ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Navy ​will be getting a fleet of advanced Chinese submarines, a statement from the military and a government official said on Thursday, a move to strengthen Islamabad’s maritime security as part of a growing defense cooperation with Beijing.

The subs are in addition to Chinese-made J10-C fighter jets, which were war-tested for the first ‌time during ‌last year’s Pakistan-India conflict.

Pakistan and China ​are ‌longtime ⁠allies ​and their ⁠defense cooperation has been enhanced since the conflict erupted.

Islamabad says the Chinese-made planes were part of its air assault that downed India’s French-made Rafale fighter jets last summer.

A ceremony to commission the first of the submarines, which will be called Hangor, was held in ⁠Sanya, China, with Pakistani President Asif Ali ‌Zardari and naval chief ‌Admiral Naveed Ashraf in attendance, the ​military statement said.

It didn’t ‌mention the number of submarines involved or any further ‌details.

A Pakistani government official said the fleet would consist of eight submarines; four would be made in China and delivered to Islamabad, while another four will be made ‌in Pakistan under a transfer-of-technology program.

“We will also be in a position to offer ⁠their exports ⁠under our defense production in future,” he said.

Ashraf called it “an important milestone to bolster our maritime defense and modernize our fleet with cutting-edge technology.”

Hangor class submarines — armed with state-of-the-art weapons, advanced sensors and air-independent propulsion — will be a key to preserving maritime order and stability in the region and play a role in deterring aggression, Ashraf said.

The news on the submarines came after Pakistan tested a number of missiles ​in recent weeks.

Pakistan ​and India have fought three wars since their independence from British rule in 1947.