Pakistan's first Hangor-class submarine fires an anti-ship missile
Why it matters: first operational proof that Pakistan's new Chinese-built diesel-electric submarine fleet can fight, a real shift in the naval balance across the North Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.
Pakistan Navy's first Hangor-class submarine has completed its maiden live-fire test in the North Arabian Sea, launching an anti-ship cruise missile from its torpedo tubes. The Hangor class is built by China's Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group under an export licence deal covering eight boats, based on China's Type 039B/Yuan-class design. The 76-metre submarine runs four CHD620 diesel engines paired with air-independent propulsion, giving it submerged endurance of up to three weeks and a range of roughly 10,000 nautical miles. Pakistan is inducting all eight Hangor-class boats to replace its ageing Agosta-90B fleet, part of a broader naval modernisation drive racing India's own submarine expansion.
Source: Naval News, corroborated by The Defense Post, 28-30 September 2026.