Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz will come to Pakistan tomorrow (Wednesday) for a day-long visit.
According to sources close to the situation, Yilmaz will unveil the fourth PN Milgem Corvette, PNS TARIQ. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will be present at the inauguration ceremony in Karachi.
The Turkish VP’s visit comes only days after Chinese Vice-PM He Lifeng arrived in Pakistan to sign a number of deals.
PNS Tariq
The fourth warship, PNS Tariq, will be launched on Wednesday as part of the MILGEM project.
The MILGEM ships were built in Turkey and Pakistan at the same time for the Pakistani Navy by Turkey’s Military Factory and Shipyard Management Inc. (ASFAT).
The latest generation corvettes, which are equipped with long-range effective sensors and weapon systems, are difficult to detect due to their narrow radar cross-section and would boost Pakistani Navy deterrence.
On September 6, 2018, Turkey and Pakistan reached an agreement for MILGEM ships. The first ship will be launched in August 2021, followed by the second in May 2022 and the third in November 2022.