The fourth Hangor class assault submarine ordered by the Pakistan Navy has been accomplished at a shipyard in Wuhan, Hubei Province, with the vessel anticipated to shortly start sea trials earlier than supply in 2026. The primary ship of the category was launched in April 2024, whereas the next two have been launchd in March and August 2025. It’s anticipated that 4 additional submarines of the category might be produced in Pakistan, though it’s extremely unsure whether or not native shipyards will be capable of produce them as rapidly or effectively because of the nation’s restricted expertise with submarine building. Chief of the Naval Employees of the Pakistan Navy Admiral Naveed Ashraf in November confirmed that the primary batch of Hangor class submarines is predicted to enter operational service with the Pakistan Navy in 2026.
China has customised armaments to Pakistani specs below a number of applications, earlier than equally delivering preliminary batches from home factories or shipyards, and happening to assist license manufacturing within the South Asian state. Notable examples embrace the Al Khalid and VT-4 principal battle tanks, and the JF-17 fighter. Pakistan is by far the most important shopper for Chinese language armaments, which make up the sizeable majority of its procurements, with notable current acquisitions together with the Z-10 assault helicopter, J-10C fighter, HQ-9B lengthy vary air defence system, and Sort 054 class frigate. Additional new procurements of Chinese language plane and surface-to-air missile methods are at present reported to be into account, together with the KJ-600 airborne early warning and management system, HQ-19 anti-ballistic missile system, and J-35 fifth technology fighter.
The Hangor class is a spinoff of the Sort 039A class assault submarine that was developed for the Chinese language Folks’s Liberation Army Navy, and is considerably extra subtle than the Russian Kilo class submarines operated by neighbouring India and Iran. Pakistan’s order for eight of the ships for an estimated $4–5 billion was on the time the most important arms export deal within the historical past of China’s defence sector. he use of an air unbiased propulsion system gives a very important benefit over most different assault submarine courses, and permits the ships to function submerged for weeks by producing energy without having oxygen from the floor.
Important uncertainty stays concerning how the Pakistan Navy will equip the ships, but it surely has been broadly speculated that they might be meant to supply a maritime arm to the nation’s strategic deterrent, and might be geared up with combine Babur-III nuclear cruise missile. Named after the primary emperor of the Mughal Empire, Zahir Ud Din Babur, the missiles sort was first efficiently examined in 2017, and is at present in service. Every submarine can accommodate as much as six cruise missiles, and in Chinese language service they reportedly primarily carry the YJ-18 anti-ship cruise missile. The opportunity of a blended fleet, with some ships being geared up for anti-shipping and different for nuclear deterrence, additionally stays important.
