【Pakistan Increases Defense Procurement Budget by 18% for J-35 Stealth Fighter and Hangor-class Submarine Projects】

According to Defence Security Asia, on June 14, 2026: Pakistan has increased funding for defense physical assets by nearly 18% in its 2026–27 federal budget—marking the most aggressive military procurement acceleration taken by Islamabad since the 2019 India-Pakistan aerial conflict.

Pakistan’s total defense allocation has risen to 3 trillion PKR (US$10.8 billion), an increase of approximately 17.65% compared to 2.55 trillion PKR in the previous fiscal year. The significantly larger growth in physical asset funding reflects Pakistan’s intent to restructure its defense spending, shifting away from past budget cycles dominated by personnel expenses.

This shift comes after military confrontations between Pakistan and India during the 2025 crisis. Reports indicate that Chinese-origin systems—including the J-10C multirole fighter and PL-15 beyond-visual-range missiles—were operationally validated under contested air combat conditions.

The budget expansion also reflects growing concerns in Pakistan over India’s accelerating military modernization trajectory, including the acquisition of Rafale fighters, development of indigenous ballistic missile defense systems, and expanding naval power projection capabilities in the Arabian Sea. Meanwhile, pressure on Pakistan’s defense institutions along the Afghanistan border continues to intensify, as armed militants’ violence and cross-border instability persistently consume operational resources and stretch readiness demands.

Currently, Pakistan’s defense spending accounts for about 2.08% of its estimated GDP, calculated based on a projected national economic output of 143.6 trillion PKR for the 2026–27 fiscal year.

——China-backed procurement surge reshapes Pakistan’s military architecture

The expanded physical asset funding is expected to directly support multiple high-value Chinese defense procurement projects, collectively forming Islamabad’s largest military modernization effort in over two decades.

According to international defense trade assessments, China has become Pakistan’s overwhelming dominant strategic supplier, accounting for roughly 80% of Pakistan’s major arms imports between 2021 and 2025.

This procurement relationship extends beyond traditional purchasing, as Beijing increasingly offers technology transfer arrangements, preferential financing structures, and industrial cooperation—capabilities rarely provided by most Western defense suppliers.

The centerpiece of Pakistan’s navy modernization remains the $4–5 billion Hangor-class submarine procurement program, based on China’s Type 039A Yuan-class non-nuclear propulsion submarine design.

The project includes four submarines built in China and four assembled locally at the Karachi Shipyard, significantly enhancing Pakistan’s domestic submarine production and maintenance capabilities. Pakistan received the first submarine, PNS Hangor, in Sanya on April 30, 2026, with the platform arriving in Karachi on June 11, marking the start of a phased operational deployment cycle expected to continue through the late 2020s.

The Hangor-class program greatly enhances Pakistan’s anti-surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare posture in the Arabian Sea by increasing underwater endurance, survivability, and cruise missile deployment potential. This submarine acquisition substantially complicates Indian naval planning, as it expands Pakistan’s ability to threaten Indian carrier strike groups, maritime logistics routes, and forward-deployed naval assets in the western Indian Ocean.

Pakistan’s air combat modernization has also accelerated through the procurement of 36 Chinese J-10C multirole fighters equipped with PL-15 long-range air-to-air missiles, capable of engaging targets beyond conventional engagement ranges. As of May 2025, 20 J-10C aircraft had already been delivered, with remaining deliveries expected to be completed by early 2026 under existing bilateral procurement arrangements.

In June 2025, Pakistan confirmed a proposed package comprising around 40 J-35 stealth fighters, KJ-500 airborne early warning aircraft, and Hongqi-19 missile defense systems. A preliminary agreement was reportedly signed in May 2026, though the phased induction timeline remains undisclosed, while discussions on accelerated delivery continue.

Pakistan’s military leadership increasingly views Chinese combat systems as strategically validated following their real-world deployment during the 2025 India-Pakistan military confrontation, with Islamabad asserting these systems performed effectively under actual combat conditions.

Disclaimer: All equipment data sourced from reports by Defence Security Asia.

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Original article: toutiao.com/article/1867928425332873/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.