Pakistan’s Hangor-class submarine fires missile, raising stakes in the Arabian Sea

Even as India's long-delayed P-75(I) project for six new-generation submarines continues to hang fire, Pakistan on Sunday announced that its newly inducted Chinese-built AIP submarine had successfully test-fired an anti-ship cruise missile in the North Arabian Sea. Sources in the Indian defence establishment identified the missile as the Chinese YJ-18, assessed to be derived from the Russian Klub family, with some variants claiming a strike range of up to 540 km.The test comes just 12 days after a Pakistani naval vessel and an Indian warship collided in the North Arabian Sea on September 15. India had lodged a strong protest, holding that PNS Hunain approached the Indian warship at high speed and manoeuvred unsafely. Islamabad disputed the account.