Pakistan starts manufacturing 6th Hangor-class submarine

ISLAMABAD: The manufacturing of 6th Hangor-class submarine for Pakistan began at the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering in Karachi on Wednesday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement said.

Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf, who was chief guest on the occasion, said that Hangor-class submarines would be equipped with latest technology and weapons. He said that it was also the top priority of Naval Headquarters to promote ship and submarine manufacturing industry.

“Manufacturing of submarines in Pakistan is a step towards self-sufficiency in this sector,” he said while appreciating the efforts of Ministry of Industries and Production, Pakistan Navy and Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KS&EW).

The naval chief particularly mentioned cooperation of China Ship Building and offshore international company in manufacturing of submarines. The defence agreement between Pakistan and China, which was signed nearly 10 years back, included the manufacturing of eight Hangor-class submarines including four submarines under construction at Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group (WSIG) in China and the remaining four being built at KS&EW under the Transfer of Technology (ToT) agreement.

The construction work of the first submarine to be made at KS&EW Pakistan commenced in December last year. Hangor-class submarine is capable to undertake a variety of missions as per operational requirements.

The submarine having advanced stealth features will be fitted with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors to operate under a multi-threat environment and can engage targets at stand-off ranges.