From Paris to Beijing: The Plot Twists of Bangladesh’s Fighter Jet Saga
Up until recently, Bangladesh’s air force modernization program was the talk of aviation circles in Dhaka and beyond. The contenders? Dassault Aviation’s Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon, both firmly seated on the short list. Bangladesh’s fleet has been stuck in the past, relying mainly on about thirty Chengdu F-7 jets—essentially Chinese versions of the Soviet MiG-21—and a handful of old Russian MiG-29s.
At one point, whispers in the local press suggested the Rafale had it in the bag. Dhaka was reportedly considering picking up an initial four pre-owned jets from the French Air & Space Force stocks, with the prospect of eight more upgraded to the F4 standard. But a shocking regime change in August 2024—Bangladesh’s prime minister fleeing to India—put a very abrupt stop to ongoing talks with France.
The Typhoon, championed by Leonardo, soon seemed a favorite. In May, Air Force chief Hasan Mahmood Khan even toured Leonardo’s facilities in Italy to check out the Eurofighter in action. By September he was deepening ties with Antonio Alessandro, Italy’s ambassador to Bangladesh, discussing ways to bolster military cooperation. The new caretaker government in Dhaka, headed by Muhammad Yunus—yes, that Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize winner and pioneer of microcredit—gave preliminary approval to procure “multirole fighter aircraft” and air defense systems.
Enter the Dragon: The J-10CE Stakes Its Claim
All this melodrama, and suddenly the script was flipped. A third contestant—already beloved by Pakistan and China—emerged: the Chengdu J-10CE. Post a high-profile meeting between Yunus and Chinese president Xi Jinping in March, the decision seemed all but sealed. Beijing ramped up its info-war against the Rafale in the aftermath of the brief May skirmish between Pakistan and India, and that clearly didn’t hurt China’s chances.
The Bangladeshi caretaker government has set aside a significant pot—$2.2 billion over ten years—to bankroll a desperately needed combat aircraft purchase, as the attrition rate of ancient Chengdu J-7s makes their replacement urgent.
According to the Dhaka Tribune, this government structure “will examine the draft agreement, assess the feasibility of purchasing the aircraft directly from the Chinese government or a designated agency, and negotiate key terms covering maintenance, training, spare parts, and payment conditions.”
“Tensions between the US and China must be carefully considered before finalizing the purchase,” warned (retired) General ANM Muniruzzaman, now head of Bangladesh’s Institute of Peace and Security Studies. “However, the need for modern combat aircraft in Bangladesh is undeniable,” he told the papers.
The J-10CE itself, while dating back to late 1990s designs, carries a modern edge. It’s equipped with an active array radar, electronic warfare suite, and a 135 kN Shenyang WS-10B engine with afterburner and thrust vectoring. It can carry both the PL-15 and PL-10 air-to-air missiles—enough toys to raise eyebrows in any region.
The Many Layers of Fighter Jet Diplomacy
It was always a stretch to see France shipping Rafales to Bangladesh—risking fallout with its best Rafale client and future prospect, India, which has a complicated relationship with Bangladesh. Then there’s the not-so-little matter of the checkbook. Did Bangladesh or even the Typhoon’s proponents really have the means? Better to sideline what’s out of reach, it seems.
The debate over contradictory Rafale sales adds another twist: France selling them to Serbia, a nation whose tensions with Croatia—another Rafale customer—are anything but settled. The kicker? Serbia uses Chinese anti-aircraft systems, meaning Rafales would frequently find themselves in the crosshairs of Chinese-made radars. That’s information Beijing wouldn’t mind having—potentially even eroding India’s nuclear deterrent. And what of Russia? With just a dozen jets, is it worth the risk? It’s a stretch.
But international defense deals are never straightforward. Greek pilots fly with their Qatari counterparts, and Pakistan, through friendly collaborations, has its fair share of Rafale exposure. The same logic—sometimes surprisingly flexible—applies across the board.
As one commentator quipped:
“Don’t believe for a second that Rafales are shipped with assembly instructions like they were microwaves. Sure, some ‘bad boys’ may glimpse under the hood—but no one’s giving away the house keys.”
Broader Geopolitics, Complaints, and Comic Relief
Relations between India (the proud Rafale operator) and Bangladesh have been rocky at best. So even if the market loss—four or eight Rafales—is hardly about to make Dassault panic, it’s the kind of micro-drama that powers international defense negotiations.
Customer preferences often turn to single-engine aircraft that are cheaper to maintain—hence the enduring popularity of Gripens, F-16s, J-10s, and JF-17s in emerging markets. The arms market is full of permutations: you don’t always need the perfect plane, just the one you can afford, and that packs a diverse punch of actual armaments.
And—never underestimate the human touch—there’s always room for a little jab at politicians, an over-the-top reference to the price of t-shirts (“they would have paid in t-shirts!”), or digs at macroeconomic realities, rapacious generals, or classic European fables. (La Fontaine’s fox and grapes even gets a cameo.)
Even within this labyrinth of alliances and tensions, the principle remains: defense deals are complex, often a balancing act of economics and strategy rather than a straight contest of hardware specs.
As the dust settles, Bangladesh’s pivot toward China is not particularly surprising. Not only does it keep costs at bay, it comes with the perks of nurturing a closer relationship with a powerful neighbor. China meanwhile, gains another friend on India’s doorstep, and positions its own aviation industry for those “high-tech, cutting edge” headlines—however much you choose to believe the hype. And for all the snark and speculation, there’s a good chance the big winners are simply those who stay out of the crosshairs—and off the bill.
