The Pakistan Navy’s first Hangor-class submarine conducted its first live-fire test of an anti-ship missile in the northern Arabian Sea.
According to the Pakistan Navy, the test confirmed the submarine’s weapon systems operability and its combat readiness.
Admiral Naveed Ashraf, Pakistani Chief of Naval Staff, observed the missile launch at sea.
The type of anti-ship missile used has not yet been officially disclosed.
Hangor-Class Submarine
The Hangor is a class of diesel-electric submarines developed for Pakistan based on China’s Type 039B project.
The submarine is approximately 76 meters long and has a displacement of around 2,800 tonnes. Its bow section houses six 533 mm torpedo tubes. They can launch Chinese Yu-6 torpedoes, YJ-82 anti-ship missiles, and Pakistani Babur-family cruise missiles.
The submarines are also equipped with an air-independent propulsion based on a Stirling engine, allowing them to remain submerged for longer without surfacing to run their diesel engines. The new submarines are gradually replacing the French-designed Agosta-70 and Agosta-90B submarines built for the Pakistan Navy in the 1980s–2000s.
In December 2022, the keel was laid for the first submarine at a shipyard in Karachi. Pakistan agreed to acquire eight Hangor submarines from China in April 2015. The program is being implemented under a “4+4” arrangement: the first four submarines are being built by China’s shipbuilding industry, while the remaining four are being built by Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works in Pakistan with Chinese involvement and technology transfer.
In February 2024, the keel was laid in Karachi for the second Pakistan-built Hangor submarine. Thus, Pakistan has also established its own production capabilities for building submarines of this class.
Meanwhile, the Chinese part of the program fell behind the original schedule. The first four submarines were initially planned for delivery in 2022–2023, but the lead submarine was launched only in 2024. In March 2025, the second Chinese-built Hangor was launched, followed by the third in August.
In December 2025, China launched the fourth and final Chinese-built Hangor submarine, PNS Ghazi. After that, the Chinese part of the construction program moved to testing and delivery, while the remaining four submarines continued to be built at Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works.
Source: Militaryni
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