Bangladesh is pressing ahead with the modernization of its armed forces as part of the “Forces Goal 2030” programme. Before the turn of the year, the Chief of Staff of the Bangladesh Biman Bahini (Bangladesh Air Force), Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, and the Italian Ambassador Antonio Alessandro signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Leonardo for the purchase of an undisclosed number of Eurofighter Typhoon.
Following a meeting between the Director of Flight Tests of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), Arif Ateş, and Lieutenant General SM Kamrul Hasan, Chief of Staff of the Bangladesh Armed Forces Division, on January 13 in Dhaka, it has now been announced that the Bangladesh Air Force will also receive TAI T-129 Atak combat helicopters. Turkish specialist media report that the six helicopters are to be delivered by 2027.
The purchase is part of a larger defense package worth almost 600 million euros, which will also include the Hisar-O air defense system developed by Roketsan and Aselsan. This development follows high-level visits by Bangladeshi military officials to Turkey and reflects the deepening of relations between Dhaka and Ankara in the face of regional security challenges.
Pandur Evolution mit Skyranger für die Fliegerabwehrbatterien
The procurement of six combat helicopters for the Bangladesh Air Force is now likely to have been successful at the third attempt. In 2020, a request was already made to the USA for the purchase of Boeing AH-64 Apache, followed by a request to Russia for the purchase of Mil Mi-28NE Night Hunter in 2021. Both projects are likely to have failed for political or financial reasons or are currently on hold.
Here for more news about the armed forces from Bangladesh.
