The Cut-Rate Submarine: Why Hangor Isn’t the Yuan Beijing Keeps for Itself

Pakistan’s much-hyped Hangor-class submarine programme has been repeatedly showcased as a technological leap in its naval modernisation drive. But beneath the fanfare lies a crucial detail: the Hangor is not the same as the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) frontline Yuan-class submarine.

Instead, it is a cut-down export derivative, the S26 design, that lacks several of the high-end features that make the Yuan a formidable asset in China’s own undersea arsenal.

Hangor: The Export Yuan

The Hangor-class submarines being built for Pakistan under Chinese assistance are based on the S26 design, an export-optimised derivative of the Type-039A/B Yuan-class.

The Yuan is the PLAN’s primary conventional submarine, combining diesel-electric propulsion with an advanced Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) system. It has been deployed extensively in the East and South China Seas, giving China a stealthy and persistent undersea presence.

However, the S26 export variant offered to Pakistan is deliberately stripped of sensitive technologies. This mirrors Beijing’s long-standing pattern: export boats are never identical to domestic frontline assets. The Hangor is a tailored package designed to provide Pakistan with capability without giving away China’s crown jewels.

Limits of Export Submarines

Export submarines typically differ from their domestic equivalents in three main areas: sensors, combat management systems (CMS), and acoustic quieting.

The Yuan’s PLAN variants are believed to carry advanced flank-array sonars and towed-array systems optimised for long-range detection in contested waters. Export versions like the S26 are almost certainly equipped with less capable sensor suites, which reduces their ability to detect quiet adversary submarines at range.

Modern submarines rely on CMS to fuse sonar, electronic warfare, and tactical data into actionable targeting solutions. The Yuan-class in PLAN service integrates advanced Chinese CMS platforms that benefit from Beijing’s network-centric warfare doctrine. Export boats are offered downgraded versions with fewer networking features, limiting interoperability and overall lethality.

Submarine stealth depends on advanced hull coatings, machinery isolation, and hydrodynamic shaping. The Yuan reportedly incorporates state-of-the-art quieting technologies, reducing its noise profile significantly. It is highly unlikely that the Hangor will benefit from the same degree of acoustic dampening, leaving it more detectable to Indian Navy anti-submarine warfare assets.

From Brochure to Boat

While Pakistan Navy officials and Chinese marketing brochures highlight the Hangor’s endurance, AIP capabilities, and strike options, the real measure of the submarine’s value will emerge only after post-launch integration and sea trials.

Submarine programmes are notoriously complex; what appears credible on paper can falter in practice if integration between propulsion, sensors, and weapons systems is not seamless.

Moreover, AIP endurance claims must be tested in real-world deployments. The PLAN’s Yuan boats reportedly achieve weeks of submerged operations. But it remains to be seen if the S26/Hangor derivative can deliver comparable performance under the demanding conditions of the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.

Strategic Calculus Behind Beijing’s Export Choices

China’s decision to limit what it exports is rooted in both security and strategy. By offering downgraded versions, Beijing ensures its technological edge is preserved against even close partners like Pakistan.

At the same time, providing submarines like the Hangor ties the Pakistan Navy’s future operational model closely to Chinese logistics, training, and doctrine. This creates long-term dependency, reinforcing the Sino-Pakistani strategic partnership while avoiding the risk of sensitive technologies leaking abroad.

For Pakistan, the Hangor nonetheless represents a generational improvement over its ageing Agosta-90B and Agosta-70 boats. Even with downgraded features, the new submarines provide longer underwater endurance, modern combat systems, and expanded weapons options, particularly anti-ship cruise missiles that can project power into the Arabian Sea.

India’s Viewpoint

From an Indian perspective, the Hangor’s arrival does increase the undersea threat environment in the Indian Ocean. However, it is not a game-changer.

The Indian Navy already fields advanced Scorpène-class Kalvari submarines with French quieting technologies, and it continues to expand its surveillance, P-8I patrol aircraft, and indigenous ASW helicopter fleets. The differential between PLAN frontline Yuans and Pakistan’s Hangors provides India with exploitable advantages in detection and tracking.

The Hangor may be sold as Pakistan’s answer to the Yuan, but in reality, it is a cut-rate derivative of China’s frontline submarine. Downgraded sensors, combat management systems, and likely reduced quieting ensure that it will not match the PLAN’s own undersea capabilities.

Post-launch trials will be the true test of whether the S26 export package lives up to its claims. For now, the Hangor reinforces Pakistan’s reliance on China but falls short of being the Yuan that Beijing keeps for itself.