Indigenous construction of Pakistan’s new conventional submarines is now under way.
The Pakistan Navy (PN) hosted a ceremony on 9 December to mark the first steel being cut for its four domestically constructed Hangor-class diesel-electric submarines.
The ceremony, for the fifth of class overall, was held at the Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KSEW). Photos of the event showed dignitaries from both Pakistan and China in attendance.
There will be eight 2,800t submarines in the Hangor class, with the first four being built in China and four to be assembled by KSEW in Pakistan. The first quartet from China will be completed in 2022-23, while the four from KSEW are supposed to be constructed by 2028.