GE to supply gas turbines for Pakistan’s MILGEM class corvettes

MILGEM
MILGEM-class corvettes of the Turkish Navy

GE Marine announced it has signed a contract with Turkish company STM to provide LM2500 marine gas turbines to power the Pakistan Navy’s new MILGEM multipurpose corvettes. STM is the main propulsion system integrator for the MILGEM newbuilds.

In July 2018, the Pakistan Navy contracted for four MILGEM corvettes with ASFAT (Askeri Fabrika ve Tersane İşletme A.Ş.), two of them to be built in Turkey and the other two in Pakistan. Recent milestones for the Pakistan Navy’s MILGEM program include the keel laying of the first ship in Istanbul, Turkey, and the steel cutting ceremony for the second corvette in Karachi, Pakistan.

“We are delighted to provide the Pakistan Navy with our proven LM2500 gas turbine to power these new MILGEM corvettes,” said Kris Shepherd, Vice President, Marine Operations, GE Marine, Evendale, Ohio. “Our LM2500 gas turbines are reliably logging operating hours onboard the Turkish Navy’s four MILGEM corvettes, the first of which was commissioned in 2011,” he added.

The LM2500 gas turbines for the Pakistan Navy’s MILGEM program will be manufactured at GE’s facility in Evendale, Ohio, U.S.A.

The LM2500 Engine :

The LM2500 marine gas turbine is a simple-cycle, two-shaft, high-performance engine. Derived from GE’s CF6-6 aircraft engines, the LM2500 consists of a gas generator, a power turbine, attached fuel and lube oil pumps, fuel control and speed governing system, associated inlet and exhaust sections, lube and scavenge systems as well as controls and devices for starting and monitoring engine operation.

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LM2500 Gas Turbine for frigates

The LM2500 is GE’s most widely-applied gas turbine, used by 39 navies worldwide. Possible applications for the LM2500 include patrol boats, corvettes, frigates, destroyers, cruisers, cargo/auxiliary ships and aircraft carriers. The LM2500 is also available as a military generator set.

The propulsion system for all the MILGEM ships consist of one LM2500 gas turbine in a combined diesel and gas turbine configuration with two diesel engines; total propulsion power is 31,600 kilowatts. Additionally, 24 LM2500s operate aboard the Turkish Navy’s Barbaros and Gabya class frigates.