By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Navy has launched its fourth Hangor-class submarine, named Ghazi, at a shipyard in Wuhan, marking what military officials described as a major step in bolstering the country’s underwater fleet through a deepening alliance with China.
The launch, announced on Wednesday by the Inter-Services Public Relations, the military’s media arm, comes as Islamabad seeks to strengthen its naval defences against its archrival, India. The first of the new submarines was launched in April 2024, followed by the second on March 15 of this year and the third on August 15. The development arrives against a backdrop of persistent friction along the India-Pakistan border. In May, the two nuclear-armed neighbors engaged in a four-day military clash involving fighter jets, artillery exchanges, missiles and drone strikes before the United States intervened to broker a ceasefire.
During the skirmish, Pakistan’s air force deployed Chinese-made J-10 jets to down French-built Rafale aircraft operated by the Indian Air Force, an episode that prompted scrutiny within military circles about the relative merits of Western and Chinese armaments.
Pakistan has emerged as China’s leading arms buyer in recent years. From 2020 to 2024, it accounted for more than 60 percent of Beijing’s weapons exports, based on figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
“With the launching of GHAZI, Pakistan Navy has achieved another significant milestone where all four submarines under construction in China are now undergoing rigorous sea trials and are in the final stages of being handed over to Pakistan,” the navy said in a statement.
The Ghazi was launched at the Shuangliu Base, with the ceremony attended by senior officials from both countries, underscoring the expanding military cooperation between Beijing and Islamabad. Under a government agreement signed with China, Pakistan is acquiring eight Hangor-class submarines in total. Four are being built in China, while the remaining four will be constructed at the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works Ltd. through a transfer of technology arrangement.
These diesel-electric attack submarines incorporate air-independent propulsion technology, enabling them to operate over extended distances without resurfacing. They will be equipped with advanced weaponry and sensors designed to engage targets at standoff ranges, according to the statement. “Hangor-class submarines will be pivotal in maintaining peace and stability in the region,” the navy added.
The class takes its name from the PNS Hangor, which during the 1971 war between Pakistan and India became the first submarine since World War II to sink an enemy warship, destroying an Indian frigate. That vessel has since been decommissioned and is displayed at the Pakistan Maritime Museum in Karachi.
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