China has handed over to Pakistan the third of eight new ‘advanced’ Hangor-class submarines, an export variant of Chinese Type 039B, the Chinese state-run Global Times reported.
The launching ceremony took place Thursday, August 14th, in Wuhan, Hubei Province, Central China. The previous submarine was delivered in March 2025.
Pakistan agreed to purchase eight submarines in April 2015. Under the contract, four submarines will be built at the Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works, and the remaining four at facilities of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation.
The original plan called for the first four submarines to be delivered in 2022–2023, and the rest by 2028. However, the program has been significantly delayed: the first submarine was laid down only in 2022 and launched in 2024.
The specifications of the Hangor-class submarines have not been disclosed, but they are known to be 76 meters long with a displacement of 2,800 tons.
The submarines have six 533 mm torpedo tubes in the bow, capable of launching Pakistani Babur cruise missiles as well as Chinese YJ-82 anti-ship missiles.
