Pakistan Navy has recently announced a deal for eight variants of the Type 039 Yuan Class submarines from China, which shall be an addition to the Pakistan Navy Fleet. With some older submarines retiring, this seems a wise acquisition, but is there a slight oversight by the Navy in this deal?
With 4 submarines reported to be arriving in 2022-2023, and 4 more to be constructed in Karachi and handed over by 2028, the deal represents a tactical failure. With the world and technology moving apace, the submarines are in danger of being well out of date by the time all eight are operational. While they do represent an improvement for the Pakistan Navy, they are by no means the only subs needed. In a similar time frame, India is expected to add 15-20 Submarines, which means that the Naval Battle will not be any easier.
The Type 039A is China's first AIP powered submarine, and has the advantage of being one of the quietest submarines of its class, meaning it is significantly harder to detect. One of the greatest advantages for Pakistan is that construction at KSEW (Karachi Shipping and Engineering Works) means that great technical expertise will also be obtained, which will help Pakistan in furthering their own indigenous submarine ambitions.
The time frame though, could be better, and it is that alone which means that the deal turns from a good one, to one that might potentially be good.
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