Pakistan Navy launches fourth Hangor-class submarine PNS Ghazi in China.

Pakistan Navy announced the launch of its fourth Hangor-class submarine, PNS Ghazi, at the Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group Shuangliu Base in Wuhan, China.

On December 17, 2025, the Pakistan Navy announced that its fourth Hangor-class submarine, the PNS Ghazi, had been launched at the Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group’s Shuangliu Base in Wuhan, in China’s Hubei Province. The ceremony brought together senior Pakistani naval officers, representatives of the Chinese shipbuilding industry, and officials involved in the 2015 bilateral eight-submarine program. With the PNS Ghazi entering the water, Pakistan indicated that all four Hangor-class submarines built in China under the current contract have now been launched.
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Beyond strike weapons, the torpedo room of the Hangor-class submarine could also deploy naval mines, allowing the Pakistani submarines to conduct sea-denial missions in choke points and littoral approaches. (Picture source: Pakistan Navy)

The 2015 agreement between Pakistan and China covers a total of eight Hangor-class diesel–electric attack submarines, with four constructed in China and the remaining four to be built in Pakistan at Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works under a transfer-of-technology arrangement. Following the launch of the Ghazi, Pakistani officials stated that all four China-built boats are now undergoing sea trials and progressing toward the final stages before handover. In parallel, Pakistan’s domestic Hangor-class production has advanced through key industrial steps, including a steel-cutting ceremony in December 2021 and a keel-laying ceremony in December 2022 for the first locally-built submarine, identified as the PNS Tasnim, signaling Pakistan’s effort to transition from imported hulls to sustained domestic construction.

The sequence of launches in China shows a steady production rhythm at the Wuhan facility, beginning with the PNS Hangor on April 26, 2024, followed by the PNS Shushuk on March 15, 2025, the PNS Mangro on August 15, 2025, and finally, the PNS Ghazi completed the quartet on December 17, 2025. Pakistan’s naval leadership has tied this tempo to planned induction timelines, with the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, stating that the first batch of Hangor-class submarines is expected to enter operational service in 2026, implying a near-term transition from trials to commissioning. Within the broader framework of Pakistan-China defense cooperation, this submarine program has coincided with other developments, including Pakistan’s reported induction of Chinese-made Z-10ME attack helicopters.

The Hangor submarines are a class of diesel-electric attack vessels equipped with an air-independent propulsion (AIP), a configuration intended to extend submerged endurance compared to conventional diesel-electric designs that must use a snorkel more frequently. Characteristics commonly associated with the class include a displacement of 2,800 tonnes, an overall length of 76 meters, a beam of 8.4 meters, and a draught close to 6.2 meters. Using four CSOC CHD620 diesel engines with a Stirling-powered air-independent propulsion, each Hangor-class could reach a maximum speed of around 20 knots (approximately 37 km/h), a range of about 2,000 nautical miles (or roughly 3,700 km), and an endurance of up to 65 days, alongside a reported maximum diving depth of around 300 meters.

In terms of armament, Pakistan has stated that the Hangor submarines will be equipped with advanced weapons and sensors intended to engage targets at standoff ranges, emphasizing detection, tracking, and engagement while remaining concealed. Therefore, the class carries a conventional torpedo and missile-based weapons loadout centered on six 533 mm torpedo tubes located in the bow. These tubes are intended to support the launch of heavyweight wire-guided torpedoes for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare roles, as well as submarine-launched missiles fired through standard torpedo tubes. Pakistani statements and official references to undersea strike capability frequently associate the Hangor submarines with the Babur-3 submarine-launched cruise missile, which Pakistan has previously tested as a nuclear-capable system with an estimated range of around 450 km, although operational integration details have not been formally confirmed. Beyond strike weapons, the torpedo room configuration is also associated with the deployment of naval mines, allowing the Hangor-class to conduct sea-denial missions in choke points and littoral approaches.

Within Pakistan’s existing submarine force structure, the Hangor-class is intended to complement and eventually expand capabilities alongside the current fleet of three Agosta-90B air-independent propulsion submarines and two older Agosta-70 diesel-electric submarines. The Agosta-90B boats have been undergoing a mid-life upgrade program under a contract signed in 2016 with Turkey’s STM as prime contractor, with the first upgraded submarine, PNS Hamza, delivered in 2020. The modernization effort has been described as covering the replacement of the fire control system, sonar suite, electronic warfare system, radar, and periscopes for both navigation and attack, alongside improvements to supporting shore infrastructure such as the very low frequency communications station identified as PNS Hameed in Sindh Province.

The naming and strategic framing of the Hangor-class program remain closely linked to Pakistan’s rivalry with India and the undersea balance in the northern Arabian Sea and wider Indian Ocean region. In January 2017, Pakistan’s then Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah, announced that the future submarines would carry the Hangor name in reference to PNS Hangor (S131), a Daphné-class submarine associated with the sinking of the Indian Navy frigate INS Khukri during the 1971 conflict, and the original Hangor is displayed at the Pakistan Maritime Museum in Karachi. In the same tradition, the first Pakistan-built Hangor-class submarine will be named Tasnim, after Vice Admiral Ahmad Tasnim, who commanded the original Hangor.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.