Pakistan’s Anti-Access/Area-Denial Options (Part 2): Submarines Plus
The Pakistan Navy is well on its way in terms of constructing a sizable conventional submarine fleet. Its three existing Agosta 90Bs are undergoing a mid-life upgrade ahead of the much-anticipated delivery of eight Hangor (II)-class air-independent propulsion (AIP) submarines from China from 2022 to 2028. But tucked away in the 2015-2016 Ministry of Defence Production (MoDP) Yearbook and statements by Turkey’s Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik ve Ticaret AŞ (STM) is an effort by the Navy to build a new miniature submarine platform. If accorded with anti-ship warfare (AShW) and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities, this could be a significant factor for the Navy’s anti-access and area-denial efforts.
