According to information published by Daily Sabah on April 22, 2021, the Philippines is currently looking for ways to modernize its navy and collaboration with the Turkish government is among the options as the South Asian country explores ways of enabling this, state-run media said.
The chief of the Philippine navy, Vice Adm. Giovanni Carlo Bacordo, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that a delegation visited Turkey last week at the invitation of a Turkish state-owned defense contractor, the Military Factory and Shipyard Management Corporation (ASFAT).
He said ASFAT is particularly interested in providing capacity and technology solutions, and participating in acquisition projects for naval vessels and other defense equipment.
ASFAT undertook the manufacturing of Turkey’s domestic warships under a project dubbed MILGEM (National Ship). The Turkish navy has so far received four Ada-class corvettes – the TCG Heybeliada, the TCG Büyükada, the TCG Burgazada and the TCG Kınalıada – as part of the project and the TCG Istanbul, the first frigate and largest warship domestically designed and manufactured by Turkey, which was recently launched.
Those Ada-class corvettes are not only operated by Turkey but they have also enabled the country’s defense industry to make one of the worthiest exports in its history. The Pakistan navy signed a contract with ASFAT in July 2018 to acquire four MILGEM-class ships.