Türkiye transferred the MILGEM corvette PNS Khaibar to the Pakistan Navy on December 20, 2025, in an Istanbul ceremony presided over by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, reinforcing the country’s expanding defense export portfolio and long-term naval cooperation.
On December 20, 2025, Türkiye formally handed over the second MILGEM corvette, PNS Khaibar, to the Pakistan Navy during a commissioning ceremony in Istanbul presided over by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Reported by Anadolu Agency, the event highlighted Türkiye’s expanding naval shipbuilding capabilities and its growing footprint in global defense exports, while reinforcing long-standing strategic ties with Pakistan.
The delivery of PNS Khaibar underscores Ankara’s approach to defense cooperation, which combines advanced platform sales with technology transfer and co-production. The vessel is the second of four MILGEM corvettes ordered by Pakistan in 2018 under the Babur-class program. It follows the commissioning of PNS Babur in May 2024, with PNS Bedir and PNS Tarik scheduled for delivery in 2026 and early 2027 respectively. President Erdoğan described the project as a milestone in the “brotherly” Türkiye–Pakistan relationship, rooted in shared history and aligned strategic interests across the Indian Ocean and Middle East.
PNS Khaibar belongs to the Babur-class, a customized and enlarged variant of the MILGEM family developed specifically for Pakistan. Displacing close to 3,000 tons and measuring approximately 108 meters in length, the corvette features a CODAG propulsion system combining diesel engines and a gas turbine. This configuration provides a top speed exceeding 26 knots, a range of about 3,500 nautical miles, and an endurance of roughly 15 days.
The ship’s armament includes a 76 mm naval gun, twin triple launchers for the indigenous Harbah cruise missile capable of engaging surface and land targets, and a 12-cell vertical launch system for modern surface-to-air missiles, offering air-defence coverage beyond 40 kilometers. Anti-submarine warfare capabilities are provided by 324 mm lightweight torpedoes supported by a hull-mounted sonar, while a flight deck and hangar enable operations with a medium naval helicopter for ASW, surveillance, and search-and-rescue missions.
PNS Khaibar is equipped with an extensive suite of Turkish-made Aselsan systems, including a 3D air-search radar, low-probability-of-intercept navigation radar, torpedo countermeasures, a 35 mm close-in weapon system, and 25 mm remote weapon stations. These are integrated through a modern combat management system designed to deliver high situational awareness and survivability in contested littoral environments.
The Pakistan Navy’s MILGEM program has evolved from an initial interest in acquiring off-the-shelf corvettes into a comprehensive co-design and technology-transfer initiative. The 2018 contract covers four customized ships and includes extensive transfer of technology and intellectual property rights. While the first two corvettes were constructed at Istanbul Naval Shipyard, the remaining two are being built at Karachi Shipyard with Turkish technical support, strengthening Pakistan’s domestic shipbuilding capabilities.
Operationally, PNS Khaibar enhances the Pakistan Navy’s ability to conduct anti-surface, anti-submarine, and area air-defence missions across the Arabian Sea and wider Indian Ocean. Its network-enabled combat systems allow integration with helicopters and other naval platforms, improving detection, tracking, and engagement against advanced air, missile, and submarine threats.
Strategically, the program reflects Pakistan’s efforts to diversify naval procurement beyond traditional suppliers, with Türkiye emerging as a key partner in both capability development and industrial cooperation. For Ankara, the MILGEM project serves as both a diplomatic signal and a commercial showcase, demonstrating its capacity to design, build, and export advanced warships while supporting ambitious defense export goals.
Valued by specialist defense analyses at around $1.5 billion, the four-ship MILGEM deal includes not only platform construction but also advanced air-defence integration, joint training, maintenance support, and deep technology transfer. While the upfront cost is higher than earlier expectations, the agreement is designed to reduce long-term lifecycle costs and enable Pakistan to leverage acquired design rights for future indigenous surface combatants.
The commissioning of PNS Khaibar represents more than the addition of a modern warship to Pakistan’s fleet. It marks the consolidation of a long-term, high-technology defense partnership between Türkiye and Pakistan, positioning both countries as increasingly influential players in non-Western naval cooperation amid a rapidly evolving maritime security environment.
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