Erdoğan: Türkiye delivers second MILGEM corvette to Pakistan

Türkiye has handed over the second of four MILGEM-class corvettes to Pakistan under a defence contract signed in 2018.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced the delivery, noting that the first two vessels were constructed at the Istanbul Naval Shipyard, Caliber.Az reports via Turkish media.

“The first ship, PNS Babür, was delivered to Pakistan on May 24, 2024. Today, we hand over PNS Hayber, which has successfully passed all trials,” Erdoğan said. 

“The third and fourth corvettes will be built at Pakistan’s own shipyard in Karachi. The third, PNS Bedir, is scheduled for delivery in June 2026, and the fourth, PNS Tarık, in the first quarter of 2027.”

The contract, won in 2018 by Türkiye’s state-owned design and engineering firm Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik ve Ticaret (STM), stipulates the delivery of four MILGEM-class corvettes to the Pakistani Navy. The agreement was signed in Rawalpindi on the same day the tender was awarded.

By Aghakazim Guliyev