Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz have jointly launched the fourth MILGEM Class Corvette – PNS Tariq at Karachi Shipyard.

Initiated in 2018, the MILGEM project envisages the construction of four Corvettes for the Pakistan Navy including two in Pakistan and two in Turkiye, Radio Pakistan reported.

A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessels considered to be a proper (or “rated”) warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloop-of-war.

The Prime Minister, earlier, attended the launching ceremony of the third Naval Corvette, PNS Khyber, in Istanbul, in November last year.

The first two Corvettes, PNS Babur and PNS Badar were launched in Istanbul and Karachi, in August 2021 and May 2022 respectively.

The MILGEM project represents an enduring symbol of Pakistan-Turkiye collaboration in the maritime domain.

It is a tangible step towards self-reliance and indigenization and would fulfill the critical security needs of the Pakistan Navy.