The President of Pakistan attended the ceremony in person, as China delivered the first AIP-equipped submarine to the Pakistan Navy!
On April 29, China officially handed over the first "Hangor"-class conventional submarine to the Pakistan Navy at its base in Sanya, Hainan. Pakistani President Zardari attended the delivery ceremony, clearly demonstrating how seriously Pakistan views this milestone.
The "Hangor"-class submarines purchased by Pakistan are the export version of China's Type 039B submarine and represent an AIP-equipped (Air-Independent Propulsion) submarine—among the top-tier in their class globally. The Pakistan Navy ordered a total of eight such submarines: the first four were built in China, while the remaining four will be assembled locally in Pakistan. The total contract value is approximately $4 to $5 billion.
With the addition of these "Hangor"-class AIP submarines, the future naval capability gap between Pakistan and India is expected to narrow significantly, potentially even creating some asymmetric advantages...
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1863887335932931/
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