Pakistan navy to add advanced Chinese submarines

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s navy will be getting a fleet of advanced Chinese submarines, a statement from the military and a government official said on April 30, a move to strengthen Islamabad’s maritime security as part of a growing defence cooperation with Beijing.

The subs are in addition to Chinese-made J10-C fighter jets, which were war-tested for the first time during the Pakistan-India conflict in 2025.

Pakistan and China are long-time allies and their defence cooperation has been enhanced since the conflict erupted.

Islamabad says the Chinese-made planes were part of its air assault that downed India’s French-made Rafale fighter jets in the summer of 2025.

A ceremony to commission the first of the submarines, which will be called Hangor, was held in Sanya, China, with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and naval chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf in attendance, the military statement said.

It did not mention the number of submarines involved or any further details.

A Pakistani government official said the fleet would consist of eight submarines; four would be made in China and delivered to Islamabad, while another four would be made in Pakistan under a transfer-of-technology programme.

“We will also be in a position to offer their exports under our defence production in future,” he said.

Adm Ashraf called it “an important milestone to bolster our maritime defence and modernise our fleet with cutting-edge technology”.

Hangor class submarines – armed with state-of-the-art weapons, advanced sensors and air-independent propulsion – will be a key to preserving maritime order and stability in the region and play a role in deterring aggression, Adm Ashraf said.

The news on the submarines came after Pakistan tested a number of missiles in recent weeks.

Pakistan and India have fought three wars since their independence from British rule in 1947. REUTERS