According to information published by Pakistan Navy on December 27, 2022, the indigenous submarine development project in Pakistan achieved another mega milestone, wherein, the Keel Laying Ceremony of the first HANGOR Class Submarine was held at Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KS&EW).
Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link
Keel laying ceremony of the first Hangor class submarine. (Picture source: Pakistan Navy)
The defense agreement between Pakistan and China included the development of 08 x HANGOR Class Submarines including 04 under construction at Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group (WSIG) in China and the remaining 04 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 on Dec 21 and now the Keel Laying is being laid which is a major milestone in the history of any naval vessel being constructed. Concurrently, construction work on subsequent submarines has started with its Steel Cutting at the same shipyard.
HANGOR Class Submarine is capable to undertake a variety of missions as per operational dictates. The submarine possesses advanced stealth features and is fitted with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors to operate under a multi-threat environment and can engage targets at stand-off ranges.
The Hangor-class submarine is a class of air–independent attack submarines currently being built for the Pakistan Navy. The class is a modified derivative of the Chinese-origin Type 039B submarine, operated by the People's Liberation Army Navy.
The submarines have a length of 76 m (249 ft 4 in), a beam of 8.4 m (27 ft 7 in) and a draught of 6.2 m (20 ft 4 in). They can reach a top speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph).
The Hango class is armed with six 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes for Babur 3 submarine-launched cruise missiles, YJ-82 anti-ship missiles, and Yu-6 torpedoes.
