Turkey and Pakistan have long cooperated on defense issues, and Pakistan has sought Turkish help in developing its own indigenous defense sector.
Pakistan is rapidly building its navy, which has for years lagged the Indian Navy, Pakistan’s primary adversary on the world stage. Enter the Turkish-built MILGEM/Babur-class corvettes—and specifically the Pakistani Naval Ship Khaibar, which is set for induction into the Pakistani fleet in the coming weeks.
The Khaibar is a Pakistan-customized variant of Turkey’s MILGEM design built by the Istanbul Naval Shipyard. Turkey transferred key technology to Pakistan as part of their contract with Pakistan to allow for the Pakistanis to build the warship in their own territory.
It is part of a larger set of sales to Pakistan by Turkey’s arms export industry, which has long viewed its fellow Muslim nation as a primary client in the defense trade. This relationship both enhances Pakistan’s capabilities while giving Turkey’s growing arms industry a much-needed boost.
And don’t forget about the way that this increases the influence of Turkey over Pakistan.
The MILGEM Corvette’s Specifications
- Year Introduced: 2023
- Number Built: 1 (4 planned, 3 under construction)
- Length: ~108.2 m
- Beam (Width): ~14.8 m
- Displacement: 2,400-3,000 tons, depending on outfitting
- Engines: Combined diesel and gas turbine arrangement
- Top Speed: ~30 knots
- Range: Around 3,500 nautical miles / 15 days’ endurance
- Armaments:
- Albatross NG surface-to-air missiles
- Anti-ship cruise missiles, like the Pakistani-made Harbah (fitted to provide standoff surface strike capability)
- One medium-caliber naval gun (76mm)
- One Aselsan 35mm CIWS
- Two Aselsan 25mm remote cannons
- Torpedo-countermeasure system
- Crew: 93, with an additional capacity for 40
As a multi-mission corvette, the warship is designed for anti-surface, anti-air, and anti-submarine warfare, as well as patrol and escorting, maritime security, and power projection into places like the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. The Pakistani variant, unlike the Turkish original, focuses strongly on standoff anti-ship strike capabilities to provide a credible deterrent against their Indian rivals.
Toward a Competitive Pakistani Navy?
Khaibar is the second warship of her class to be launched and to have successfully completed sea trials ahead of induction. Ever since the Indo-Pakistani War, in which the Pakistanis performed better than they were expected to, Islamabad has been pushing hard for rapid modernization to occur.
Building off the momentum of their successes in defending against India in that conflict earlier this year, Pakistan wants to ensure it can credibly compete with India in all domains—not just in the air.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert is a senior national security editor at The National Interest. Recently, Weichert became the host of The National Security Hour on America Outloud News and iHeartRadio, where he discusses national security policy every Wednesday at 8pm Eastern. He is also a contributor at Popular Mechanics and has consulted regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including The Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, and the Asia Times. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Shutterstock / Kevin Shipp.
