As tensions rise on the Indian subcontinent, the seldom-discussed naval theatre of warfare is once again in the spotlight. As per the latest reports, the Indian Navy had deployed their aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant, to the Arabian Sea; subsequent patrols by the Pakistan Navy have forced the ship to retreat and dock at its home base, INS Kadamba, in the southern state of Karnataka. The Vikrant is India’s first domestically produced aircraft carrier and one of two carriers presently in service—the other being the former Soviet carrier Baku, renamed the INS Vikramaditya and serving as the Indian Navy’s flagship. The ship carries an air group of 26 MiG-29K fighter aircraft along with up to 10 helicopters from India’s diverse fleet of American, Russian, and indigenous platforms.
The Indian Navy itself is a behemoth. With two carrier groups and a nuclear submarine component, the force is better equipped than most others around the world and possesses long-range force projection capabilities—making it a blue-water navy. Their persistent rival, Pakistan’s Navy, is reasonably well equipped but lacks the offensive capabilities granted by nuclear-powered submarines and floating airfields. Which raises the question: Why doesn’t Pakistan, while trying their best to match India on the ground and in the air, try to match India’s seaborne strength?
The simple answer to this question is that Pakistan has no need to match India at sea and that pursuing offensive naval capabilities at that scale is prohibitively expensive. The Pakistan Navy is referred to as a green water navy, meaning that its primary task is the defence of the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone—the area 200 nautical miles beyond a country’s shores where they exercise rights to natural resources as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS)—with limited capacity to operate in adjacent areas such as the larger Arabian Sea region and the Persian Gulf.
As a defensive navy, the Pakistanis place a great emphasis on anti-surface and anti-air missiles as well as anti-submarine capabilities on their surface vessels. The current fleet of the Pakistan Navy is dominated by Turkish and Chinese vessels such as the Tughril and Zulfiqar class frigates and the Babur and Azmat class corvettes—smaller and faster than larger vessels like destroyers and carriers—with a number of missile boats, gunboats, and hovercraft to round out combat capabilities and assist in the navy’s secondary role of maritime law enforcement. Notably, Pakistan became one of seven countries operating missile tracking ships when the navy commissioned the PNS Rizwan in 2023; these ships, often called ‘spy ships’, track missile launches with powerful onboard radars and house a myriad of different sensors and allied equipment.
The Submarine Command hosts five French Agosta submarines, with the three larger Agosta 90B Class subs able to launch the Babur-III cruise missile, which can be armed with a nuclear warhead. These boats are expected to be retired soon, with eight replacement Hangor class boats expected to be operational by 2030; the first two of four Hangors built by the China Shipbuilding Trading Company have already been launched and are undergoing tests. The remaining four boats are to be built by the Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works. The Pakistan Navy also operates three Cosmos-class midget submarines, primarily as Swimmer Delivery Vehicles for the Special Service Group (Navy).
The cost of procuring, operating, and maintaining major naval assets such as aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines is also immense. The INS Vikrant ended up costing India $3.1 billion, with each of its 26 MiG-29K fighters costing an additional $55 million. The INS Arihant, India’s first indigenous nuclear submarine—one which was famously left inoperable for ten months after a crew member accidentally left a rear hatch open and allowed seawater to flood and corrode the sub’s pipework—cost a similar sum of nearly $3 billion, with three ships of the type in service, two planned, and ten other nuclear-powered submarines planned. In comparison, each of Pakistan’s eight brand new Hangor-class subs is estimated to cost $500 million; the most expensive surface ships in Pakistan’s fleet, the Tughril-class frigates, cost approximately $350 million apiece. With an annual defence budget of around $8 billion, Pakistan often tries to find cost-effective defence solutions.
Of course, not having an aircraft carrier does not bar the Pakistan Navy from having aviation capabilities. The Naval Air Arm operates a variety of helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and fixed-wing aircraft for use in surveillance, anti-sub/anti-surface warfare, electronic warfare, and rescue duties. The Pakistan Air Force also has naval strike capabilities, with aircraft from the 32 Tactical Attack Wing based at PAF Base Masroor in Karachi tasked with conducting attack missions at sea.
Lastly, a testament to the competence and operational readiness of the Pakistan Navy is their long-time participation in anti-piracy operations in the Arabian Sea and around the Horn of Africa under the auspices of Combined Task Forces 150 and 151; the Pakistan Navy holds the distinction of having commanded CTF 150 thirteen times and CTF 151 eleven times, the most frequent among all member navies.
All in all, the role the Pakistan Navy plays in the country’s defence doctrine is protecting the coastline and making naval action in Pakistan’s territorial waters costly for any hostile actors, a role it has proven to be fairly effective in. Its other role as a maritime patrol and police force—largely handled by the navy-run Maritime Security Agency—is also fulfilled sufficiently in the current configuration of the fleet. Any addition of expensive force projection assets would only serve to burden the force and drain its resources.