KARACHI – Pakistan will launch the 3rd Babur class guided missile heavycorvette, PNS Badr, on May 20.
According to the Pakistan Strategic Forum, “The class of four Baburcorvettes are being built under the joint venture MILGEM project betweenPakistan and Turkey, with 2 ships being built in Istanbul, Turkey and 2 inKarachi, Pakistan at a cost of around $1.5 Billion to the Pakistan Navy.The Babur Class Corvettes are 3,000 tonne multi-mission platforms, equippedfor anti-ship warfare (AShW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW) as well asanti-air warfare (AAW).
“In the Anti-Surface category, the corvettes will be armed with ATMACAanti-ship missiles, with two four-cell launchers. ASuW helicopters can alsobe deployed from the ship, carrying anti-ship and anti-submarine weapons.
“In anti-air warfare, the corvettes have a 12 cell GWS-26 vertical launchsystem (VLS) that carries the MBDA Albatros NG/Common Anti-Air ModularMissile-Extended Range (CAMM-ER) surface-to-air missile (SAM) with a rangeof between 50-65 kilometres. The Babur-class will also use an AselsanGökdeniz dual 35 mm close-in-weapon-system (CIWS) with Aselsan ATOMairburst ammunition for terminal and point air defense.
“In Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), the corvettes have two 3-cell 324 mmlightweight torpedoes launchers as well as the Yakamos hull-mounted sonarand a HIZIR towed array sonar system as well as decoy. ASW helicopters canalso be deployed from the ship with submarine hunter-killer capabilities.
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“Other weapons systems include a 76 mm OTO Melara Super Rapid main navalgun and two Aselsan STOP 25 mm machine guns. The ships will also have a10-ton capacity helicopter hangar and deck. The warships have a range of9,300 kilometres and are powered by General Electric LM2500 CODAD engines.
“The electronics suit for the four ships will be supplied by Aselsan at acost of 215 million dollars which includes a main 3D AESA S-band navalradar, ASELSAN ALPER LPI Surface Radar, AKREP (AKR-D Block B-1/2) FireControl Radar, SATCOM, a new network-oriented battle-management system,ARES-2NC ESM modules, ELINT and SIGINT modules, Electronic Warfare (EW)modules, SeaEye-AHTAPOT EO Reconnaisance and Survellience System, ASELSANPiri (Infrared Search and Track) IRST system, as well as the Yakamoshull-mounted sonar system and HIZIR torpedo countermeasure system. TheHIZIR is a complete suite consisting of a towed array, decoy array andexpendable decoys.”
