Pakistan Navy has confirmed deploying its first Chinese submarine in 2026. Islamabad signed a $5 billion deal with China to acquire a total of eight submarines. Pakistan imports more defense and military equipment from China than from any other single nation.
The senior-most Naval Officer of Pakistan indicated that the first submarine built in China will be operational next year. This development is helpful to China in regard to counterbalancing India and projecting strength toward the Middle East.
“The procurement of eight submarines through the Hangor-class contract to be complete by 2028 is going well,” stated Admiral Naveed Ashraf to Chinese media. The Hangor-class submarines would help Pakistan exert influence over the North Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Earlier in 2023, the Pakistan Air Force used Chinese-made J-10 fighter jets to engage Indian Air Force aircraft, including some manufactured in France, which shocked many analysts and raised questions on the effectiveness of Chinese military equipment versus Western systems.
The contract states that the first four submarines will be fully built in China, while the other four will be assembled in Pakistan. This will allow Pakistan to develop its own submarine production capability.
To this date, a total of three submarines have been launched into the Yangtze River in China from a shipyard.
Admiral Ashraf explained that Chinese naval systems and naval equipment “are functioning very well, and that they have been made according to the Pakistan Navy’s requirements,” and added, “New technologies, such as unmanned systems, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and electronic warfare, are emerging as increasingly relevant.” Pakistan, he stated, “would like to cooperate further with China to leverage in these areas.”
Between 2020 and 2024, Pakistan will have purchased over 60% of China’s weapon exports, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
China has also made a significant investment to link to the Arabian Sea by building a 3,000 km economic corridor from Xinjiang, China, to Gwadar port, Pakistan, which is part of China’s Belt and Road initiative to move energy supplies out of the Middle East, avoiding the maritime choke point of the Straits of Malacca, which could be blocked in a war.
According to Admiral Ashraf, the cooperation with China goes beyond the purchase of machines, as it is based on shared interests, trust, and a strong partnership, and he sees that as the future relationship continues to develop, there will be greater levels of shipbuilding, training, research, technology transfer, and industrial collaboration.
