Just came across this, not sure if it's a repost...Is the writer just speculating or he got inside info somehow?
For several months Dhaka had been blowing hot and cold around the American combat helicopter.
For a few days now the idea of seeing Bell AH-1Z Vipers flying under the Bangladeshi cockade has evaporated, even if this country is not giving up on buying between six and ten combat helicopters .
Now the Italian industrialist Leonardo and its Turkish competitor TAI are much more visible . For purely geopolitical reasons, this Asian country refuses to call on Chinese and Russian helicopter manufacturers while Airbus Helicopters and its
Tiger are out of reach on a financial level.
Honestly, the idea of selling this combat helicopter to the
Bangladesh Army has always seemed quite risky to us. We remember the
Bangladesh Air Force 's delays around the Rafale and then
the EF-2000 Typhoon . And this did not really help to lend credibility to the Bangladeshi desire to buy between six and eight AH-1Z Vipers. Especially since these would then have been new helicopters and not second-hand machines acquired from the
US Marines Corps . Turning our back on it for reasons of purchase cost does not mean that Bangladeshi generals are giving up on equipping themselves with a combat helicopter.
Because this is the main weakness of the air element of the
Bangladesh Army : not having any means of ground attack. Only three of its five
Mil Mi-17 Hip-H can possibly provide tactical support but in no case carry out decisive actions. Especially in such an option it is impossible for them to transport troops. The need for a combat helicopter therefore seems very real.
Since the Bell AH-1Z Viper is now out of the game and the Airbus Helicopters Tiger and
Boeing AH-64E Guardian are also considered too expensive, there are not many options left for the Bangladeshis. In fact, the competition is tightening between two machines, one already operational and the other under development. The latter is the very ambitious Italian Leonardo AW.249 while the first is the Turkish
TAI T129 ATAK . A T129 also having Italian origins since it derives directly from the
Agusta A.129 Mangusta . The poor diplomatic relations between Dhaka and Beijing completely exclude the use of Chinese helicopter operators while international sanctions against Moscow
following the invasion of Ukraine prohibit going to see Kamov and Mil. The risk of delivery delays for these two manufacturers is today far too high.
If local media are to be believed, the T129 ATAK could have its share with the
Bangladesh Army Aviation. It also has another Turkish aeronautical production in its sights: the
Baykar Bayraktar TB drone. 2. A state-state agreement would allow Ankara to sell drones and combat helicopters while gaining a new customer.
So to be continued.
Le 16 août 2023, par Arnaud. Depuis plusieurs mois Dacca faisait souffler le chaud et le froid autour de l'hélicoptère de combat américain. Depuis quelques jours maintenant l'idée de Aéronefs Militaires
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