PNS/M ''Saad'' (S-138) is a diesel-electric fast-attack submarine equipped with an air–independent propulsion

system A system is a group of interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its open system (systems theory), environment, is described by its boundaries, str ...

and the second of the ''Agosta-90B''/''Khalid''-class submarines jointly designed and constructed by

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. PNS ''Saad'' is regarded as the Pakistan's first home-built long-range submarine and one of the complex project of submarine construction using the military-grade steel to be built in Pakistan.

Overview

After the series of complicated and lengthy negotiations between the governments of

and

, she was placed on order by the

Pakistan Navy The Pakistan Navy (PN) (; ''romanized'': Pākistān Bahrí'a; ) is the naval warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The Chief of the Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Com ...

on 21 September 1994. In June 1998, she was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...

by the French contractor, DCNS, in

Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...

. ''Saad'' is unique among her class because she was partially built in

and was shipped to Naval Base Karachi to be completed by the KSEW Ltd. in

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

. Meanwhile, ''Khalid'', the

lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships that are all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very comple ...

, was built entirely in France, while , the third submarine of the class, was built entirely in Pakistan. In 2009, there were several proposals that called for a further three submarines of the class to all be built entirely in Pakistan. Prior to her launch, the 11 of the 80 French naval personnel in Pakistan to supervise the completion of ''Saad'' were killed when their

transit bus A transit bus (also big bus, commuter bus, city bus, town bus, urban bus, stage bus, public bus, public transit bus, or simply bus) is a type of bus used in public transport bus services. Several configurations are used, including low-floo ...

was struck by a car filled with explosives. Contemporary news accounts reported that the French Chief of the Defence Staff, General

Jean-Pierre Kelche Jean-Pierre Kelche is a soldier of the French Armed Forces who served as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces from 9 April 1998 until 30 October 2002. Jean-Pierre Kelche, a general of the army was born 19 January 1942 in Mâcon, France, his fami ...

, blamed the

al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

for the attack took place on 8 May 2002. On 24 August 2002, ''Saad'' was launched in Karachi's coast before being set for further trials in deep sea. On 20 January 2003, ''Saad'' was tested for its propulsion system, chain steering system, fuel system, speed monitoring system, communication system and submarines habitability and atmospheric control system, according to the Pakistani military's ISPR. She was reportedly tested for her depth ratings, reaching at 400m under the sea. Her successful depth ratings were reported by the

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

who later marked Pakistan's entry into the small club of countries to be able to build the modernized diesel-electric submarines. On 12 December 2003, she was commissioned into the Pakistan Navy as PNS Saad, a namesake after

Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas ibn Wuhayb al-Zuhri () was an Arab Muslim commander. He was the founder of Kufa and served as its governor under Umar ibn al-Khattab. He played a leading role in the Muslim conquest of Persia and was a close companion of the ...

– the

companion Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

. At the time her launching,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

reportedly bought the

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

from

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

to counter the submarine's threat in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

but did not enter in the service of the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...

until 2013. Her complement crew varies but is reported at 41 personnel (7 officers, 35 enlisted).

Upgrades

In 2011, she underwent with overhauling, and retrofitted her propulsion system with the

air-independent propulsion Air-independent propulsion (AIP), or air-independent power, is any marine propulsion technology that allows a non-nuclear submarine to operate without access to atmospheric oxygen (by surfacing or using a snorkel). AIP can augment or replace th ...

(AIP) systems by the technicians at the KSEW Ltd. On 6 March 2018, the DCNS, its original builder, lost the bidding competition with the Turkish firm, STM, for its refitting and upgradation of her weapon system, combat control system, missile rooms, and periscope upgrades, and will receive her upgrades by the Turkish technical firms at the KSEW Ltd. in 2021 following the delivery of the PNS Khalid that is slated to be return to her military service in 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saad (S138) Khalid-class submarines Ships built in France Ships built in Pakistan 2002 ships Submarines of Pakistan

Overview

Upgrades

See also

References