Upgrade Study: BNS Khalid Bin Walid

Reading Time: 5 minutes 1. Introduction BNS Khalid Bin Walid (F-25), a guided-missile frigate in service with the Bangladesh Navy, stands as a testament to the country’s commitment to regional maritime security and naval modernisation. Originally built in South Korea and commissioned in 2001, the vessel was inducted into the Bangladesh Navy in 2007 under her current name. Since then, she has served with distinction, forming a critical part of COMBAN—the Commodore Commanding BN Flotilla—based in Chattogram. Among the current surface combatants in the Bangladesh fleet, she is singular in her combined fit of torpedo-based anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability and gun-based close-in weapon systems (CIWS), a configuration that renders her especially valuable in multi-domain operations within the nation’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and littoral approaches. As a modified Ulsan-class platform, BNS Khalid Bin Walid benefits from proven South Korean naval engineering with hull and propulsion characteristics optimised for endurance, manoeuvrability,