India-Bangladesh relations have taken a nosedive after the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad, coming to the helm in Dhaka
India-Bangladesh relations: Bangladesh, which has moved closer to India’s rivals, Pakistan and China, and adopted a confrontational stance against New Delhi after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime in August, is now mulling to acquire J-10c fighter jets from China to upgrade its ageing warplanes, a move that geopolitical experts warn could prove costly for Dhaka and further deteriorate the worsening India-Bangladesh relations.
According to a report by Indian Defence Research Wing (IDRW) website, Bangladesh Air Force Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, who visited China last month, where he witnessed Zhuhai air show, told reporters that Dhaka was “devotedly trying to acquire multirole combat aircrafts and attack helicopters”.
Bangladesh planning to upgrade air force fleet
Citing sources, the report said that the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) was considering to buy 16 J-10CE fighters, a variant of the J-10C made for export by China. Notably, Bangladesh is the second-largest arms buyer for China after Pakistan, the first country to purchase J-10C fighters from Beijing. The BAF had sent a delegation to China in 2018 to gauge the performance of 4.5 generation J-10c aircraft.
Defence analysts believe that while Bangladesh needs to upgrade its ageing fighter jet fleet, the J-10c is not its only option, and the country may be looking for other similar or more advanced fighters.
The J-10C Vigorous Dragon fighter, a variant J-10 4.5-generation multirole fighter jet that was first inducted in the Chinese air force in 2018, is powered by a Chinese-made WS-10B engine, and is often compared to the American-made F-16 fighter.
Currently, Bangladesh 36 F-7MG fighters, a derivative of the J-7 series designed for Bangladesh, in service. As per data shared by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Bangladesh received 16 F-7MG fighters from China in 2006, and again in 2013.
Apart from fighter jets, Bangladesh also has trainer aircraft from China, including the K-8, along with Chinese tanks, vessels, and missiles, according to a report by South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Dhaka’s move could worsen India-Bangladesh relations
Observers believe that if Bangladesh acquires the J-10c aircraft from China it would “signal a closer relationship between the two countries”, and would likely antagonise India. It would also make Bangladesh the second neighbour of India after Pakistan to acquire Chinese 4.5 gen fighters, a move which could add to mounting tensions between Beijing and New Delhi.
India-Bangladesh relations
India-Bangladesh relations have taken a nosedive after the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad, coming to the helm in Dhaka.
Bangladesh has witnessed widespread communal violence against minorities, especially Hindus, which has soured Dhaka’s ties with New Delhi, with the latter accusing the Yunus-led interim government of not doing enough, and turning a blind eye to the atrocities perpetrated by radical Islamist elements against the minority Hindu community in the country.
