Türkiye–Pakistan Defence Cooperation Timeline 2009–2026
Short answer: Türkiye and Pakistan have run a structured defence relationship since the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council was created in 2009. The hardware backbone: four MILGEM (Babur-class) corvettes ordered in 2018, three Agosta 90B submarine upgrades, the 41-aircraft F-16 mid-life update, ASELPOD pods, and Bayraktar TB2 and AKINCI drones inducted on 2 January 2024. According to SIPRI (March 2026), Pakistan was Türkiye’s largest arms customer in 2021–25 with 16% of exports; on 7 August 2026 the two signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement with Saudi Arabia.
Last updated: 17 September 2026
Pakistan Defence Hub: Pakistan Military Power → Army → Air Force → Navy → Defence Industry → Türkiye–Pakistan
Why the Türkiye–Pakistan defence relationship is different
China supplied 81% of Pakistan’s major-arms imports in 2020–24 (SIPRI). Türkiye occupies a different niche: it does not sell Pakistan fighters or tanks; it sells capability with technology transfer, upgrades platforms Pakistan already owns and increasingly co-develops. Two corvette hulls are being built in Karachi, and the F-16 update was done by TUSAŞ on US-built aircraft. That model explains why the relationship survived the 2022 loss of the T129 order and kept growing. The platform-by-platform picture is in Turkish weapons used by Pakistan; this page is the timeline and the institutional story. Unconfirmed items are marked as reports.
Institutional framework: HLSCC, JWG and the SSB–MoDP channel
The High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC), co-chaired by the Turkish President and the Pakistani Prime Minister, is the political roof. It has met seven times since 2009: December 2010, May 2012, September 2013, February 2015, February 2017, February 2020 and 12–13 February 2025 in Islamabad, where 24 documents were signed (Pakistan MOFA). Below it sits a defence-industry Joint Working Group (JWG), whose 8th session at NASTP on 20 January 2025 is where the KAAN talks surfaced. At working level, Türkiye’s Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB) and Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence Production (MoDP) handle contracts and memoranda. Since August 2023 aerospace cooperation runs through NASTP, the PAF-led technology park where TUSAŞ opened its first foreign office and Baykar signed its R&D agreement.
Chronological timeline 2009–2026
Every dated milestone in the open record, in order. “Trilateral” covers both the Türkiye–Azerbaijan–Pakistan track and the Saudi track; the Mecca agreement (7 August 2026) and the Istanbul committee meeting (31 August 2026) are separate events.
| Date | Event | Domain | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | HLSCC established | Institutional | Turkish MFA |
| Jun 2009 | TUSAŞ contract: 41 PAF F-16A/B MLU | Air | TUSAŞ |
| Dec 2010 – Feb 2017 | HLSCC sessions 1–5 (Dec 2010, May 2012, Sep 2013, Feb 2015, Feb 2017) | Institutional | Turkish MFA |
| 8 Feb 2012 | First upgraded F-16 handed over | Air | TUSAŞ |
| 2013 | STM fleet-tanker contract; steel cut 27 Nov | Naval | STM / ISPR |
| 2 Sep 2014 | F-16 MLU complete (41 aircraft) | Air | Airforce Technology |
| Jun 2016 | ASELPOD: 8 pods, US$25m; Agosta 90B MLU ~US$350m | Air / Naval | ASELSAN / STM |
| 19 Aug 2016 | PNS Moawin launched, KSEW | Naval | STM |
| 23 Nov 2016 | Super Mushshak pre-agreement, IDEAS | Reverse export | Scramble |
| May 2017 | 52 Super Mushshak contract, IDEF; 16 more ASELPODs | Reverse / Air | Scramble / Quwa |
| 5 Jul 2018 | ASFAT: 4 MILGEM corvettes, ~US$1.5bn, ToT | Naval | Naval News |
| Jul 2018 | T129 ATAK: 30 helicopters, ~US$1.5bn | Rotary | Turdef |
| 16 Oct 2018 | PNS Moawin commissioned | Naval | ISPR / Dawn |
| 2019 / 2021 | PAF JF-17s at Anatolian Eagle, Konya | Training | Envanter Medya |
| 13–14 Feb 2020 | HLSCC 6th session | Institutional | Turkish MFA |
| 2021 | PNS Hamza back after Agosta MLU | Naval | STM |
| 15 Aug 2021 | PNS Babur launched, Istanbul | Naval | Naval News |
| Mar–Apr 2022 | TB2 first flown; satellite confirmation at Murid | Unmanned | Shephard |
| 20 May 2022 | PNS Badr launched, KSEW | Naval | Naval News |
| 2022 | T129 order cancelled (US engine licence) | Cancelled | Turdef |
| Oct 2022 | 44 PAF personnel finish AKINCI training; first 3 Super Mushshaks at Yalova | Unmanned / Reverse | Baykar / Scramble |
| Dec 2022 | PNS Khalid delivered after MLU | Naval | STM |
| Apr 2023 | First AKINCI batch (6–7) | Unmanned | Baykar |
| 2 Aug 2023 | PNS Tariq launched, KSEW | Naval | Naval News |
| 4–7 Aug 2023 | NASTP Alpha opens; Baykar R&D deal (KaGeM V3); TUSAŞ office | Industry | NASTP / Baykar |
| 23 Sep 2023 | PNS Babur commissioned, Istanbul | Naval | Naval News |
| 2 Jan 2024 | PAF inducts AKINCI and TB2 (ISPR 6712) | Unmanned | ISPR |
| Jul 2024 | First TR–AZ–PK trilateral, Astana | Trilateral | Pakistan MOFA |
| 6 Sep 2024 | PNS Babur fleet induction, Karachi | Naval | Naval News |
| 19–22 Nov 2024 | IDEAS 2024: Türkiye largest foreign participant | Exhibitions | APP |
| 21 Nov 2024 | Repkon–Wah Industries 155mm line (120,000/yr) | Munitions | Turdef |
| 20 Jan 2025 | 8th JWG at NASTP; KAAN talks | Air / Industry | Army Recognition |
| 10–20 Feb 2025 | Exercise Ataturk-XIII | Training | Arab News |
| 12–13 Feb 2025 | HLSCC 7th session, Islamabad: 24 documents | Institutional | Pakistan MOFA |
| 28 May 2025 | Lachin trilateral | Trilateral | Pakistan MOFA |
| 24 Jul 2025 | MKE–GIDS munitions contract; Turaç–POF protocol, IDEF | Munitions | Military Africa |
| Dec 2025 | 52/52 Super Mushshaks delivered | Reverse export | Scramble |
| 20 Dec 2025 | PNS Khaibar handed over, Istanbul | Naval | Arab News |
| 4 Apr 2026 | PNS Khaibar inducted, Karachi | Naval | Naval News |
| Apr 2026 | Exercise Jinnah-XIII | Training | ISPR |
| 22 May 2026 | PAF Chief at Baykar; KIZILELMA (report) | Unmanned (report) | Press |
| 7 Aug 2026 | Mecca Joint Defence Agreement | Trilateral | SPA / Pakistan MOFA |
| 13 Aug 2026 | Turkish MoND sets out pact mechanisms | Trilateral | Al Jazeera |
| 31 Aug 2026 | Istanbul committee; ‘Mecca Defence Alliance’; secretariat Riyadh | Trilateral | Al Jazeera |
| 6 Sep 2026 | PAF reveals ASELSAN KORKUT and ŞAHİN | Air defence | Army Recognition |
| Nov 2026 | IDEAS 2026, Karachi (upcoming) | Exhibitions | DEPO |
Naval: MILGEM corvettes, Agosta upgrades and the fleet tanker
On 5 July 2018 ASFAT signed a roughly US$1.5 billion contract for four MILGEM corvettes, the Babur class, with technology transfer and a split build between Istanbul Naval Shipyard and Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW). The Pakistan Navy framed the choice as buying shipyard capability, examined in Why did Pakistan buy MILGEM? (Turkish).
| Ship | Yard | Milestones | Status (Sep 2026) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PNS Babur (F280) | Istanbul | Launched 15 Aug 2021; commissioned 23 Sep 2023; fleet induction 6 Sep 2024 | IN SERVICE | Naval News |
| PNS Khaibar (F282) | Istanbul | Handed over 20 Dec 2025; inducted 4 Apr 2026 | IN SERVICE | Naval News |
| PNS Badr (F281) | KSEW | Launched 20 May 2022; trials; delivery expected 2026 | IN PRODUCTION | Naval News |
| PNS Tariq (F283) | KSEW | Launched 2 Aug 2023; delivery ~Q1 2027 | IN PRODUCTION | Naval News |
| Agosta 90B PNS Hamza / Khalid | KSEW (STM) | Upgrades completed 2021 and Dec 2022 | IN SERVICE | STM |
| Agosta 90B PNS Saad | KSEW (STM) | Upgrade ongoing | IN PRODUCTION | STM |
| PNS Moawin (A39) tanker | KSEW (STM design) | Contract 2013; commissioned 16 Oct 2018; ~17,000 t | IN SERVICE | STM / Dawn |
Turkish content on the corvettes is substantial: HAVELSAN’s ADVENT combat management system; ASELSAN’s licence-built SMART-S Mk2 radar, ARES-2N electronic support, ALPER navigation radar, STO2SE infrared search-and-track and GÖKDENİZ 35mm close-in weapon system (a sensor package worth €176.9 million, per Quwa); and Meteksan’s YAKAMOS sonar. Not everything is Turkish: the vertical launcher and CAMM-ER missiles are MBDA’s, the anti-ship missile is Pakistan’s Harbah, and Roketsan’s ATMACA is not aboard. HAVELSAN’s role on later MILGEM hulls is covered in MILGEM deliveries and inventory. The Agosta 90B upgrade, contracted with STM in June 2016 for about US$350 million, covers three boats, two of them back in service. STM also designed the fleet tanker PNS Moawin, commissioned in October 2018, and the Jinnah-class frigate contracted to KSEW on 3 November 2025 was drawn up with Turkish design support.
Air: F-16 MLU, ASELPOD, TB2, AKINCI and KaGeM V3
The oldest project is the mid-life update of 41 PAF F-16A/B Block 15s, awarded to TUSAŞ in June 2009 (US$64.5 million reported); the first aircraft was handed back on 8 February 2012 and the last four on 2 September 2014. ASELSAN followed with eight ASELPOD targeting pods in June 2016 (US$25 million) and 16 more in May 2017 (US$24.9 million); Pakistan was the launch export customer and integrated the pod on the JF-17 (see ASELPOD explained). A June 2026 report of GAZAP thermobaric bombs on PAF F-16s is unconfirmed by ISPR (the report).
Unmanned systems came fast. The Bayraktar TB2 first flew in Pakistan on 8 March 2022; satellite imagery of Murid confirmed at least four airframes (Shephard, June 2022), and estimates rose to “at least 20” by 2023, with IISS counting 24. The AKINCI arrived in April 2023 after 44 PAF personnel trained in October 2022. ISPR press release 6712 of 2 January 2024 recorded the induction of both types; totals remain undisclosed. Co-development followed: the KaGeM V3, a roughly 70 kg air-launched cruise missile with 150 km range, has been in joint Baykar–NASTP R&D since August 2023. Reports of a K2 kamikaze-drone sale (The Week, September 2026), a KIZILELMA deal (May 2026) and a Baykar plant in Pakistan (Bloomberg, December 2025) are unconfirmed. See also AKINCI vs MQ-9B.
Land and air defence: KORKUT and ŞAHİN
Until 2026 Türkiye had no confirmed ground-based air-defence sale to Pakistan. On 6 September 2026 the PAF’s Defence Day display revealed four new short-range systems: the Chinese HQ-17AE and LD-76 alongside ASELSAN’s KORKUT 35mm self-propelled gun and ŞAHİN 40mm gun system (Army Recognition; The Week). Quantities and contract dates are not public. There is no KORAL or ASELSAN radio contract, only an EW memorandum from the 7th HLSCC, and no Roketsan export has been announced.
Munitions: MKE–GIDS, Repkon and Turaç
On 21 November 2024 Repkon signed with Wah Industries, a POF subsidiary, for a turnkey 155mm shell line rated at 120,000 rounds a year (Turdef). At IDEF on 24 July 2025 MKE signed an aerospace munitions contract with GIDS (quantity undisclosed; status ORDERED) and Turaç signed an ammunition protocol with POF, following a Sarsılmaz–POF pistol venture from around 2014.
Training and exercises
Special-forces exercises alternate as Ataturk (in Türkiye) and Jinnah (in Pakistan): Ataturk-XIII ran 10–20 February 2025 (Arab News) and Jinnah-XIII in April 2026. PAF JF-17s deployed to Anatolian Eagle at Konya in 2019 and 2021; crew training is bundled into contracts, most visibly the AKINCI course of October 2022.
Exhibitions: IDEAS and IDEF
Karachi’s biennial IDEAS and Istanbul’s IDEF are where most contracts were signed: the Super Mushshak pre-agreement (IDEAS 2016) and contract (IDEF 2017), the MKE–GIDS and Turaç–POF documents (IDEF 2025). At IDEAS 2024 (19–22 November, 560+ exhibitors) Türkiye was the largest foreign participant with about 75 companies (APP).
The reverse flow: 52 Super Mushshaks
Pakistan Aeronautical Complex sold 52 Super Mushshak basic trainers to the Turkish Air Force: pre-agreement at IDEAS on 23 November 2016, contract at IDEF in May 2017, first three at Yalova in October 2022 and all 52 delivered by December 2025 (Scramble).
What did not happen: T129 ATAK
In July 2018 Pakistan ordered 30 T129 ATAK attack helicopters for about US$1.5 billion. The LHTEC engine needed a US export licence that never came; in 2022 ISPR said Pakistan had “moved on”, and the Army took the Chinese Z-10ME. No T129 was delivered. The episode is the clearest illustration of third-party licence risk.
Trilateral formats: Azerbaijan and the Mecca agreement
The Türkiye–Azerbaijan–Pakistan format first met in Astana in July 2024 and again in Lachin on 28 May 2025; Azerbaijan is itself a JF-17 and ASELPOD customer (see Azerbaijan’s military inventory). The Saudi track followed the Saudi–Pakistan Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement of 17 September 2025: President Erdoğan, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on 7 August 2026 (SPA; Pakistan MOFA). Türkiye set out its mechanisms on 13 August, and the first committee meeting in Istanbul on 31 August 2026 adopted the name “Mecca Defence Alliance” with a secretariat in Riyadh (Al Jazeera). Envanter Medya’s report on the signing is here; the industrial angle is in the Mecca pact and Turkish industry.
Two dates, two events: 7 August 2026 is the Mecca signing summit; 31 August 2026 is the Istanbul committee meeting that named the alliance and placed its secretariat in Riyadh.
KAAN: talks, not a contract
Pakistani participation in the KAAN fifth-generation fighter programme was discussed at the 8th JWG on 20 January 2025, and Defence Minister Yaşar Güler called the talks “nearing finalisation” (Army Recognition). As of September 2026 no contract or work-share has been published.
By the numbers
| Indicator | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Share of Turkish arms exports to Pakistan | 16% (largest customer) | 2021–25 | SIPRI, Mar 2026 |
| China’s share of Pakistan’s arms imports | 81% | 2020–24 | SIPRI, Mar 2025 |
| Babur-class in service / ordered | 2 / 4 | Sep 2026 | Naval News |
| Agosta 90B upgraded / contracted | 2 / 3 | Sep 2026 | STM |
| TB2 / AKINCI in PAF | Undisclosed (IISS: 24 TB2; first AKINCI batch 6–7) | 2023–24 | ISPR / IISS |
| Super Mushshaks delivered to Türkiye | 52 / 52 | Dec 2025 | Scramble |
| T129 ATAK delivered | 0 of 30 (cancelled) | 2022 | Turdef |
What comes next: IDEAS 2026
The next dated milestone is IDEAS 2026 in Karachi in November. To watch: delivery of PNS Badr and PNS Tariq, completion of PNS Saad’s upgrade, any published quantity for KORKUT and ŞAHİN, first MKE–GIDS deliveries, and whether the KAAN and KIZILELMA talks become signed documents. Budget context is in Pakistan’s defence budget 2026-27 and the wider picture in the Pakistan military inventory pillar.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the basis of Pakistan–Turkey defence cooperation?
The High Level Strategic Cooperation Council, set up in 2009 and convened seven times (last: Islamabad, February 2025, 24 documents), plus a Joint Working Group and the SSB–MoDP channel.
What is the Pakistan MILGEM project?
A 2018 ASFAT contract (~US$1.5bn) for four Babur-class corvettes with technology transfer, two built in Istanbul and two in Karachi. Two are in service; PNS Badr and PNS Tariq are due in 2026 and around Q1 2027 (Naval News).
Does Pakistan operate the Bayraktar TB2 and AKINCI?
Yes. Both were inducted into the PAF on 2 January 2024 (ISPR PR 6712). Numbers are undisclosed; open sources cite at least 20 TB2s (IISS: 24) and a first AKINCI batch of 6–7.
Is there a Pakistan–Turkey defence pact?
Yes: the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement of 7 August 2026 with Saudi Arabia. The first committee meeting in Istanbul on 31 August 2026 named it the ‘Mecca Defence Alliance’, with a secretariat in Riyadh.
How big is Pakistan as a customer of Turkish arms?
Per SIPRI (March 2026), Pakistan was Türkiye’s largest arms customer in 2021–25 with 16% of Turkish major-arms exports, up from 10% in 2020–24.
Related Envanter Medya guides
- Turkish weapons used by Pakistan
- Pakistan military inventory 2026 (pillar)
- Pakistan Navy ships and submarines 2026
- Pakistan Air Force aircraft inventory 2026
- Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia sign the Mecca joint defence pact
- Mecca defence pact activation debated after Houthi attacks
- MILGEM deliveries and inventory
Sources
- Turkish MFA — Türkiye–Pakistan HLSCC
- Pakistan MOFA — 7th HLSCC Joint Declaration (Feb 2025)
- Pakistan MOFA — Makkah Summit for Joint Defence (Aug 2026)
- ISPR PR 6712 — AKINCI/TB2 induction (2 Jan 2024)
- TUSAŞ — PAF F-16 Modernisation Project
- STM — Agosta 90B Modernisation Project
- Baykar — R&D at NASTP (Aug 2023)
- Naval News — PNS Khaibar inducted (Apr 2026)
- Al Jazeera — Istanbul committee meeting (31 Aug 2026)
- Scramble — Super Mushshak deliveries (Dec 2025)
