Bangabandhu-class

BNS Khalid Bin Walid is a guided-missile frigate operated by the Bangladesh Navy. Ordered in March 1998, the vessel was constructed by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in the Republic of Korea. The ship is a modified Ulsan-class frigate. It was laid down in May 1999, launched in August 2000, and commissioned in June 2001.

The vessel’s design incorporates a Combined Diesel and Diesel (CODAD) propulsion system. It is the only frigate in the Bangladesh Navy fleet equipped with both anti-submarine warfare (ASW) torpedoes and a gun-based Close-In Weapon System (CIWS). Its armament consists of anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missiles, a main gun, and torpedo tubes. The ship also features aviation facilities to support a search and rescue helicopter.

The ship’s service history includes multiple name changes and reclassifications. After its initial commissioning, the vessel was reduced to the reserve in February 2002. It was recommissioned in July 2007 as BNS Khalid Bin Walid and renamed BNS Bangabandhu in 2009. In March 2025, the ship was renamed BNS Khalid Bin Walid following a government transition.

Based at Chittagong under the Commodore Commanding BN Flotilla (COMBAN), the frigate participates in international maritime exercises and regional operations. Between 2011 and 2015, the ship took part in the annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercises with the United States Navy. In 2012, it participated in Exercise Ferocious Falcon in Qatar. The vessel was deployed to the Bay of Bengal in 2014 to assist in the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. In 2016, it performed a humanitarian mission to Colombo, Sri Lanka, providing relief supplies and rescue assistance following Cyclone Roanu. The ship represented the Bangladesh Navy at the Doha International Maritime Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX) in 2018, conducting goodwill visits to Mumbai and Colombo during the transit. The vessel received the National Standard in August 2013.