(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets are fiercely competing to attract the interest of Bangladesh, which intends to acquire a squadron of Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) for its air force.
Under the “Force Goals 2030” program, the Bangladesh Armed Forces aim to modernize all three branches of their military with modern weaponry systems.
As part of this military modernization program, the South Asian country acquired 32 J-7/F-7 fighter jets from China, and in 2018, it advertised a tender to acquire eight MRCA for the first phase.
In the second phase, Dhaka plans to acquire four more MRCA aircraft, bringing the total to 12.
However, before it could acquire these MRCA aircraft, the COVID-19 pandemic struck worldwide, affecting Bangladesh as well and leading to the postponement of the fighter jet selection decision.
Now that the COVID-19 pandemic has passed, the South Asian country intends to resume its plans to acquire MRCA aircraft for its air force, with Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon being considered candidates for securing the Bangladesh contract.
Dhaka is expected to make its fighter jet selection decision next year.
Today, after attending the G20 summit in India, French President Emmanuel Macron has flown to Bangladesh to visit the South Asian country and meet its leaders.
Certainly, Macron will use the opportunity of his visit to Bangladesh to promote and generate interest in the country’s selection of the Rafale fighter aircraft, manufactured by Dassault Aviation, for its air force.
In a surprising and sudden move, President Macron decided to undertake a two-day working visit to Bangladesh.
Macron is likely excited about the recent increase in Rafale fighter jet sales to countries such as Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Croatia, Greece, and several others.
As a result, Paris is now intensifying its marketing efforts in Bangladesh, with the hope of attracting yet another nation to become a customer for the Rafale fighter jet.
However, one obstacle that must be faced is that Bangladesh’s neighboring country, India, also uses Rafale fighter jets, which might make Dhaka less interested in acquiring the French aircraft that are also used by its neighbor.
For this reason, many defense analysts in Bangladesh suggest that the likelihood of the country choosing the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet and rejecting the French offer is quite high at this time.
New Delhi already operates 36 Rafale fighter jets and has recently ordered an additional 26 Rafale M variants for operations on its aircraft carriers.
Because of this, the chances of the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet being chosen by the Bangladeshi government are increasing.
Dhaka is said to be “less interested” in owning the same fighter jets as its neighbor, India.
Currently, the Bangladesh Air Force operates eight MiG-29 S/UB fighter jets acquired from Russia in the early 2000s, followed by 32 Chengdu F-7 fighter jets, which are licensed versions of the MiG-21 built by China.
Production of these aircraft was terminated in 2013 after their delivery to Bangladesh.
In addition, Bangladesh also uses various types of aircraft for ground attack missions and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), with the latest assets being 16 YAK-130 aircraft (with an option for 10 more) developed by Irkut from Russia.
Bangladesh also utilizes aircraft such as the Nanchang A-5, L-39 Albatross, various training aircraft, transport aircraft like the C-130 Hercules, Mil Mi-17, and others. — DSA