Pakistan starts local construction of 5th Hangor-class diesel electric attack submarine

 

Pakistan Navy officials, and dignitaries from Pakistan and China during Steel Cutting Ceremony of 5th Hangor-class submarine on 09 December 2021. Photo c/o Naval Today.

The Pakistan Navy (PN) confirmed that the local shipbuilder Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KS&EW) has started the construction of the fifth Hangor-class diesel-electric submarine, as it conducted the first steel cutting ceremonies on 09 December 2021.

Dignitaries from Pakistan and China were present in the ceremonies, including the Pakistan Navy's Chief of Naval Staff Admiral M Amjad Khan Niazi.

Admiral Niazi expressed gratitude to all involved in the construction activities, and highlighted the deepening of relations between China and Pakistan.

The submarine will be named PNS Tasnim once commissioned with the Pakistan Navy, and was named after retired Vice Admiral Ahmad Tasnim, who was then the commanding officer of the first PNS Hangor (S-131) that sunk the Indian Navy frigate INS Khukri during the India-Pakistan War in 1971.

The Hangor-class is based on the Chinese Type 039B diesel-electric submarine design, which is the export version of the Type 039A used by the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and is also called the Song-class..

Pakistan ordering a total of 8 Type 039B submarines under a US$5 billion deal signed in 2015, with the first 4 submarines were built in China by Wuchang Shipbuilding in Wuhan.

The Type 039B Hangor-class submarine are said to have advanced features and can operate under a multi-threat environment, and is equipped with modern sensors and integrated with a Command & Control system which can simultaneously track and engage several targets at standoff ranges.

Pakistan is the first export customer of the Type 039 submarine, with Thailand also ordering a variant of the type in 2017 called the S26T.




[1] Naval News
[2] Shephard Media
[3] Navy Recognition