Pakistan’s Chinese-built Hangor-class submarines face significant challenges against India’s superior anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities, making them increasingly vulnerable and potentially obsolete before full deployment.
Although Pakistan’s $5-billion investment in these diesel-electric submarines aims to modernise its undersea deterrent, several factors undermine their effectiveness against India’s multi-layered ASW shield.
The Hangor-class, based on China’s export-oriented Type 039A Yuan-class design (S26 variant), features air-independent propulsion (AIP) for extended underwater endurance but reportedly suffers from legacy design limitations.
They lack advanced noise reduction, sensor integration, combat-proven reliability, and networked warfare capabilities compared to India’s more modern fleets. Moreover, Pakistan had to replace the originally planned German MTU engines with Chinese diesel engines due to export restrictions, potentially diminishing performance and increasing maintenance demands.
These factors result in submarines that might not withstand India’s advanced detection and engagement systems effectively, weakening their stealth advantage.
In contrast, the Indian Navy has heavily invested in a sophisticated ASW ecosystem. This includes long-range maritime patrol aircraft like the Boeing P-8I Poseidon equipped with sonar buoys, magnetic anomaly detectors, and anti-ship missiles; indigenously built Kamorta-class ASW corvettes with specialised sonar and torpedoes for littoral waters; and a growing fleet of
specialised shallow-water craft such as INS Arnala and the upcoming INS Anjadip, and the newly-launched INS Amini, INS Ajay among other crafts armed with hull-mounted sonars, variable-depth sonars, lightweight torpedoes, and anti-submarine rockets. MH-60R Seahawk helicopters add rapid-response flexibility to India’s ASW operations.
India’s Scorpene-class Kalvari submarines, built with French collaboration, offer superior stealth, modern sonar suites, and advanced weaponry like Exocet missiles and Black Shark torpedoes, outclassing the Hangor class in stealth and sensor capabilities. Further, India is developing indigenous AIP technology to enhance future submarine variants, enhancing underwater endurance and autonomy.
This technological edge is coupled with a robust maritime domain awareness network involving satellite surveillance, coastal radar, and intelligence-sharing through frameworks like the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), enabling real-time tracking of submarine movements in critical areas including the Arabian Sea.
Pakistan’s Hangor-class submarines face a constricting operational environment due to this integrated and multi-layered Indian ASW network, greatly reducing their ability to operate undetected. This erodes Pakistan’s undersea deterrent and second-strike capability, key goals of their submarine acquisition program.
Despite the strategic intent, the Hangor-class fleet’s limitations and integration challenges, along with strategic delays, create a costly investment with questionable operational impact. India’s sustained focus on enhancing ASW capabilities, indigenous technology, and information dominance means the Hangor-class submarines risk becoming a strategic liability rather than a force multiplier in the Indian Ocean region’s contested maritime domain.
