PNS Hangor (2024)

The Type 039B submarine, the baseline design of the Hangor-class submarine.
History
Pakistan
NamePNS Hangor
NamesakePNS Hangor
OperatorPakistan Navy
Ordered2015
BuilderChina Shipbuilding Industry Corporation[1]
LaunchedApril 2024
Acquired30 April 2026
Commissioned30 April 2026
Home portJinnah Naval base
StatusIn active service
General characteristics
TypeAttack submarine
Displacement2,800 t (2,800 long tons)[2]
Length76 m (249 ft 4 in)[2]
Beam8.4 m (27 ft 7 in) (Estimated)
Draught6.2 m (20 ft 4 in)
Propulsion
Speed20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Range~2,000 nmi (3,700 km; 2,300 mi)
Crew~36
NotesPakistan-specific variant of Type 039A submarine[5]

PNS Hangor is the lead boat of the Hangor-class submarines of the Pakistan Navy. She was commissioned in April 2026.

History

In April 2015, during a briefing to the National Assembly Standing Committee on Defence, Pakistan Navy (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.[6] In October of the same year, Pakistan's Minister of Defence Production Rana Tanveer Hussain announced that the deal for the eight submarines had been finalised, disclosing that four each of the vessels would be built in China and Pakistan, respectively.[7]

In January 2017, Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah, the-then PN Chief of Naval Staff, announced that the eight future submarines would be eponymously christened as the Hangor class, after PNS Hangor (S131), a Daphné-class submarine which the PN had used to sink INS Khukri, a Blackwood-class frigate of the Indian Navy, during the Indo-Pakistani Naval War of 1971.[8]

On 26 April 2024 the PN announced that the submarine had been launched.[9] On 30 April 2026, PNS Hangor was officially commissioned by the Pakistan Navy with a ceremony in Sanya, China.[10][11] Asif Ali Zardari, the President of Pakistan, and Pakistan's Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, attended the ceremony.[12] Publications from the United States Naval Institute indicate that Jinnah Naval Base is likely to be the vessel's homeport.[13]

The submarine is outfitted with an air-independent propulsion system featuring a Stirling engine, along with four CHD620 diesel engines.[3] This will allow the submarine to stay submerged for long periods of time and offset the Indian Navy's larger fleet.[14][15] The submarine is equipped with Yu-7 torpedoes and anti-ship missiles. It has also been proposed to fit the submarine with the nuclear-capable Babur-3 Pakistani-manufactured cruise missile.[16][17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Franz-Stefan Gady (19 October 2016). "China Confirms Export of 8 Submarines to Pakistan". thediplomat.com. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  2. 1 2 Bilal Khan (11 November 2019). "Profile: Pakistan's New Hangor Submarine". quwa.org. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  3. 1 2 Bilal Khan (8 January 2023). "The "Silent Service" Is Still The Future Of Pakistan's Navy". quwa.org. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  4. ↑ Bilal Khan (20 March 2025). "Hangor-Class (S26) Submarine Program". quwa.org. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  5. ↑ Bilal Khan (10 October 2015). "Pakistan Finalizes S20 Submarine Order From China?". quwa.org. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  6. ↑ "Pakistan closing in on submarines deal with China". South China Morning Post. Reuters. 3 April 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  7. ↑ Ankit Panda (8 October 2015). "Confirmed: Chinese Submarines Will Be Built in Karachi". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  8. ↑ Bilal Khan (4 January 2017). "Pakistan Navy: Efforts Underway To Acquire New Warships". quwa.org. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  9. ↑ News Desk (26 April 2024). "Launching ceremony of Hangor-class submarine held in China". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  10. ↑ Ahmed, Munir (30 April 2026). "Pakistan commissions first Hangor-class submarine in China". The Washington Post. AP. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  11. ↑ Naval Mews Staff (30 April 2026). "Pakistan Navy Commissions First Hangor-class Submarine in China". Naval News. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  12. ↑ Saxena, Anushka (18 May 2026). "Opinion | PNS Hangor: Inside The $5 Billion Submarine Fleet Pakistan Is Buying From China". NDTV. NDTV Convergence Limited. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
  13. ↑ Rear Admiral Monty Khanna, Indian Navy (Retired) (August 2024). "The Growing Presence of Chinese-Built Submarines in the Indian Ocean Region". Proceedings of the United States Naval Institute. 150 (1458). Retrieved 1 May 2026.
  14. ↑ Yadav, Dhruv (12 May 2026). "Pakistan's induction of new Chinese submarine puts spotlight on India's lagging undersea arm". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  15. ↑ Namita Barthwal (23 January 2026). "Pakistan's Hangor-Class Submarines: Strategic Implications for India" (PDF). Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  16. ↑ Honrada, Gabriel (1 May 2026). "Pakistan's Hangor subs tighten China link, test India at sea". Asia Times. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  17. ↑ Usman Haider. "Why the New Hangor-Class Submarines Are Crucial for the Pakistan Navy". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
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