to conduct a wide a range of missions, including reconnaissance, surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air warfare.
Key data:
- Displacement: 2,926 tonnes
- Length: 108.2 m
- Beam: 14.8 m
- Draft: 4.05 m
- Propulsion: CODAG
- Max speed: 31 knots
- Range: 3500 nautical miles
- Endurance: 15 days at sea
- Crew: 93+40