NEW DELHI: China and Pakistan’s military partnership crossed a new strategic threshold Thursday as the Pakistan Navy commissioned its first Chinese-built Hangor-class submarine in Sanya, with President Asif Ali Zardari attending as chief guest.
In an official statement, Pakistan’s military described the commissioning as a continuation of close bilateral ties. “The commissioning of the first Hangor-class submarine marks another chapter in the time-tested and enriching friendship between Pakistan and China,” it said.
Built on China’s Type 039A/039B Yuan-class design, the submarine is the lead vessel of an eight-boat Hangor-class programme under which four submarines are being constructed in China and four in Pakistan under technology transfer.
The AIP-equipped class allows the submarines to remain submerged for longer durations with lower detection risk than standard diesel-electric submarines, potentially expanding its sea-denial capability in the Arabian Sea. The programme is expected to strengthen Pakistan’s conventional submarine arm, currently centred on its French-origin Agosta-90B and older Agosta-70 boats.
For Pakistan, whose surface fleet remains significantly smaller and outmatched by India’s far larger naval force, submarines have long served as Islamabad’s principal asymmetric tool to offset conventional maritime disadvantages.
“Pakistan’s surface fleet remains limited against India’s larger naval force, but Islamabad has consistently sought to offset that disadvantage through submarines and sea-denial capabilities,” a source said. “In case of a contingency in the Arabian Sea, a larger AIP-backed Pakistani submarine fleet could complicate India’s anti-submarine warfare environment."
The induction comes as India’s own conventional submarine modernisation remains in transition. None of the Indian Navy’s conventional submarines currently has operational air-independent propulsion, though DRDO’s indigenous fuel-cell based AIP system is expected to be ready for first integration later this year.
INS Khanderi is slated to become the first Kalvari-class submarine to undergo AIP retrofit during its scheduled refit cycle, followed by trials before projected operational deployment around early-2028.
India currently operates six Kalvari-class Scorpene submarines alongside ageing Sindhughosh (Kilo-class) and Shishumar-class boats, with force-level concerns repeatedly flagged amid delayed replacement timelines and capability upgrades.
Meanwhile, the long-delayed Project-75I, under which state-run Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd and Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) are to jointly build six next-generation AIP-equipped conventional submarines under the strategic partnership model, still awaits final Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) clearance before contract signing.
MDL and TKMS signed an MoU in June 2023 to jointly bid for and execute the programme in India, but even if cleared soon, the first boat is unlikely before the early to mid 2030s.
Beyond fleet numbers, the Hangor induction also aligns with China’s steadily expanding strategic footprint in the Indian Ocean Region through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Gwadar port and broader Arabian Sea access.
According to SIPRI data, China now accounts for over 80 percent of Pakistan’s arms imports, including JF-17 and J-10C fighters armed with long-range PL-15 beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles, HQ-9/P air defence systems, Type 054A/P frigates, armed drones, missile systems and now submarines.
The relationship has also moved beyond platform transfers. Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Rahul R. Singh said in July last year that during Operation Sindoor, China had provided Pakistan satellite-based intelligence on Indian deployments and operational vectors, with Pakistan acting as the “front face.”
