KARACHI SHIPYARD & ENGINEERING WORKS
PN DOCKYARD
The KS&EW held steel cutting ceremony of Warship No. 5 of the Hangor Class of Guided Missile Attack Submarines of the Pakistan Navy. The ceremony was attended by Chief of Naval Staff of the Pakistan Navy, Admiral Amjad Khan Niazi. KS&EW and Wuchang Shipbuilding are constructing 8 AIP-equipped guided missile attack submarines for the Pakistan Navy, with the first four already under construction in Wuhan and 1 in Karachi where 3 more will also start construction. The lead submarine of the class, PNS Hangor will be delivered in late 2022.
The Hangor Class are upgraded, Pakistan-specific variants of the Type 039B (Yuan-class) air independent propulsion equipped attack submarines. The 3,600 tonne, 78 meter long submarines will have a test depth of 550 meters and a complement of 40 sailors, and a range of almost 15,000 kilometres.
Armed with 6 torpedo/missile tubes, the submarine is both an attack submarine with state-of-the-art ASW capabilities as well as an Anti-Ship Cruise Missile (AShCM) platform. The primary weapon for the Yu-6 heavyweight torpedo, which has a speed of 65 knots and a range of 45 kilometres. The submarine can also fire the Yu-9 next generation torpedo. The torpedoes are likely to include both the Yu-6 thermal powered torpedoes and the electric-powered type (designation unknown). Both weapons are wire guided dual-purpose (anti-ship, anti-submarine) weapons and are relatively modern. The submarine can also fire the YJ-18B supersonic ASCM/LACM with a range of 540 kilometres, as well as the YJ-82 subsonic anti-ship cruise missile. The Pakistani Hangor-Class will also be armed with the nuclear-capable Babur-III submarine-launched cruise missile. The Type 039B’s torpedo and missile launching system can also fire the YJ-8X (C-80X) series anti-ship missiles and the CY-1 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missile. Bottom mines are also believed to be a standard part of the PLAN submarine arsenal.
The submarine is fitted with state-of-the-art sensors and combat management systems. The Pakistan Navy acquired a PLAN Type 039A in 2019 for training purposes. The submarine is known to be extremely quiet.
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