Bangladesh’s Armed Forces Modernisation plans remain unclear amid conflicting reports of aircraft purchases, economic limits, and shifting regional alliances.
There have been conflicting claims on Bangladesh's plans to update its air fleet, with sources saying that it is looking at both Chinese and Pakistani fighter planes. Even though it doesn't have a lot of money, Dhaka seems set on improving its defensive capabilities.
Relations with Pakistan have gotten a lot better in the last year, while relations with India are still strained. Bangladesh's decision to buy military weapons from both China and Pakistan at the same time is considered as the strongest indicator that its long-standing security relationship with New Delhi may come to an end.
The Bangladesh Air Force wants to replace its old MiG-29 and F-7 aircraft as part of its Forces Goal 2030 plan. The procedure has sped up because of increased security worries near the border with Myanmar and ongoing political tensions with India.
BDMilitary has wrote that Bangladesh aims to buy ten Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 3, 20 Chinese J-10CE, and 16 Pakistani JF-17 Block III planes. The same article said that the nation wants to buy six T129 ATAK helicopters from Turkish Aerospace. But none of these assertions have been validated by official authorities yet.
It said that the Amardesh newspaper was the source of the information.
While Amardesh contains references to a potential JF-17 purchase, TurDef could not locate any Bengali-language reporting or official information concerning the J-10CE. This discrepancy may stem from language-based publication limitations, but the JF-17 references also appear across other local outlets — deepening the uncertainty over which platform Dhaka will ultimately choose.
Dhaka will likely have to manage the procurement process through foreign financing and long-term credit agreements. The country’s foreign-exchange reserves remain low under its IMF programme, while inflation has persisted in double digits. These fiscal pressures limit both the pace and scale of any large-scale air-power modernisation.
The same news source also said that by the end of 2025, Bangladesh plans to sign a big air-defence agreement with Türkiye for the SİPER long-range air and missile defence system.
ASELSAN, ROKETSAN, and TÜBİTAK SAGE created SİPER, which covers 360 degrees and can shoot down planes, cruise missiles, UAVs, and helicopters.





However, the main challenge lies in availability: Türkiye has only recently begun inducting SİPER into its own inventory, making rapid export delivery to Bangladesh highly improbable in the near term.

Bangladesh Air Force modernization clouded by uncertainty | TURDEF
Bangladesh’s Armed Forces Modernisation plans remain unclear amid conflicting reports of aircraft purchases, economic limits, and shifting regional alliances.

Le Source:- https://www.kalerkantho.com/print-edition/first-page/2025/10/15/1591734