TSAMTO, November 30. On November 25, the launch ceremony of the corvette (282) "Khaibar" (Khaibar) of the MILGEM project, intended for the Pakistani navy, took place at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard in Istanbul.
The event was attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
As reported by TSAMTO, in July 2018, the command of the Pakistani Navy signed a contract for the supply of four Ada-class corvettes developed under the MILGEM program with a consortium of Turkish companies headed by ASFAT AS (Military Plants and Shipyard Management Joint Stock Company). The exact cost of the order 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 KSEW (Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works) in Karachi. The agreement provides for the transfer of relevant technologies and intellectual property rights to Pakistan for the ship's design, as well as the training of engineering personnel.
Cutting of the first steel for the construction of the lead corvette, (280) Babur, began at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard in Istanbul in September 2019. It was launched in August 2021. The ship is expected to join the Pakistan Navy in August 2023. The laying of the keel of the second corvette, (281) "Badr", took place at the KSEW enterprise in Pakistan on October 25, 2020, the launch took place on May 20, 2022. According to the plans, it will be delivered to the Pakistani Navy in early 2024.
The laying of the keel of the third corvette, (282) "Khaybar", took place at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard in Istanbul on April 31, 2021. Its delivery is scheduled for August 2024. Steel cutting for the construction of the fourth ship began on June 15, 2021, the keel was laid in November 2021. As planned, the construction of all ships will be completed in February 2025.
According to ASFAT AS, the maximum length of the corvette for the Pakistan Navy is 108.2 m, the maximum width is 14.8 m, displacement is 2985 tons, crew – 93 people. The ship will be equipped with a combined main power plant CODAG (Combined Diesel and Gas Turbine) with a gas turbine engine LM2500 and two diesel engines. The design speed is more than 26 knots, the range is 3,500 nautical miles at a speed of 15 knots.
The configuration of the Pakistani MILGEM-class ships has not been officially disclosed. According to various sources, the corvette's armament will include a 76-mm artillery mount, six anti-submarine missile launchers, two DUMV with a 25-mm AU, two twin-tube 324-mm torpedo tubes.
According to available information, the Ada corvette project has been adapted to the requirements of the Pakistani Navy, including equipping with a 16-container vertical launcher that allows the launch of the LY-80 missiles. The ship will be equipped with a radar with an active phased array SMART-S Mk.2, which allows detecting and tracking up to 500 air and surface targets at ranges up to 250 km, as well as the ARES-2NC electronic reconnaissance system of Aselsan.
Simultaneously with the launching of the corvette (282) "Khaybar" at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard, the keel of the lead patrol ship of the coastal zone (OPV) P-1220 "Akhisar" and the cutting of the first steel for the second ship, P-1221 "Kochisar" of the Hisar class, intended for the Turkish Navy, took place.
