IMO the Agosta 90B is a prototypical example of our authorities not clearly or openly communicating the facts.
The 'ToT' in as far as building those submarines was provided, i.e., DCNS -- in its capacity as a shipbuilder -- gave KSEW the means to build those subs.
But what DCNS isn't is the dozens of subcontractors who had been tasked to provide the steel, engines and electronics for those submarines. There was no way Pakistan would get ToT for every one of those inputs. Be it France, Germany or now China, we're not getting all of the inputs, our ToT is confined to KSEW taking the materials (from imports) and manufacturing them according to the OEM's specs.
Once we're done with the Chinese submarines, we'll be exactly where we had started
unless we master the inputs, or at least some of them (e.g. steel).
To truly localize our shipbuilding, we need to Project Azm our surface warship and submarine programs. In other words, we need to pursue original design work and invest in locally developing the core inputs (e.g., steel, electronics). One way to do this is to work with someone on a similar track, e.g., Turkey.
Turkey's STM has its own submarine design project. It's in the conceptual phase and will be a while before it materializes, but it's the right direction. We can join them and learn together. I feel we might not even be far from such a direction, e.g., ASFAT will help MTC design an original frigate, Jinnah Class.
