Pakistan’s purchase of Chinese submarines will strengthen its Naval shield

Military Analysts claim that Pakistan’s planned purchase of eight modern Yuan-class diesel-electric submarines from China will provide a significant expansion of the nation’s fleet and will give Pakistan a notable Anti-Access/Area Denial capability against the Indian Navy. A stealthy submarine fleet packing a punch would be particularly useful in case of an Indian blockade of Pakistan, and would give New Delhi pause before sending out its new (under construction) aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant.

They say that China has also recently deployed submarines to the Indian Ocean and the Chinese submarines were ostensibly in the area to participate in the ongoing anti-piracy campaign in the Gulf of Aden with several other Chinese naval vessels. The subs are almost certainly conducting exercises, surveys, and even combat training exercises for future operations in the Indian Ocean. Of note, the Chinese naval deployment to the area included a recent visit by a Yuan-class sub to a major navy shipyard in Karachi.

Based on a U.S. Naval War College report published earlier this year, China will probably not build overseas military bases similarly to the U.S., France or Russia in the near future to avoid overstretching naval resources closer to home. Keep in mind that China is quite a long distance from the Indian Ocean, and Pakistan is a useful partner in the region.

The analysts stat that submarine crews need to be rotated. Having a location for docking relatively close to a sub’s area of operations makes it much easier to rotate crews, take on fresh supplies and undertake any required maintenance. The Chinese Navy has already taken advantage of ports in Oman, Djibouti and Aden for these purposes during its anti-piracy campaigns in the Gulf of Aden. That said, only surface vessels have docked at these facilities to date.

Experts say that submarines typically need specialized facilities for rearming or resupply and certainly for repairs. Making arrangements for a sufficiently equipped resupply location in the friendliest state in the region instead of trying to build an expensive and controversial naval base makes perfect sense.

A Pakistani naval facility which already berths similar subs would obviously be ideal for the purpose. This solution would obviate the need to permanently station a large number of personnel overseas, while offering maintenance facilities for routine repairs that submarines will need in order to continue to operate at sea over long periods of time.

The Yuan-class submarine is China’s first class of submarines to utilize a domestically designed and constructed Air-Independent Propulsion system, giving the modern subs a cruising speed of 18 knots and a range of more than 8,000 nautical miles. The export version of the Chinese Yuan (the S-20) does not usually come equipped with the AIP, but sources report that Pakistan has apparently been able to convince the Chinese provide the latest upgraded version of the subs. Naval analysts also point out that the Yuan is designed with advanced noise reduction techniques including anechoic tiles, passive/active noise reduction and an almost silent asymmetrical seven-blade skewed propeller.

All of this cutting edge technology makes the Yuan-class the quietest non-nuclear sub in the People’s Navy. Yuan-class subs also include an impressive arsenal. As well as six tubes firing standard 553 mm torpedoes, the Chinese sub features the YJ-8/8A Anti-Ship Cruise Missile. While this missile only currently offers a maximum range of 30-42 km, the Chinese are working to add the YJ-18 ASCM to the Yuan class. These improved anti-ship missiles supposedly have a range of 220 km and represent a significant A2/AD “force multiplier” for theYuan class. If or when Pakistan will acquire the more advanced ASCM missiles for their Yuans, or opt to go with their domestically produced Hatf VII Babur ASCM is unclear at this time the Analysts state.