Destranator
Trusted Member
I think the preference for twin engine in the past came from the requirement to patrol the huge maritime zone of Bangladesh. Redundancy is useful for those circumstances. However with longer range drones now available to patrol maritime zone, we could re-strategize. For Bangladesh, the ideal scenario is to have a small but potent fleet of relatively lower maintenance single engine fighters like Gripen, J-10 or JF 17 for the next 20 years or so, until we are capable of getting hands on 5th Gen.
Trying to protect Bay of Bengal before covering mainland is exactly the kind of delusional thinking you can expect from current BAF brass.
Priority-r mayer baap.

Look at the above map - India can enforce and maintain a naval blockade over Bangladesh with aerial support from SU-30 MKIs/Rafales operating out of their coastal air bases + Andaman/Nicobar (thank you, 1947 movement geniuses!), without even needing aerial refuelling.
BAF cannot counter this even with 5th generation fighters + refuellers.
The most effective mechanism to counter a blockade would be a combination of SSK + SSBN patrols.
SSBNs can stay in outer Indian Ocean for weeks and launch land attack cruise missiles/AShMs/ballistic missiles to disable Indian naval fleet, ports and air base, perhaps for long enough to allow international community to intervene.
This is long term pipe dream but not infeasible.
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