The following is based on a translation of a report on a Chinese news site:

A report in huanqiu.com quoted a report in the Pakistani Tribune News Network that China and Pakistan concluded a contract this week with China to export eight conventional submarines, worth several billion US dollars, to Pakistan.

Pakistan is reported to be importing the Chinese submarines to deal with the French Scorpène-class submarines that India will import.

A retired Pakistani senior official was quoted as saying that the contract is worth US$4-5 billion.

Pakistan is to make payment in 4 instalments, while the subs will be delivered one by one in the coming few years.

The sub China has sold is its S20 submarine, an export version of China’s Yuan-class submarine.

According to Jane’s Defence Weekly, the S20 is 66 meters long, 8 meters wide and 8.2 meters high with a displacement on the surface of 1,850 tons and underwater, 2,300 tons.

The S20s sold to Pakistan are all double-hulled ones installed with an AIP system.

It has a maximum speed of 18 knots and a maximum range of 8,000 nautical miles at a speed of 16 knots.

It can submerge to a maximum depth of 300 meters.

According to the report, the S20 is installed with the Chinese sonar acoustic system as advanced as that used in the advanced submarines in other countries and armed with six 533-mm torpedo launch tubes for radiation wire-guided torpedoes, anti-ship missiles, rocket-boosted anti-submarine torpedoes and anti-torpedo torpedoes.

Contributed by “Tiananmen’s Tremendous Achievements” – Author of “Tiananmen’s Tremendous Achievements” and “Space Era Strategy” – Also English/Chinese translation service

Source: huanqiu.com “Good News on China’s Arms Export! Contract concluded on sales of submarines worth billions of US dollars” (summary by Chan Kai Yee based on the report in Chinese)

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