PNS/M ''Khalid'' (S-137), is a diesel-electric fast-attack submarine equipped with an air–independent propulsion

system A system is a group of Interaction, interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its environment (systems), environment, is described by its boundaries, ...

and the lead ship of her class active since her commissioning in the Navy in 1999. Based on the ''Agosta 90Bravo''/''Khalid''-class design, she was the first submarine that was first designed and constructed in

Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Feb ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

by the French contractor, the DCNS for the

Pakistan Navy ur, ہمارے لیے اللّٰہ کافی ہے اور وہ بہترین کارساز ہے۔ English language, English: Allah is Sufficient for us - and what an excellent (reliable) Trustee (of affairs) is He!(''Quran, Qur'an, Al Imran, 3:173' ...

, as part of contract for three ''Agosta–90B'' submarines signed on 21 September 1994. ''Khalid'', according to the Pakistan Navy, is the forerunner of her class and capable for her long-range missions in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

Construction and design development

After the series of complicated and lengthy negotiations between the governments of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

and

, the Pakistan Navy placed an order for the submarine in September 1992 with confirmation being approved on 21 September 1994. She was designed and constructed by the French contractor, DCNS, in

and was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

on 15 July 1995. Her launch took place on 18 December 1998 in

, and underwent through several sea trials by the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

before being sent to

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

. The

hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

is made of 80 HLES high elasticity steel, a similar material used in nuclear submarines, allowing the submarine to give greater depth in sea. Furthermore, the automatic control system and

automation Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, namely by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines ...

further reduces the need of crew, restricted her military staff to 36 personnel. On 6 September 1999, she was commissioned in the Navy with Chairman joint chiefs, General

Pervez Musharraf General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of the ...

, witnessing the commissioning ceremony and presented the submarine with her colors. She was named after

Khalid ibn al-Walid Khalid ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumi (; died 642) was a 7th-century Arab military commander. He initially headed campaigns against Muhammad on behalf of the Quraysh. He later became a Muslim and spent the remainder of his career in ...

, one of the most respected and successful military commanders of Islam. About her commissioning, the Indian naval chief, Admiral

Sushil Kumar Sushil Kumar Solanki (born 26 May 1983) is a former Indian wrestler. He carried the Indian flag at the opening ceremony of 2012 London Olympics. His 2008 Olympic medal was second for India in wrestling, and the first since Khashaba Dadasaheb Ja ...

, reportedly quoted that the "''Khalid'' had given an edge over India." The commissioning of the submarine was a watershed event in the country with the political elite giving credit to former Prime Minister

Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto ( ur, بینظیر بُھٹو; sd, بينظير ڀُٽو; Urdu ; 21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th and 13th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 t ...

. ''Khalid'' was officially inducted in the Navy on 21 December 1999.

Upgradations

In 2011, she underwent with overhauling, and retrofitted her propulsion system with the

air-independent propulsion Air-independent propulsion (AIP), or air-independent power, is any marine propulsion technology that allows a non-nuclear submarine to operate without access to atmospheric oxygen (by surfacing or using a snorkel). AIP can augment or replace the ...

(AIP) systems by the technicians at the KSEW Ltd. On 6 March 2018, the DCNS, its original builder, lost the bidding competition with the Turkish firm, STM, for its refitting and upgradation of her weapon system, combat control system, missile rooms, and periscope upgrades, and is slated to return to her active service in 2020 after returning from Turkey. On 25 January 2023, upgrades on the submarine were completed and she was delivered to the Pakistan navy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khalid 1998 ships Khalid-class submarines Ships built in France 1999 in Pakistan Submarines of Pakistan

Construction and design development

Upgradations

See also

References