The first four Hangor submarines scheduled to be delivered to Pakistan Navy in 2023 have been delayed indefinitely.
However, with Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KSEW) now manufacturing two of its four assigned boats, the Hangor programme is still progressing and are expected to be operational by early 2030s.
The first four submarines were to be delivered by 2023 and the remaining four by 2028. The programme, known as the Hangor programme, was named after the original Hangor-class diesel-electric submarine that served from 1967 to 2006. However, the Pakistan Navy (PN) has not yet received the first of these boats, indicating that the programme has been delayed, possibly due to supplier-side issues and fiscal challenges with China and Pakistan.
Despite the delay, the Hangor programme is progressing and is expected to be ready by the late 2020s and early 2030s. Once completed, the programme will expand the PN’s sub-surface fleet to 11 AIP-equipped boats, in addition to the PN’s three upgraded Khalid-class submarines. The PN is also seeking to acquire an unspecified number of shallow-water attack submarines (SWATS), which could potentially make Pakistan one of the largest sub-surface fleets in Asia.
In April 2015, Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence Production (MoDP) approved the purchase of eight submarines from China. These submarines were equipped with air-independent propulsion (AIP) technology. Under the contract, Pakistan would manufacture four of the submarines at Karachi Shipyards and Engineering Works (KSEW), while the rest would be produced by China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC).
The Hangor submarine is based on the China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Co. Ltd (CSOC) S26 design, which is derived from the Yuan-class submarine and developed for the export market. However, the Hangor has several design changes, including a heavier displacement and a slightly shorter hull. It has a payload capacity of six torpedo tubes and a Stirling-based AIP system.
Initially, the S26 series was marketed with the German MTU 12V 396 SE84 diesel engine, but the German government withheld export licenses for the powerplant. Therefore, the PN had to procure the Chinese CHD-620 diesel engine instead, which caused a delay in the programme. It is unclear if the entirety of the delays were due to the engine swap or if Pakistan’s ongoing fiscal difficulties are also contributing to the friction.
It is not known if the Hangor submarine is using Chinese or a mix of domestic, Turkish, and Western subsystems. However, the PN is localizing subsystems for both its surface and sub-surface systems. According to Global Industrial and Defence Solutions (GIDS) product roadmap, Pakistan is developing an automated deployment and retrieval system (ADRS) and electronic support measures (ESM) system for submarines. Thus, one can expect the PN to configure these systems to the Hangor-class and, potentially, the new shallow-water attack submarine (SWATS).
The Hangor-class submarine would be the largest submarine the PN will have operated up to this point. Therefore, it is unlikely that the PN acquired the Hangor for shallow-water anti-area and access denial (A2/AD) missions. Instead, analysts believe that the larger submarine design translates into greater range/endurance and possibly payload capacity. Therefore, the PN could be planning to use the Hangors to primarily patrol its sea lanes/sea lines of communication (SLOCs).
April 2024
Source: Quwa