Hangor-class submarine

Background Since the dissolution of British rule in the Indian subcontinent in 1947, Pakistan and India engaged each other in a series of armed conflicts in 1947–48, 1965, 1971 and in 1999. Of the aforementioned conflicts, the Pakistan Navy (PN) and its eastern counterpart, the Indian Navy confronted each other in 1971 with the use of submarine assets playing an important role. While DCNS offered its Marlin-class submarine, HDW offered its Type 214 submarine. The same year, Pakistan agreed to purchase three Type 214 submarines at a then-estimated cost of €773.7 million. In 2011, Pakistan initiated negotiations with the China Shipbuilding & Offshore International (CSOC) – the trade arm of the Chinese state-owned China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), for the purchase of six diesel-powered attack submarines equipped with air-independent propulsion systems (AIP). Purchase In April 2015, during a briefing to the National Assembly Standing Committee on Defence, PN representatives disclosed that the Pakistani government, then headed by prime minister Nawaz Sharif, had approved the purchase of eight attack submarines from China, at an estimated cost of US$4–5 billion. Although no details regarding the approved submarines were disclosed, officials disclosed that Pakistan had been looking at an export design of the Yuan class, denoted as the S20. One year later, in April 2016, the PN publicly disclosed that the Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KSEW) had been selected as the Pakistani shipyard tasked with the production of the four submarines. Six months later, in October 2016, the director of the CSIC confirmed the sale of the submarines to Pakistan during an interview with the Chinese state-run ''People's Daily Online'' media outlet. == Design ==

S26 design Although no information regarding the design characteristics of the class were ever revealed, it is thought that the submarine's design is likely based on the S26, an export-centric design developed by the CSOC that draws on the Type 039A submarine. The S26 in turn is thought to be an AIP-equipped variant of the S20 diesel-electric submarine design unveiled by the China Shipbuilding Trading Corporation (CSSC) in 2013. In addition to the PN, the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) also ordered three examples of the S26 (locally designated as the S26T) in 2017. According to CSIC, the S26 is a double-hulled design powered by AIP, with an estimated length and beam width of and respectively, with an approximate displacement of about . The entire hull is built from continuously cast 921A and 980 steel (with yield strengths of 590–745 MPa and 785 MPa), while the hull-sections are assembled using modular construction methodology. As an alternative to the MTU 12V 396 SE84, the CSOC reportedly offered a Chinese-made engine, dubbed the CHD620. In addition to the engines, the submarines are also set to be equipped with a Stirling-powered air-independent propulsion (AIP), developed by CSIC's 711th Institute. Armament The information regarding the weapon systems and the armament are classified and subjected to defense speculations. Some sources have postulated that the move to deploy the Babur-III nuclear missile on the submarines could be a possible attempt by Pakistan to develop an assured second-strike nuclear deterrence capability capable of rivalling India's naval second-strike capabilities. It is believed that the Hangor class will likely be armed with six torpedo tubes and anti-ship cruise missiles; additionally, it is likely that Pakistan's Babur-3 submarine-launched cruise missiles (SLCMs) are compatible with the submarines as well. == Construction ==

Infrastructure Following the finalization of the deal in 2015, several sources postulated that the four submarines to be built by Pakistan would be constructed at the PN's Submarine Rebuild Complex (SRC) in Ormara. However, no significant construction work was ever observed there. Among the expanded infrastructure included a twin-lane construction hall capable of constructing two submarines in parallel, a new Syncrolift drydock with an estimated lifting capacity of and additional berthing facilities. Progress Following Xi Jinping's visit to Pakistan in 2015, the Pakistani Navy signed a deal with China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Co. to produce 8 Hangor-II-class submarines for its fleet. Four ships were to be built by Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group (WSIG) in Wuhan, China. The other four were to be built by Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works in Pakistan by means of technological transfer. Though the initial timetable called for completion of all ships between 2022 and 2028, it was announced in 2016 that four ships would be launched between 2022 and 2023, with the final four ships being completed by 2028. German authorities in March 2022 cited an arms embargo imposed on the PRC in the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre in their decision to restrict the export of retrofitted engines to shipbuilding companies producing subs for the Thai and Pakistani Navies, though notably not for Chinese domestic manufacturers. The keel for the Tasnim was laid nearly a year later in December 2022. In October 2023, Thai officials exited a $400 million deal signed in 2017 with the Chinese to purchase variants of the Yuan-class S26T, citing doubts about the reliability of Chinese variants on the MTU design (though they later agreed to continue). The Thai order was due prior to the Pakistanis', meaning that its cancellation freed up factors of production for the Pakistanis who, in contrast, were willing to retrofit their ships with Chinese CHD 620 diesel engines. The first submarine was launched at Wuchang's Shuangliu Base on 26 April 2024, with Admiral Naveed Ashraf of the Pakistan Navy serving as Chief Guest in attendance. A 'very low frequency' (VLF) station in Sindh Province, commissioned as PNS Hameed, has been funded by the Pakistani military to facilitate secure submarine communications as well. Three of the submarines have already been constructed and launched in China, and in an interview with Chinese state media, Pakistan's naval chief, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, said that the first batch of Hangor-class submarines will enter active service with the Pakistan Navy in 2026. == Ships in the class ==