Bangladesh evaluates Eurofighter Typhoon
May 20, 2025
The Bangladesh Air Force chief and a senior BAF pilot flew Eurofighter ISPA6 (the Captor-E AESA test aircraft) at the invitation of Leonardo SpA. The BAF delegation also visited maintenance and support facilities for C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, and were briefed on UAV systems, and AgustaWestland helicopters.
The flights mark the latest step in a procurement that dates back almost ten years.
In 2015, the incoming Chief of Bangladesh Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Abu Esrar, judged that Russian and Chinese fighter aircraft did not provide an adequate capability to deter similarly-equipped neighbours, and embarked on an ambitious plan to acquire a Western-made fighter.
Esrar took the opportunity to inspect the Eurofighter Typhoon personally when he attended the Farnborough International Air Show in July 2016, and was briefed on the aircraft, its sensors and weapons. Thereafter, he became something of an evangelist for the type!
The Bangladesh Air Force’s Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) acquisition programme was officially launched in 2017 as part of the broader Forces Goal 2030 modernisation effort.
During the third Bangladesh-United Kingdom strategic dialogue in 2019, the UK officially expressed its “readiness” to help the Bangladesh Air Force to obtain modern multi-role combat aircraft from Europe. Meanwhile, the Chief of the Italian Air Force, Lieutenant General Alberto Rosso, confirmed Italy’s willingness to arrange for advance training for BAF pilots in Italy. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid an official visit to Italy in February 2020, and the Italian media reported Bangladesh’s interest in the Eurofighter Typhoon, AgustaWestland AW101 and Alenia C-27J Spartan.
The following month, French Defence Minister Florence Parly visited Dhaka with a direct proposal for Bangladesh to purchase the Dassault Rafale to meet its MRCA requirement.
In 2021 the Bangladesh Air Force asked the Bangladesh government to earmark around 25,200-crores taka (US $3 billion) for the procurement of 16 Western multirole fighter jets, and selection of a winning contender was tentatively scheduled for February 2022, during the Bangladesh Air Show (BAS).
Under Air Chief Marshal Masihuzzaman Serniabat (CAS from 2018-2021) it became increasingly clear that procuring Western fighters would be politically and economically difficult, while the occupation of Crimea and the war in the Donbas and the threat of CAATSA sanctions ruled out Russia as a supplier.
Under the tenure of Air Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan the chance of buying equipment from Russia eroded further, especially following the invasion of Ukraine. This left China as the most likely supplier of combat aircraft for Bangladesh, and there was speculation that Dhaka could purchase Sino-Pakistani JF-17s or Chengdu J-10Cs.
The BAF now seems to be pursuing a dual-track approach, with the Chinese J-10C providing a lower-end capability and the Eurofighter providing a high end ‘spearhead’ for the Bangladesh fighter arm and introducing NATO-standard interoperability and support frameworks.
Following the orientation and demonstration flights in May 2025, it is hoped that a formal contract for the Eurofighter Typhoon may be signed during Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s visit to Dhaka in August 2025.
