India Alarmed by Bangladesh’s Interest in JF-17 Fighter Jets Amid Growing Strategic Realignment with China and Pakistan
India views the potential deal not merely as a defence procurement, but as a geo-strategic shift that threatens to redraw the security architecture of South Asia.
(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — Bangladesh’s reported interest in acquiring up to 32 JF-17 “Thunder” multirole fighters, a joint development between Pakistan and China, has stirred strategic anxieties in New Delhi.
India views the potential deal not merely as a defence procurement, but as a geo-strategic shift that threatens to redraw the security architecture of South Asia.
According to defence sources familiar with regional dynamics, New Delhi is actively exploring ways to derail the acquisition, perceiving it as a deepening of Dhaka’s ties with its two foremost geopolitical rivals—Beijing and Islamabad.
The JF-17 “Thunder”, a cost-effective, combat-proven fighter platform developed by Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) and Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG), is already in frontline service with the Pakistan Air Force, including its most sophisticated iteration, the Block III variant.
The Block III incorporates technologies inspired by China’s fifth-generation J-20 “Mighty Dragon”, including low observability enhancements, advanced sensors, and next-generation avionics, significantly raising the jet’s operational ceiling.
India’s strategic calculus is further complicated by what it sees as Bangladesh drifting beyond its sphere of influence, with Dhaka’s growing military partnership with both China and Pakistan representing a multi-vector challenge to Indian primacy in the Bay of Bengal.
Analysts argue that the potential sale of JF-17s to Bangladesh could be a deliberate geopolitical maneuver by Beijing and Islamabad, aiming to tighten a strategic pincer around India’s eastern flank.
JF-17
This unfolding defence realignment comes against the backdrop of severely strained bilateral ties between India and Bangladesh, particularly after the August 2024 toppling of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Massive student-led protests ousted the long-serving premier, who fled to India and now lives in political exile under New Delhi’s protection.
Her successor, Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus, has taken a markedly different foreign policy direction—one that is not only independent but increasingly oriented toward non-traditional partners in the Islamic and Sino-sphere.
Dhaka has formally requested the extradition of Sheikh Hasina and several of her former cabinet ministers to face serious charges including murder and corruption, demands India has thus far stonewalled.
New Delhi’s refusal has pushed diplomatic relations into a deep freeze, further fueling Dhaka’s outreach to other regional powers.
Tensions escalated in December last year when Defence Security Asia reported that India had warned it would shoot down Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drones operated by the Bangladesh military, should they approach the Indian border.
A Bangladesh Air Force pilot inside the cockpit of JF-17 “Thunder”
An Indian defence official was quoted as saying, “We have the capability to track and shoot down any drone or object that violates Indian airspace,” reflecting the heightened alert posture along the Indo-Bangladesh frontier.
The Bayraktar TB2 ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) drones, believed to be operated by the 67th Brigade of the Bangladesh Army, reportedly conduct routine missions from Tejgaon Air Base in central Dhaka, bringing them uncomfortably close to Indian airspace.
Bangladesh has acquired 12 Bayraktar TB2 MALE-class UAVs from Türkiye, with six currently active, marking a significant leap in its autonomous surveillance and strike capabilities.
The JF-17 story resurfaced prominently following a high-level Bangladeshi military delegation visit to Pakistan on 15 January 2025, led by Lieutenant General SM Qamarul Hassan.
During talks at Pakistan Air Force Headquarters in Islamabad, the delegation met with Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar, where both sides explored avenues for deeper military-to-military cooperation.
According to Pakistani media reports, Lt Gen Hassan voiced admiration for Pakistan’s homegrown defence capabilities, with particular enthusiasm for the JF-17 fighter platform.
Bangladesh-owned Bayraktar TB2 MALE-UAV
This has reignited speculation that the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) is seriously considering the JF-17 as the centerpiece of its next-generation fighter fleet, as it seeks to phase out aging legacy platforms.
Currently, the BAF relies on outdated Chinese-made F-7 interceptors and Russian-built MiG-29s, both of which suffer from dwindling parts availability and limited combat relevance in modern air warfare.
The war in Ukraine has further complicated logistics support for Russian-origin platforms, as global sanctions have choked off the flow of critical spares from Moscow.
In contrast, the JF-17 Block III offers a low-cost, high-capability solution, ideal for medium-sized air forces aiming to project credible air power without the political baggage of Western suppliers.
At the heart of the Block III’s upgrade is the KLJ-7A Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, developed by China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC).
Chinese military analysts claim the KLJ-7A radar is on par with the AN/APG-81 radar onboard the U.S. F-35, and even comparable to the N036 radar suite installed on Russia’s Su-57 stealth fighter.
JF-17 “Thunder”
The aircraft is also armed with the PL-10 short-range infrared-guided missile, a highly maneuverable weapon comparable to the U.S. AIM-9X Sidewinder, capable of high off-boresight engagements using helmet-mounted cueing.
Complementing this is the PL-15 beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM), with an estimated reach of 200 to 300 kilometres, potentially outranging most of India’s current missile inventory, including the Astra Mk-1 and R-77 variants.
This lethal combination of sensors and standoff weaponry provides the JF-17 Block III with an asymmetric edge in long-range aerial combat, especially when paired with its data-linked situational awareness and network-centric capabilities.
The JF-17’s potential integration into the Bangladesh Air Force signals a paradigm shift in South Asian military aviation, as regional powers outside the traditional Western defence orbit embrace indigenised, affordable 4.5-generation platforms from the Sino-Pakistani defence ecosystem.
For New Delhi, the implications are profound—not just from an airpower balance perspective, but in the broader context of China’s strategic encroachment into India’s near abroad.
PL-15 Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM)
Bangladesh’s defence diversification thus represents a quiet but potent geopolitical counterweight to India’s long-held dominance in the subcontinent.
As Dhaka courts Islamabad and Beijing for its military modernisation, India finds itself facing a multi-front strategic dilemma, increasingly boxed in by a tightening axis of regional defence collaboration spearheaded by its traditional adversaries.
In the great game of South Asian security, the JF-17 “Thunder” may soon emerge as more than just a fighter jet—it could well be a lightning rod for the next chapter of regional realignment.
