Pakistan Adds Second MİLGEM Corvette to Fleet as Defence Ties With Türkiye Deepen

By Bosphorus News Defense Desk

Pakistan's Navy has added its second MİLGEM-class corvette, PNS Khaibar, to the fleet, marking another step in one of the most visible defence programmes between Pakistan and Türkiye. Turkish defence reporting said the ship entered service in Karachi on April 5, following its delivery in Istanbul in December 2025.

That earlier ceremony in Istanbul carried clear political weight. Pakistani reporting said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended as guest of honour, while Pakistan Navy chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf described the vessel's delivery as a major milestone for the service. He said cooperation between the Pakistan Navy and Turkish Naval Forces "reflect our enduring and deepening partnership," framing the project as more than a standard acquisition.

The corvette is part of the four-ship Pakistan Navy MİLGEM programme agreed in 2018. ASFAT, the Turkish state defence contractor leading the project, says the vessels are being built simultaneously in Türkiye and Pakistan under a state-to-state model, with the programme combining ship delivery, industrial cooperation and local construction.

MİLGEM is short for Milli Gemi, or National Ship Programme, Türkiye's indigenous naval shipbuilding initiative. On its official product page, ASFAT lists the Pakistan Navy configuration at 108.2 meters in length, 14.8 meters in beam, about 2,985 tons displacement and a top speed of more than 26 knots. The company presents the platform as a multi-role corvette tailored to Pakistan Navy requirements.

That matters because the programme is not just a ship sale. Two of the vessels are being built in Türkiye and two in Pakistan, giving Islamabad a direct industrial role in the project. In practice, that places the MİLGEM line closer to a defence-industrial partnership than a simple export deal.

With PNS Babur already in service and PNS Khaibar now added to the fleet, the programme is entering a more mature phase. The remaining two ships will show whether this project remains a successful bilateral flagship or becomes the template for a deeper and more durable Türkiye–Pakistan naval partnership.