Why is it in the news?

• China has launched the first of eight advanced Hangor-class submarines for Pakistan, as part of an agreement between the two countries.

More about the news

• The agreement stipulates that China will provide Pakistan with a total of eight state-of-the-art submarines.
• Four of these submarines are being built by WSIG, while the remaining four are under construction at KS&EW (Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works) as part of a Transfer of Technology (ToT) agreement.
• The submarines are equipped with advanced stealth features and will be fitted with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors.
• They are designed to operate effectively in a multi-threat environment and can engage targets at stand-off ranges.