TSAMTO, June 17. As reported on June 15, the public relations service of the Armed Forces of Pakistan ISPR (Inter-Services Public Relations), a ceremony of cutting the first steel for the fourth corvette of the Ada class (MILGEM) was held at the KSEW enterprise in Karachi) Pakistan Navy.
As reported by TSAMTO, in July 2018, the command of the Pakistan Navy signed an official contract for the supply of four Ada-class corvettes developed under the MILGEM program with a consortium of Turkish companies. The main contractor for the delivery was ASFAT AS (Military Plants and Shipyard Management Joint Stock Company). The exact cost of the sale was not disclosed, but according to media reports, it amounted to $ 1.5 billion. Under the terms of the contract, two ships will be built in Istanbul, and two more will be built at the KSEW (Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works) in Karachi. The agreement provides for the transfer of relevant technologies and intellectual property rights for the ship's design to Pakistan, as well as the training of engineering personnel.
Cutting of the first steel for the lead corvette began at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard in Istanbul in September 2019. On June 4, 2020, the keel laying ceremony of this ship took place. It is expected to join the Pakistan Navy in 2022. Steel cutting for the second corvette of the series in Pakistan began at the KSEW facility in June 2020. The keel was laid on October 25, 2020. According to the plans, the ship will be delivered to the Pakistan Navy in early 2024.
The keel laying of the third corvette at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard in Istanbul took place on April 31, 2021.
According to ASFAT AS, the length of the corvette for the Pakistan Navy is 108.8 m, the maximum width is 14.8 m, and the displacement is 2988 tons. The ship will be equipped with a combined main power plant CODAG (Combined Diesel and Gas Turbine) with a gas turbine engine LM2500. Designed speed-more than 26 knots, cruising range-3500 nautical miles at a speed of 15 knots.
According to available information, the project of the corvette "Ada" was adapted to the requirements of the Pakistani Navy, including the installation of a 16-container vertical launcher that allows you to launch the LY-80 missile defense system. The HQ-16 air defense system, which is a ground-based export version of the LY-80, has already been in service with Pakistan's Air Defense Forces since 2017.
The ship will also be equipped with a SMART-S Mk active phased array radar.2, which allows detecting and tracking up to 500 air and surface targets at ranges of up to 250 km, with the ARES-2NC electronic reconnaissance system of Aselsan.