Pakistan to receive first Chinese-built Hangor-class submarine by 2026

Pakistan’s Navy is set to induct its first Chinese-built Hangor-class submarine by 2026, marking a major milestone in a $5 billion defence agreement with Beijing aimed at modernising Islamabad’s underwater fleet and deepening strategic cooperation between the two countries.

Navy Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf confirmed that under the 2015 deal, eight advanced diesel-electric attack submarines will be delivered by 2028 — four constructed in China and four assembled in Pakistan — as part of efforts to enhance local shipbuilding expertise. Three submarines have already been launched along China’s Yangtze River, highlighting significant progress in the program, Caliber.Az reports per Modern Diplomacy. 

The development represents a major step in strengthening both Pakistan’s maritime deterrence and China’s strategic footprint in the Indian Ocean. The Hangor-class submarines are expected to boost Pakistan’s operational reach across the North Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean — key arenas for regional naval power projection.

Admiral Ashraf praised Chinese defence technology as “reliable and well-suited” to Pakistan’s naval needs, adding that the Navy is exploring further cooperation with China in areas such as artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, and electronic warfare.

China’s state media has portrayed the partnership as a sign of deepening military-industrial cooperation with a key regional ally.

India has not officially responded to the Hangor-class deal, though analysts suggest the move adds pressure on New Delhi’s naval strategy. India currently operates a mix of nuclear-powered and diesel-electric submarines sourced from France, Russia, and Germany.

The rollout of the new submarines will coincide with the continued expansion of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a $60 billion flagship project under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative linking China’s Xinjiang region to Pakistan’s Gwadar Port. Together, these military and economic initiatives are expected to give China more direct access to the Arabian Sea, bypassing the strategic chokepoint of the Malacca Strait, and to extend its influence across Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia.

Pakistan envisions the Hangor program as the beginning of a new phase in its defence partnership with China — one that extends beyond arms purchases to include joint research, interoperability, and industrial co-production, laying the groundwork for long-term strategic alignment between the two allies.

By Sabina Mammadli