Militär Aktuell reported on Bangladesh’s growing interest in the Eurofighter Typhoon back in May, when Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmud Khan completed a flight in the Eurofighter ISPA6 in Italy. This interest has now taken an official form: On December 9, the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) and the Italian Eurofighter partner Leonardo signed a letter of intent at BAF headquarters regarding the possible future procurement of the European multi-role fighter.

Bangladesh has been actively looking for a modern western fighter aircraft since 2021. At the time, the BAF asked the government for around 25,200 crore taka – the equivalent of just under 3 billion euros – to purchase 16 multi-role jets as part of the “Forces Goal 2030” modernization programme. The letter of intent that has now been signed does not yet specify the number of units, but indicates a requirement of between ten and sixteen Typhoons. Whether these will be newly produced jets – presumably in the Tranche 4 standard – or used aircraft remains to be seen.

Memorandum of understanding signed - ©BAF
Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmud Khan, Italy’s Ambassador Antonio Alessandro and high-ranking representatives of both armed forces were present at the signing of the memorandum of understanding.

Should Bangladesh actually place an order and become the next new customer after Turkey (-> Turkey has opted for a total of 44 new and used Eurofighter fighter jets), it would be the eleventh Eurofighter operator worldwide and the first outside Europe and the Middle East.

A very heterogeneous fleet

The planned Typhoon procurement would be part of the replacement for the ageing Chengdu J-7 (a Chinese MiG-21 derivative) and the outdated MiG-29s. Like many users of Russian systems, Bangladesh is also suffering from increasingly difficult supply chains, as Russia is at war with Ukraine. war against Ukraine is prioritizing its own needs. At the same time, Dhaka maintains close relations with China and continues to show interest in purchasing up to 20 J-10Cs. In addition, Bangladesh is seen as the next potential customer for the Pakistani JF-17 Thunder. Back in the 2010s, the BAF procured several Jak-130s for jet training and light combat missions – a further sign of the country’s highly diverse fleet.

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The fact that Bangladesh is considering Western fighter jets is nothing new: back in 2015, the then designated Air Chief Marshal Abu Esrar declared that Russian and Chinese models would no longer have the desired deterrent effect against regional players. The move that has now taken place brings the Eurofighter Typhoon closer than ever before to Bangladesh’s ambitious modernization plans.

Here for more news about the armed forces from Bangladesh and here for more Eurofighter news.

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