Bangladesh has been working on ‘Forces Goal 2030’ plan for many years.
New Delhi: India’s enemies have started giving military help to Bangladesh on the lines of Pakistan. The military modernization plan ‘Forces Goal 2030’ on which the Bangladesh Army was working for the last one and a half decade has now reached a decisive turn. Under this plan, Bangladesh has fully inducted the Turkish-made TRG-300 Kaplan guided multiple launch rocket system and Bayraktar TB2 drone into active service.
What are the features of Turkish weapons?
The Bangladesh Army signed its first historic contract for the TRG-300/230 surface-to-surface tactical ballistic missile system developed by Turkey’s Roketsan in 2019. By June 2021, the first batteries of the TRG-300 system began arriving in Bangladesh. Turkey has since made continuous deliveries to the Bangladesh Army, including an estimated 18 or more launchers, reload trucks, mobile command posts and supporting logistics vehicles. The system is capable of carrying a high-explosive warhead weighing up to 190 kg, which can cause deadly devastation in enemy territory through steel ball submunitions.
What is Bangladesh’s ‘kill chain’ doctrine?
The INS/GNSS dual guidance system of the C4ISR i.e. Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Support System enables it to hit targets with accuracy within 10 meters. Not only this, it has also been strongly designed against GPS jamming and electronic warfare, which makes it a unique and futuristic weapon in South Asia. Bangladesh is believed to have created a ‘kill chain’ network by integrating these systems. The kill chain network was most discussed during the recent India-Pakistan conflict, when many defense experts along with China claimed that with the help of China, the Pakistan Air Force had created a ‘kill chain’ network against Indian fighter planes.
TB2 drones from Turkey
According to the report, along with the Kaplan rocket system, Bangladesh has also purchased 12 Bayraktar TB2 MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) drones from Turkey, six of which have already come into operation from 2023 and the delivery of the remaining six is being completed in 2025. These drones have been deployed in the ISR regiments of the army and they also work to identify ground targets, send real-time data and rocket or missile guidance when needed.
India’s warning to Bangladesh
In 2024, the Indian Army had warned the Bangladesh Army that if its Bayraktar TB-2 drones even reach close to the sensitive border areas of Meghalaya, Tripura or Mizoram, they would be shot down. At the same time, a senior Indian military officer had said that “under the permanent SOP, no drone is allowed to fly within 10 kilometers of the India-Bangladesh border.”
According to a report, a Bangladesh TB2 drone flew very close to Indian airspace in the Meghalaya-Tripura region, which had issued a security alert. This drone was launched from Dhaka’s Tejgaon Airbase and was being operated by the 67th ISR Battalion of the Bangladesh Army. This incident shows that the presence of these new weapons is not just technical but is also affecting the regional strategic balance.
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