Officials from the Pakistan Navy and China Shipyard pose for a group photo at the launch ceremony for PNS Mangro, the third Hangor-class submarine, in Wuhan, China, Aug. 15, 2025.
Pakistan’s naval chief recently revealed that the navy will soon commission the first batch – at least three submarines – of its Hangor-class submarines in 2026. These submarines are a generation ahead of the Pakistan Navy’s existing Khalid- and Hashmat-class vessels.
Pakistan lacks blue-water ambitions. Its maritime objective is to maintain a minimum force, primarily to deter any intrusion into its territorial waters. Therefore, the commissioning of these submarines on schedule is crucial for the Pakistan Navy, given the rapid expansion of the Indian Navy’s surface and submerged fleets.
The Pakistan Navy signed a landmark deal with China in 2015 for the acquisition of eight platforms based on the proven design of the Chinese Yuan-class Type 39B submarines – with the Pakistani version known as the Hangor class.
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