Overview
- Pakistan Navy’s second MILGEM-class corvette was commissioned at Istanbul Naval Shipyard in a ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Admiral Naveed Ashraf.
- Officials hailed the program as a deepening of Pakistan–Türkiye defence cooperation initiated under a 2018 contract with Turkish state-owned firm ASFAT.
- The third ship, PNS Bedir, is scheduled for delivery by the end of June 2026, while the fourth, PNS Tariq, is expected in the first quarter of 2027.
- The vessels feature modern command-and-control systems, advanced sensors, air-defence and electronic-warfare suites, and anti-ship weapons, enhancing Pakistan’s surface fleet.
- PNS Khaibar’s platform aligns with published MILGEM specifications, including a full-load displacement of about 2,888 tonnes, 113 meters in length, CODAG propulsion up to roughly 29 knots, and a range exceeding 3,500 nautical miles at 15 knots.