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No particulars had been offered relating to when the PN will obtain the PNS Hangor or the following ships. Underneath the unique timeline, the PN was speculated to obtain its first 4 boats by 2023 and the remaining 4 by 2028. Nevertheless, this system acquired delayed as a result of a number of issues, equivalent to Germany withholding export licenses for the diesel powerplant and manufacturing delays.
Regardless of these challenges, the Hangor program is continuing, and the PN continues to be poised to induct the eight boats across the late 2020s and early 2030s. As soon as these boats are inducted, Pakistan could have certainly one of Asia’s largest sub-surface fleets, which can develop additional ought to the PN procure shallow-water assault submarines (SWATS).
Pakistan ordered the Hangor-class submarines from China in 2015 in a multi-billion greenback contract comprising eight boats. Karachi Shipyards and Engineering Works (KSEW) will produce 4 boats below a transfer-of-technology settlement with China Shipbuilding & Offshore Worldwide Co. Ltd (CSOC). KSEW lower the metal for the first boat in 2021 and the second boat in 2022.
The Hangor-class is a variant of the S26 AIP-equipped submarine, which CSOC designed for the export market. The S26 makes use of a Stirling AIP system, enabling the submarine to function underwater for prolonged durations, probably as much as a number of weeks, with out snorkeling for oxygen. In accordance with CSOC, the S26 can dive to a most depth of 300 m.
Nevertheless, plainly the PN requested a number of modifications to the S26 design. In comparison with the S26, the Hangor has a heavier displacement weighing 2,800 tons (to the S26’s 2,550 tons) and a barely shorter hull of 76 m (to the S26’s 77.7 m). It isn’t recognized what went into inflicting these design adjustments, however in any other case, the Hangor is much like the S26 in most respects.
When it comes to weapons, the Hangor-class will probably be outfitted with six torpedo tubes (doubtless 533 mm) for heavyweight anti-submarine warfare (ASW) torpedoes and anti-ship cruising missiles (ASCM). As well as, the PN will doubtless configure the Hangor-class to deploy a variant of the Babur land-attack cruise missiles (LACM) for long-range strikes and, probably, nuclear deterrence functions.
Being a big submarine, the PN will doubtless use the Hangor-class to patrol Pakistan’s sea lanes and, usually, function farther away from the shore. The forthcoming SWATS program will doubtless issue into the PN’s littoral-focused operations, together with anti-access and area-denial (A2/AD).
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