Pakistan’s commissioning of the first Hangor-class submarine in China marks a watershed in its naval modernisation, signalling a deepening of the China–Pakistan military axis and raising serious challenges for India’s maritime security posture in the Arabian Sea.

The development underscores both the scale of Chinese defence proliferation and the urgency for India to accelerate its own submarine programmes.

The commissioning of PNS Hangor on 30 April 2026 at Sanya, China, attended by President Asif Ali Zardari and Admiral Naveed Ashraf, was described as a historic milestone in Pakistan’s naval modernisation.

Commissioning differs from induction: it is akin to the submarine’s “birth,” enabling Pakistan to take delivery directly from China and sail home a fully operational vessel.

This arrangement highlights the closeness of bilateral ties and the strategic convenience of commissioning abroad. The ceremony also carried symbolic weight, with senior officials from both navies present, reinforcing the time-tested friendship between the two nations.

The Hangor-class program, valued at around $5 billion, involves eight advanced diesel-electric submarines based on China’s Type-039A Yuan-class design. Four are being built in China and four at Karachi Shipyard under technology transfer. Equipped with air-independent propulsion systems, these submarines can remain submerged for extended periods, enhancing stealth and survivability.

The fleet will be armed with the nuclear-capable Babur-3 submarine-launched cruise missile, with a range of 450 km, giving Pakistan a credible deep-strike capability and potentially a second-strike nuclear deterrent.

The delivery schedule is ambitious. With PNS Hangor already commissioned, three more are under construction in China, while four are being assembled in Karachi. By 2028, Pakistan expects to operate all eight Hangor-class boats. Combined with its existing fleet of five Agosta-class and three Cosmos-class midget submarines, Pakistan will field a formidable force of 16 submarines.

This represents a dramatic expansion of its sea-denial capability in the Arabian Sea, complicating India’s anti-submarine warfare environment.

India, by contrast, currently operates six Kalvari-class Scorpene submarines, seven Sindhughosh-class Kilos, four Shishumar-class boats, and two to three Arihant-class nuclear submarines. While numerically comparable, India’s fleet suffers from delays in modernisation and lacks operational AIP capability.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation’s indigenous fuel-cell AIP system is expected to be ready for retrofit by 2028, with INS Khanderi slated as the first recipient. Meanwhile, Project 75I, involving six advanced submarines to be built with Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, remains pending Cabinet approval. Even if cleared soon, the first delivery is unlikely before 2032, with the remainder arriving by 2035.

The asymmetry is not merely about numbers. India’s coastline stretches over 11,000 km compared to Pakistan’s 1,000 km, demanding far greater coverage and dispersal of assets. Yet Pakistan’s concentrated submarine fleet, backed by Chinese technology and operational support, poses a serious challenge in the Arabian Sea.

The revelation that Chinese personnel were directly involved in overseeing J-10 fighter operations against India during Operation Sindoor further underscores the depth of collusion and the risks of Chinese military presence in Pakistan.

The commissioning of PNS Hangor thus represents more than a platform induction. It signals the advent of a “Chinese era” in Pakistan’s naval development, embedding Beijing’s strategic footprint in the Indian Ocean Region.

For India, the development highlights the urgency of expediting submarine modernisation, strengthening anti-submarine warfare capabilities, and reinforcing its blue-water posture to counterbalance the expanding China–Pakistan axis.

Agencies