Upgraded 18 June 2026 at 21:47 IST
Pakistan’s brand-new China-built Hangor-class submarine signals a significant marine shift into the Bay of Bengal, marking its very first significant eastern maritime footprint given that 1971.
The Pakistan Navy has actually signified a significant shift in its maritime technique, going for a continual marine existence in the Bay of Bengal for the very first time because the 1971 war. This aspiration focuses around the PNS Hangor, a highly sophisticated submarine that professionals think will enable Islamabad to run far east of its conventional waters.
The statement was made by Commodore Omer Farooq in Colombo while accompanying the Hangor home to Pakistan from China. Reported by Colombo-based news outlet The Morning on June 7, Farooq explained the submarine as a “game changer.” He kept in mind that Pakistan prepares to induct an overall of 8 submarines of this class.
Farooq made these remarks throughout an occasion onboard the Pakistani frigate PNS Taimur at the Colombo Port, where he had actually dropped in Sri Lanka on his method home. He specified that the induction of the Hangor-class would provide Pakistan the reach to preserve an existence in the Bay of Bengal.
A Shift Toward Deep-Sea Operations
Prior to the arrival of the PNS Hangor, the Pakistan Navy ran 5 submarines. The brand-new Chinese-built Hangor-class vessels are planned to change Pakistan’s aging Agosta submarines.
Farooq’s remarks bring substantial weight since they recommend Islamabad is looking beyond seaside defense more detailed to home and towards a broader functional footprint in the Indian Ocean. This growth would bring its navy in person with Indian forces on the high seas.
Lawfully, the Bay of Bengal is not the territorial sea of any single nation. Under worldwide law, seaside states work out sovereignty over a territorial sea extending approximately 12 nautical miles (22 km) from their shoreline, and sovereign rights over an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extending as much as 200 nautical miles (370 km). For India, the Bay of Bengal has actually long been a tactical front backyard, real estate India’s Eastern Naval Command, important sea lanes of interaction, island areas, and New Delhi’s more comprehensive Indo-Pacific aspirations.
Technical Capabilities of the Hangor-Class
The Hangor-class is main to Pakistan’s biggest marine modernization effort, which follows years of disregard. The PNS Hangor, which got here in Karachi this month, is the very first of the 8 prepared vessels.
Integrated in China and geared up with Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP), the Hangor supplies Pakistan with a stealthier, longer-endurance traditional submarine ability. Unlike conventional diesel-electric submarines that should regularly emerge or utilize a snorkel to charge their batteries, AIP-equipped vessels can stay immersed for weeks. This ability decreases detectability, enhances survivability throughout extended patrols, and makes them much harder to spot and track.
The Geopolitical Context: Warming Ties with Bangladesh
This fleet growth unfolds versus a background of growing marine competitors throughout the Indian Ocean Region and a noteworthy thaw in relations in between Islamabad and Dhaka. Considering that Sheikh Hasina’s ouster by Islamist forces in 2024, Islamabad and Dhaka have actually progressively fixed ties that were torn after the 1971 Liberation War.
Under Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, top-level check outs, resumed direct flights, broadening trade, and growing defense contacts have actually developed a brand-new tactical environment. In November 2025, the Pakistan Navy frigate PNS Saif made a four-day goodwill check out to Chattogram, marking the very first time a Pakistani warship docked in Bangladesh because 1971.
This flurry of diplomatic, military, business, and cultural exchanges indicate a tectonic shift in bilateral relations. Direct sea and air links, visa relaxations, and port allowances at Mongla and Chattogram lower the barriers for Pakistan’s forward operations. While Dhaka has actually not openly accepted host Pakistan’s submarines, a friendly Bangladesh uses diplomatic cover and possible centers to support regular patrols or port check outs in a maritime theater traditionally controlled by local powers.
Historic Symbolism and India’s Concerns
The name “PNS Hangor” brings sharp historic significance and significance for India. It honors the initial Pakistani submarine that torpedoed and sank India’s INS Khukri in the Arabian Sea on December 9, 1971. That occasion led to the loss of 176 Indian sailors, consisting of Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla, who went down with his ship and was posthumously granted the Maha Vir Chakra. It stays India’s only wartime marine ship loss and its costliest marine defeat.
By calling its brand-new China-built submarine PNS Hangor, Pakistan conjures up that tradition while signifying a restored undersea ability directed towards areas like the Bay of Bengal, where India now deals with increased tactical pressure. Whether the Hangor fleet will equate into a long-term, regular existence in these eastern waters stays unsure, however the vessel’s induction and the diplomatic shift with Dhaka have actually resumed the door to a tactical revival of Pakistan’s eastern maritime footprint for the very first time in over 5 years.
