Overview

• The Pakistan Navy held a launching ceremony for its third Hangor-class submarine, the future PNS Mangro, at Wuchang Shipbuilding in Wuhan on August 15, 2025.
• The eight-boat agreement signed in April 2015 allocates construction of four submarines in China and four at Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works under a transfer-of-technology scheme.
• Vice Admiral Abdul Samad said the submarine’s stealth features and advanced sensors will bolster regional maritime stability and sustain power equilibrium.
• Analysts describe the Hangor-class as an export variant of China’s Type 039B Yuan design with assumed air-independent propulsion and potential compatibility with Pakistan’s Babur-3 submarine-launched cruise missile.
• The launch of the third hull demonstrates ongoing progress in the programme despite slippages against the original 2022–2028 delivery timeline.