Pakistan Eyes Bay of Bengal with New Hangor Submarines, India Watches Closely

Pakistan is signaling its intention to deploy its newly acquired China-built Hangor-class submarines in the Bay of Bengal, a strategic move that would mark the first significant Pakistani naval presence in these eastern waters since its crushing defeat in the 1971 war. This development, as reported by various media outlets including India Today, has garnered close attention from India, which has traditionally enjoyed naval dominance in the region. The core of Pakistan's renewed maritime ambition lies in its new Hangor-class submarines. The PNS Hangor, the first of eight such submarines, recently arrived in Karachi after being commissioned in China in April. These submarines are based on China's Type 039A/Yuan-class design and are equipped with advanced Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) technology. AIP systems allow conventional diesel-electric submarines to remain submerged for extended periods, up to several weeks, significantly enhancing their stealth capabilities and making them harder to detect and track compared to older models that frequently need to surface or snorkel to recharge batteries. Senior Pakistan Navy officers, including Commodore Omer Farooq, have openly spoken about using these submarines to maintain a presence in the Bay of Bengal. Commodore Farooq, who commanded the flotilla escorting PNS Hangor, explicitly stated during a stopover in Sri Lanka that the submarine would provide Islamabad with the 'reach to maintain a presence in the Bay of Bengal'. This ambition is significant because Pakistan's naval footprint in the Bay of Bengal has been negligible since the 1971 war, which led to the creation of Bangladesh and a substantial loss of territory for Pakistan. The name 'Hangor' itself carries historical weight. The original Pakistani submarine PNS Hangor famously sank India's INS Khukri in the Arabian Sea during the 1971 conflict, a celebrated but ultimately isolated naval success for Pakistan in a war that ended in a decisive Indian victory. The current move, more than five decades later, symbolizes Islamabad's intent to re-establish a maritime presence in a region it effectively lost control of. India has traditionally considered the Bay of Bengal a relatively secure maritime space, primarily dominated by its Eastern Naval Command based in Visakhapatnam, which also hosts India's classified nuclear submarine base, INS Varsha. The potential entry of Pakistani submarines into these waters introduces a new layer of complexity and a psychological and operational shift for India's maritime security. Experts suggest that even a small number of stealthy, AIP-equipped submarines operating at long range could complicate India's maritime awareness, force the diversion of anti-submarine warfare assets, and potentially threaten vital sea lines of communication that connect India with Southeast Asia. The timing of Pakistan's strategic shift coincides with improving diplomatic and military ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh. Reports indicate a strengthening of defence and intelligence links between Islamabad and Dhaka, with increased high-level exchanges, direct sea trade, and even discussions of a mutual defence pact. Pakistani warships made a historic port call to Chattogram in November 2025, the first since 1971. This warming relationship provides Pakistan with potential logistical and diplomatic space to facilitate its eastern maritime ambitions. Furthermore, China's deepening defence cooperation with Bangladesh, involving the supply of fighter jets, drones, and upgrades to ports and airfields, adds another dimension to the regional geostrategic landscape. The Hangor-class program is part of China's largest arms export contract with Pakistan, highlighting Beijing's expanding influence in the Indian Ocean region and its role in enhancing Pakistan's military capabilities. For India, the greater concern is the potential emergence of a sustained Pakistan-China maritime footprint in the Bay of Bengal, which could significantly alter regional naval dynamics and potentially present a dual-front challenge in a conflict scenario. While India's navy remains significantly larger and possesses nuclear-powered submarines and a more extensive anti-submarine warfare network, the induction of the Hangor-class submarines represents a clear upgrade in Pakistan's underwater warfare capability and an attempt to extend its operational imagination beyond the Arabian Sea. India is responding by enhancing its surveillance networks, accelerating its own submarine modernization programs, and integrating AIP systems into its fleet. In summary, Pakistan's declared intent to deploy its new Hangor-class submarines in the Bay of Bengal signifies a calculated strategic shift, driven by advanced Chinese technology and evolving regional alliances. It marks a symbolic return to a theatre where Pakistan had been absent for over five decades, introducing new complexities for India's maritime security calculus and intensifying naval competition in the broader Indian Ocean Region.

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