ISLAMABAD: The newly commissioned Pakistan Navy Ship Khaibar, a state-of-the-art MILGEM-class corvette constructed in Türkiye, has successfully completed its maiden voyage from Türkiye to Pakistan, marked by a strategically significant port call at Aksaz Naval Base and active participation in bilateral Exercise TURGUTREIS-XIII alongside Turkish naval assets. This deployment underscores the growing defence and maritime partnership between the two brotherly nations amid evolving regional security dynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean and broader Indo-Pacific theatres.
During its stay at Aksaz Naval Base, the Commanding Officer of PNS Khaibar paid a formal courtesy call on the Turkish Southern Sea Area Commander. The meeting focused on avenues for expanding bilateral naval cooperation, including joint training programmes, information sharing, and coordinated efforts aimed at promoting maritime security and regional stability in areas of mutual strategic interest.
In a reciprocal gesture demonstrating mutual respect, the Southern Sea Area Commander, together with the Commander of Aksaz Naval Base and several senior Turkish Naval Forces officers, visited PNS Khaibar onboard. Such high-level interactions during port visits serve to reinforce professional linkages and facilitate direct dialogue on operational and doctrinal matters between the two navies.
Following the successful completion of harbour-phase engagements, PNS Khaibar participated in the thirteenth iteration of the biennial Pakistan Navy-Turkish Navy bilateral exercise TURGUTREIS-XIII. The exercise involved PNS Khaibar operating in company with Turkish Navy corvette TCG Heybeliada and an SH-70 Seahawk helicopter from Turkish Naval Forces aviation units. A diverse range of serials was conducted, encompassing surface gunnery drills, anti-submarine warfare exercises, communication drills, damage control rehearsals, and tactical manoeuvring evolutions designed to enhance interoperability.
The sea phase of Exercise TURGUTREIS-XIII placed particular emphasis on rehearsing joint maritime operations under realistic scenarios. Both ships practised helicopter operations, including cross-deck landings, vertical replenishment procedures, and coordinated anti-surface and anti-air warfare tactics. These activities allowed the participating units to refine procedures, improve mutual understanding of command-and-control structures, and validate communication protocols across language and equipment differences.
Upon conclusion of the main exercise serials, PNS Khaibar and TCG Heybeliada proceeded to conduct a Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. The patrol enabled both vessels to maintain presence in international waters, practise formation steaming over extended periods, and demonstrate collective commitment to freedom of navigation and lawful maritime order in a geopolitically sensitive region.
The seamless execution of Exercise TURGUTREIS-XIII and the subsequent CORPAT operation stands as tangible evidence of the enduring strategic partnership and deep-rooted fraternal ties between Pakistan and Türkiye. Regular conduct of such high-intensity exercises since the inception of the TURGUTREIS series has steadily increased the level of interoperability between the two navies, contributing to their readiness for potential coalition operations.
Defence analysts observe that the MILGEM programme represents one of the most significant ongoing defence-industrial collaborations between Islamabad and Ankara. Four Ada-class corvettes—PNS Babur, PNS Khyber, PNS Badr, and PNS Tariq—are being constructed for the Pakistan Navy, with technology transfer and local production components progressively increasing under the agreement signed in 2018.
PNS Khaibar, the second vessel in the series, incorporates advanced sensor suites, including the Aselsan CENK-S 3D surveillance radar, AKREP fire-control system, and indigenous integration of Pakistani surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles. These capabilities significantly enhance the Pakistan Navy’s blue-water operational reach and multi-domain warfare capacity in the Arabian Sea and beyond.
The successful maiden operational deployment of PNS Khaibar also carries symbolic importance for the Pakistan Navy as it transitions toward a more balanced surface fleet comprising both Western-origin and Turkish-origin platforms. Such diversification strengthens strategic autonomy while deepening interoperability with key regional and extra-regional partners.
Türkiye, for its part, continues to view Pakistan as a reliable strategic partner in South Asia and the Muslim world. Joint naval activities, coupled with frequent high-level defence dialogues, reflect Ankara’s intent to expand its maritime footprint and defence-export footprint in the Indian Ocean Region through sustained cooperation with Islamabad.
The recent activities at Aksaz and in the Eastern Mediterranean are therefore expected to serve as a foundation for future joint initiatives, potentially including larger multilateral exercises, staff talks on counter-piracy and maritime domain awareness, and expanded defence-industrial collaboration under the framework of the High-Level Military Dialogue Group.