A commissioning ceremony for the first submarine, named Hangor, was held in Sanya, China, attended by President Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Navy chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf, the military said.

The statement did not specify the total number of submarines involved, but a Pakistani government official said the program includes eight submarines, with four to be built in China and delivered directly to Pakistan, while the remaining four will be produced domestically under a transfer-of-technology arrangement.

The official said the local production element would also allow Pakistan to potentially export submarines in the future through its defense manufacturing sector.Pakistan and China are long-standing strategic allies, and military cooperation between the two countries has expanded further since Islamabad’s conflict with India last year, particularly in air and naval defense systems.

The submarine induction follows Pakistan’s deployment of Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets, which Islamabad says were used operationally for the first time during the 2025 conflict with India.

Pakistan has said the aircraft formed part of its air operations in which Indian French-made Dassault Rafale fighter jets were shot down, a claim that has remained a major point of contention between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

Admiral Ashraf described the submarine program as “an important milestone to bolster our maritime defense and modernize our fleet with cutting-edge technology.”He said the Hangor-class submarines, equipped with advanced sensors, modern weapons systems and air-independent propulsion technology, would strengthen Pakistan’s ability to preserve maritime stability and deter aggression in the region.

Air-independent propulsion allows submarines to remain submerged for longer periods without surfacing, significantly enhancing stealth and operational endurance.

The announcement comes after Pakistan conducted a series of missile tests in recent weeks, signaling continued military readiness amid persistent regional tensions.

Pakistan and India have fought three wars since independence from British rule in 1947, and defense modernization remains central to strategic planning on both sides of the border.