Web Desk(National Times)- Bangladesh has confirmed a deal to purchase China’s 4.5-generation J-10CE fighter jets, citing the aircraft’s reported combat performance against French-made Rafale jets during the brief Pakistan-India conflict in May, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on Friday.
The Chengdu J-10C is a single-engine, multirole combat aircraft manufactured in China. Boasting a top speed of Mach 1.8, it can be fitted with a variety of air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions. It played a key role on the first night of hostilities, shooting down six jets belonging to the Indian Air Force.
The Information and Broadcasting Adviser to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Zahedur Rahman said earlier this week that a draft proposal to buy the jets had been submitted to the country’s finance ministry and Armed Forces Division for final approval, SCMP reported citing the Bangladeshi Press Information Department (PID).
According to the Bangladesh PID, the draft proposal also includes the purchase of Chinese attack helicopters, VIP transport helicopters and drones.
“Subject to necessary budgetary allocation in the current fiscal year, this procurement will be executed immediately; otherwise, it will roll over into the next budget cycle,” it added.
SCMP reports that Rahman said Bangladesh “paid attention” to the war last year, when Pakistan used J-10 fighters and PL-15 long-range air-to-air missiles to shoot down Indian Rafales.
In January this year, Pakistan and Bangladesh’s air chiefs held detailed discussions on the “potential procurement” of the locally-produced JF-17 Thunder aircraft, according to Inter-Services Public Relations.
It added that Bangladesh Air Force Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan called on Pakistan Air Force Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu in Islamabad, where “The meeting focused on strengthening operational cooperation and institutional synergy, with emphasis on training, capacity building, and collaboration in aerospace advancements.”
A day later, Dhaka’s air chief discussed avenues for enhancing defence cooperation with Pakistan in separate meetings with Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf.
A year ago, Pakistan was engaged in a military conflict with India, dealing the boastful neighbour an internationally recognised “clear setback”.
The conflict with India, starting from the April 22 Pahalgam attack to the end of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, with a ceasefire ending a military escalation between the two countries on May 10, has been called “Marka-i-Haq” (Battle of Truth) by the state.
But from the night of May 6 to May 10, the drums of war were echoing loudly across South Asia as the nuclear-armed arch-rivals exchanged missiles, raising global alarm over the risk of unpredictable escalation.
