China launches Pakistan’s first Hangor-class submarine. The response to the Indian programs
China has launched the first of eight advanced Hangor-class submarines being developed for Pakistan, in a sign of strengthening military cooperation between the two countries, the Pakistan Navy said.
The vessel's launch ceremony, attended by senior Pakistani and Chinese officials, took place on Friday at Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group's Shuangliu base in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, according to a Pakistan Navy statement.
The contract for the submarines was signed between the Government of Pakistan and China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Company Ltd (CSOC) during a visit to Pakistan by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2015, the statement said. Here is a photo of the launch:
Submarines will play a central role in maintaining peace and stability in the region, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, Chief of Staff of the Pakistan Navy, said during the ceremony.
The submarine construction contract will “add a new dimension to the time-tested Pakistan-China friendship,” he added.
Under the contract, which includes a technology transfer agreement, four of the submarines will be built in China and the other four in Pakistan.
The stealth vessels will be equipped with cutting-edge weapons and sensors, the statement said. These are submarines with a displacement of 2800 tonnes, also equipped with a stirling engine capable of operating independently of the air to recharge the batteries, in addition to traditional diesel engines to be charged on the surface. The submerged speed is 20 knots.
China is Pakistan's largest arms supplier, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which tracks global arms sales.
In a March report, SIPRI said 82 percent of Pakistan's arms imports will come from China between 2019 and 2023, up from 69 percent between 2014 and 2018.
China accounted for 5.8 percent of total arms exports globally between 2019 and 2023, SIPRI said in its report. Over the same period, China delivered major weapons to 40 states, but well over half of those exports, 61 percent, were shipped to just one nation: Pakistan, the report said.
A former senior Pakistani navy officer familiar with the negotiations told the Financial Times in 2015 that the contract could be worth between $4 billion and $5 billion.
Specific information about the eight submarines remains unknown, but online outlet Naval News reported that they are an export variant of the Chinese Navy's Type 039A/041 Yuan-class submarines.
Indian Arihant class SSBN
A response to India's great development
With these purchases, Pakistan seeks to keep pace with the major expansion program of the submarine component of the Indian Navy which it plans to build:
- two more Arihant-class SSBN nuclear missile submarines, in addition to the two in service;
- three S5 class nuclear missile submarines;
- an Akula class ordered to Russia;
- six Project 75-class nuclear attack submarines, scheduled;
- four French Sarcopéne-class diesel attack submarines, in addition to the five in service;
- six more Poroject 75s, but diesel, planned
- 12 Project 76 class scheduled, also diesel
A truly impressive submarine force that would put India at the top of the world.
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The article China launches Pakistan's first Hangor-class submarine. The response to the Indian programs comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/la-cina-vara-il-primo-sottomarino-pachistano-classe-hangor-la-risposta-ai-programmi-indiani/ on Mon, 29 Apr 2024 19:24:20 +0000.