Moving Forward With the MILGEM-J Corvette/Frigate Plus

On 09 June 2020, Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KSEW) cut the steel for the Pakistan Navy’s (PN) second (of four) MILGEM corvettes. During the steel cutting ceremony, KSEW displayed an impression or illustration of the corvette that showcased a number of reported changes in the PN’s MILGEM design.

The most notable of these changes was the inclusion of 16 vertical-launch system (VLS) cells towards the bow and a dual triple-cell configuration for anti-ship cruising missiles (ASCM) and/or land-attack cruising missiles (LACM). The hull of the PN’s MILGEM also seems longer than the standard Ada-class corvette.

Based on its weapon systems configuration alone, the PN MILGEM corvette is more capable than the PN’s currently serving F-22P frigates. However, the PN is still referring to the MILGEM as corvettes, though the displacement of this design exceeds that of older frigates, such as the Type 21.

In line with the original contract, which was signed in 2018, the PN was to receive three corvettes and a frigate – the latter would be a joint-design. The implication was that the fourth ship would be different in specifications and capabilities to the preceding three vessels. This made sense as the MILGEM Ada lacked several key features, such as VLS. But this is not the case with the PN MILGEM design.

In fact, the PN MILGEM ‘corvette’ design is already similar in size and capability to the I-Class frigate (the latter has a larger ASCM/LACM load-out). It is unclear how much farther the PN or the main contractor – Turkey’s Military Factory and Shipyard Corporation (ASFAT A.Ş.) – can stretch the design without basically duplicating the I-Class. Thus, the PN may have opted to standardize the ‘frigate’ design on all four ships.