Overview
- PNS/M Hangor, which arrived Thursday, was formally received at the Pakistan Navy Dockyard with full honours including a ceremonial salute by naval cadets and a PN Z9EC helicopter fly‑past.
- The boat was built in China and was commissioned in Sanya in April in a ceremony attended by President Asif Ali Zardari and naval chiefs before being handed over to Pakistan.
- Pakistan Navy officials say the submarine’s Air Independent Propulsion, modern sensors and stealth features will let it stay submerged longer and improve its survivability and strike options.
- The Hangor programme stems from a 2015 eight‑boat deal: four hulls are being built by China Shipbuilding and Offshore International Company and four more will be built or assembled at Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works under a transfer‑of‑technology plan.
- Officials frame the induction as a boost to protect sea lines of communication and maritime trade in the Arabian Sea, and analysts should watch the schedule for the remaining boats as Pakistan aims to complete the class by 2028.