The ''Babur''-class corvette, also known as the PN MILGEM class, is a class of four heavy corvettes under construction for the Pakistan Navy. This class is a subclass of the Turkish

MILGEM project MILGEM project is a national warship program of the Republic of Turkey. Managed by the Turkish Navy, the project aims at developing multipurpose corvettes, frigates and destroyers that can be deployed in a range of missions, including reconnaissa ...

. The corvette class is heavier and larger than the Turkish and are also equipped with VLS.

Instrumentation

Armament

*Anti-surface warfare As for its

anti-surface warfare Anti-surface warfare (ASuW or ASUW) is the branch of naval warfare concerned with the suppression of surface combatants. More generally, it is any weapons, sensors, or operations intended to attack or limit the effectiveness of an adversary's s ...

(ASuW) capabilities, the corvettes feature two triple-cell launchers for six

anti-ship missile An anti-ship missile (AShM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. A goo ...

s of an undisclosed designation. Although the missiles-in-question are yet to divulged, it is believed that they may actually be the Harbah anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM), currently in service with the Pakistan Navy. The Harbah is an anti-ship variant of the Babur subsonic cruise missile, featuring an approximate range of . *Anti-air warfare As for its

anti-air warfare Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

(AAW) capabilities, the corvettes feature a 12-cell GWS-26

vertical launching system A vertical launching system (VLS) is an advanced system for holding and firing missiles on mobile naval platforms, such as surface ships and submarines. Each vertical launch system consists of a number of ''cells'', which can hold one or mor ...

(VLS) configuration - according to illustrations of the vessels released by KSEW. Opposingly, other illustrations of the corvettes released by INSY depict a 16-cell VLS arrangement at the bow. Initially, the corvettes were selected to feature the Chinese-origin HHQ-16 surface-to-air missiles, developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC). However, in 2021 - the Pakistan Navy revealed that it had selected the Albatros NG surface-to-air missiles developed by

MBDA MBDA is a European multinational developer and manufacturer of missiles.MBDA Inc. US Division Co ...

, instead. The Albatros NG - a variant of the CAMM-ER naval anti-air missile, features an approximate range of over , with the capability to neutralize various aerial threats - including anti-ship missiles,

unmanned aerial vehicle An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controll ...

s and precision-guided munitions. Incidentally, the PN MILGEM corvettes are also the first surface warships to utilize the Albatros NG. *Anti-submarine warfare As for its

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...

(ASW) capabilities, the corvettes feature two 3-cell Mark 32 324 mm lightweight

torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...

s, along with an anti-submarine helicopter. Although the helicopter's designation is yet to divulged, it is believed that the corvettes may feature the

AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat The AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat (previously called the Future Lynx and Lynx Wildcat) is a British military helicopter. It is an improved version of the Westland Super Lynx designed to serve in the battlefield utility, search and rescue and a ...

. *Guns The corvettes feature one

OTO Melara 76 mm The OTO Melara 76 mm gun is a naval gun built and designed by the Italian defence company OTO Melara. It is based on the OTO Melara 76/62C and evolved toward 76/62 SR and 76/62 Strales. The system is compact enough to be installed on rel ...

naval gun Naval artillery is artillery mounted on a warship, originally used only for naval warfare and then subsequently used for shore bombardment and anti-aircraft roles. The term generally refers to tube-launched projectile-firing weapons and excludes ...

, one Aselsan GOKDENIZ 35 mm

close-in weapon system A close-in weapon system (CIWS ) is a point-defense weapon system for detecting and destroying short-range incoming missiles and enemy aircraft which have penetrated the outer defenses, typically mounted on a naval ship. Nearly all classes of ...

and two Aselsan STOP 25 mm

remote weapon station A remote controlled weapon station (RCWS), or remote weapon station (RWS), also known as a remote weapon system (RWS), is a remotely operated weaponized system often equipped with fire-control system for light and medium-caliber weapons which ca ...

s - for providing short-range point defense against both aerial and surface threats.

Sensors

In a parallel fashion to the Ada-class corvettes, the ''Babur'' class feature similar radar equipment, including :- *Radar The PN MILGEM class is equipped with the SMART-S Mk2 passive electronically scanned array (PESA)

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...

, license manufactured by Aselsan. The SMART-S Mk2 is a three-dimensional, multi-beam, long-range surface/aerial surveillance radar, featuring an azimuth of 360^o, with the capability to track both aerial and surface targets - at ranges of approximately and , respectively. The class also features the Aselsan ALPER low-probability-of-intercept radar (LPI) - for detecting and tracking both aerial and surface targets. The ALPER features an approximate range of . In addition to the SMART-S Mk2 and the ALPER, the corvettes are also equipped with the AKREP (AKR-D Block B-1/2) fire-control radar (FCR) - capable of tracking and providing target information over an approximate range of . *Sonar The corvettes feature the Meteksan YAKAMOS sonar system, as its primary sonar suite. The YAKAMOS is a hull-mounted, medium-frequency anti-submarine/obstacle-avoidance sonar, capable of detecting sub-surface targets within an azimuth of 360^o azimuth over a range of . *Electronic warfare As part of its electronic warfare (EW) capabilities, the corvettes feature the Aselsan ARES-2N radar ESM system, along with

ELINT Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of '' signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ...

and

SIGINT Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of '' signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ...

modules. The ARES-2N is a long-range electronic support system, capable of detecting, intercepting, classifying, tracking and recording electromagnetic emissions of various targets, over an operating frequency of 2-18

GHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...

. *Tracking systems As part of its tracking capabilities, the PN MILGEM class features the Aselsan SeaEye-AHTAPOT electro-optical surveillance system (EO) - capable of tracking targets at a range of and the Aselsan PIRI

infrared search and track An infrared search and track (IRST) system (sometimes known as infrared sighting and tracking) is a method for detecting and tracking objects which give off infrared radiation, such as the infrared signatures of jet aircraft and helicopters. IR ...

(IRST) system - capable of tracking 150 targets simultaneously, over an azimuth of 360^o. In addition to the two aforementioned systems, the class is also equipped with the Northrop Grumman LN-270 INS/

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sy ...

navigation system, for providing

geopositioning Geopositioning, also known as geotracking, geolocalization, geolocating, geolocation, or geoposition fixing, is the process of determining or estimating the geographic position of an object. Geopositioning yields a set of geographic coordinates ...

and turret stabilization.

Ships of the class

References

{{reflist Corvette classes

Instrumentation

Armament

Sensors

Ships of the class

See also

Ships of notable comparison and era

Other references to the Pakistan Navy

References