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PN-MILGEM Corvettes to be Armed with MBDA’s Albatros NG NBAD System!

The Pakistan Navy has decided to use MBDA’s new generation product Naval Based Air Defense (NBAD) System Albatros NG instead of the HHQ-16 Medium-Range Air Defense Missile System on PN-MILGEM Corvettes, which are under construction within the scope of the Pakistan Navy MILGEM (PN-MILGEM) Project. The contract of the PN-MILGEM Project was signed between the Main Contractor ASFAT (Military Factory and Shipyard Management Inc.) and the Pakistan Ministry of Defense Production on July 5, 2018, in Islamabad and the construction activities (T0) were started on March 11, 2019.

Date: Issue 108 - July 2021

According to the information I received, within the scope of this last-minute change on the ships’ main air defense system a number of modifications have been performed on the PN-MILGEM’s original sensors and weapon systems layout. The renewed design of the PN-MILGEM Corvette was disclosed for the first time on April 30, 2021, during the PN-MILGEM-3 Corvette’s keel laying ceremony held at Istanbul Naval Shipyard in Tuzla, Istanbul.

As we recall, on March 3, 2021, MBDA announced that it signed the first export contract with an undisclosed international customer for the Albatros NG NBAD System, which uses CAMM-ER (Extended Range) missiles. In the press release, it was stated that the Albatros NG System would become operational in 2024 within the scope of the order. With this acquisition, the Pakistan Navy became the first export customer/user of Albatros NG, and the PN-MILGEM Corvette became the first surface warship to use this new generation medium-range active radar guided air defense system. In addition, the Albatros NG NBAD System will be integrated into the GENESIS ADVENT CMS (Combat Management System) used on the ships.