Much delayed Bangladesh Police helicopter acquisition nears completion?
January 1, 2025
The two Mi-171A2s were ordered from JSC Russian Helicopters in November 2021, with a contract signing in Dhaka. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs had approved the purchases the previous month. The helicopters were originally expected to be delivered to the aviation wing of the Bangladesh Police in 2023. The Air Wing was formed in 2021 and the two Mi-171A2s were to be its first aircraft.
However, due to various reasons, including the coronavirus pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, and resulting complications in relations with Moscow meant that JSC Russian Helicopters was unable to supply the helicopters in the originally planned timescale. As a consequence the budget allocation had to be rolled over to the next fiscal year’s budget.
By late May 2024 it was being reported that one of the two Mi-171A2 helicopters was scheduled for delivery in July and the other in August, and that the government was allocating funds for their payment “in the upcoming budget.”
