Country to be self-sufficient in making submarines soon: KS&EW official

KARACHI: Pakistan is going to be self-sufficient in submarine production in the coming years. Talking to Business Recorder at the Karachi shipyard’s stall during the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) 2022 at the Expo Centre, Karachi, Commodore Muhammad Jahanzeb Ahsan, general manager for design and shipbuilding at the Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works Ltd (KS&EW), said that his organisation has an agreement to provide eight Hangor class submarines to the Pakistan Navy (PN).

For this purpose, the KS&EW is currently manufacturing four such submarines in China under the technology transfer agreement while the other four will be built in Pakistan, he said and hoped that the country would get self-sufficiency in submarine production after the completion of the project.

Moreover, Commodore Muhammad Jahanzeb Ahsan said that the PN Milgem class corvette warship was also being manufactured in collaboration with Turkey to counter air, surface, and submarines operations more effectively besides enhancing the capability of surveillance and intelligence gathering operations day & night of Pakistan Navy.

Karachi Shipyard has achieved self-sufficiency in many projects and will cross many important milestones in coming years, especially after the completion of technology transfer agreements, he said and added that the KS&EW had also started working on the prototype of Jinnah class frigate, which will also be equipped with surveillance, intelligence, and other modern facilities in addition to the surface, undersea and air attack and rescue.

As like the Karachi Shipyard stall, the first indigenous Anti-Ship Cruise Missile 'Harbah-NG' has also become the centre of attention of foreign delegates.

The 'Harbah-NG' was launched by Global Industrial & Defence Solutions Pakistan (GIDS), a state-owned organization operating under the patronage of Joint Staff Headquarters, mandated for the exports of defence products in the international markets.

HARBAH-NG is all-weather, ship-launched Subsonic Anti-Ship Cruise Missile with a range of 290-km that can target enemy ships and land-based installations with an accuracy of less than a 10m radius.

It has been designed to maintain a low-altitude, terrain-following flight profile which makes it capable of successfully evading the enemy’s countermeasures during the operational mode.

The missile has an exceptional modular design, facilitating variations to the warhead, guidance & range capabilities. It is offered in both Air & Ground launched variants.

This missile has brought Pakistan into the list of a few elite countries in the world capable of selling cruise missile technology in the international market.

The company has also displayed an advanced unmanned aerial vehicle, Shahpar II, with enhanced capability to take a payload of up to 45 kilograms under each wing station. The company is also offering naval systems, integrated systems, land systems, NBC defence, security, and riot protection products for exports.

Meanwhile, National Radio & Telecommunication Corporation (NR&TC) has launched an indigenous anti-drone system (reactive multi-frequency jammer) along with an AI combat robot and EOD equipment, which are being exported to African and middle eastern countries.

Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Governor Sindh Kamran Khan Tessori also inspected the defence equipment during their visits to the different pavilions of the defence exhibition.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022