Recently, the first submarine ordered by Pakistan in China, “Hangor”, was successfully launched at the Wuchang Ship Heavy Industry. The naming of the submarine is symbolic for honoring the bravery of the submarine of the same name during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani war.
The new “Hangor” submarine, as China’s meticulously crafted “Qilin” class submarine, not only carries advanced technology, but also carries Pakistan’s high recognition and deep expectations for China-Pakistan friendship. The submarine is equipped with an advanced air-independent propulsion (AIP) system, a technological breakthrough that enables the submarine to stay underwater for longer periods of time, greatly enhancing its stealth and battlefield survivability.
It is understood that in April 2015, Pakistani media reported that the Pakistani government has expressed support for the Pakistani Navy’s offer to purchase eight China-built submarines. China and Pakistan reached an agreement on July 23, 2015 for the purchase of eight conventional-powered submarines “worth billions of dollars” to Pakistan, the largest military cooperation agreement between the two countries at that time.
According to Pakistan’s schedule, four of the eight submarines would be imported originally from China, while the other four would be built in Pakistan by Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KSEW).
In 2019, Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, then Pakistan’s Chief of Naval Staff, personally visited Wuchang Ship Heavy Industry to inspect the construction of the submarine during his visit to China.
In late 2022 and early this year, construction of the first two of the four submarines to be domestically constructed by the Pakistani side also formally commenced at the Karachi Shipyard, with the one that commenced construction in late 2022 being named “Tasnim”.