Bangladesh military officials express interest in JF-17 Thunder fighter jet

[hussain0216]

Not good at all.

Basically the last time BAF was serious about building up its airforce was ironically when Hasina/AL was last in power between 1996-2001.

They had wanted 32 F-16s but the US rejected that interest from BD and so turned to Russia and placed an order for 16 Mig-29s with an option for another 16.

8 arrived and the government was changed to BNP in 2001, who said that Mig-29s were "not needed" and they cancelled the remaining 8 and tried to get rid of the 8 that already arrived but luckily could not find a buyer. BNP idiots just ordered more F-7s instead of completing the Mig-29 order with Russia.

At least the current 8 Mig-29s have been upgraded to "modern" radar/electronics and can fire the R-77 BVRAAM and so BAF is training and operating a relatively modern 4th generation fighter and is able to practice true BVR tactics at last.

BAF is not going to skip a generation if it next orders J-35A as it has been operating 4th generation fighters for 2 decades now.

That's not great,

Jumping to 5th gen platforms is going to be a tough task, not impossible of course, but it will require time and investment

Bangladesh needs to expand the size of it's air force and A.D systems

Both Turkish and Chinese A.D systems are a great option, with Myanmar mostly having a china based air force I would go with Turkey

Whatever happens Bangladesh needs a basic everyday driver of a plane that does the daily tasks, I think your air force understands that and just going for 5th gen isn't a great plan

Bangladesh could just expand it's Mig29 fleet
It could go for a J10s but both Bangla and Myanmar would be reliant on China and Chinese interests could come into play
JF17 is also a co-lab with China but purchasing through Pakistan gives Bangladesh a choice of weapons from Pakistan, Turkey and maybe even Bangladeshs own products if they want to make them

 

[UKBengali]

That was one of the most idiotic decision, one of many, of BNP rule.

This landed BAF with additional cost of maintaining two ecosystems.

When BAL returned - BAF couldn’t decide which one they wanted long term.

Hasina got fed up and instead focussed on building the navy.

I would not lay blame solely on BAF.

If 2017 Rohingya ethnic cleansing could not make Hasina see sense and replace incompetent BAF leadership, then the blame is squarely on her after that.

She should have put in better leadership and ordered them to make a quick decision to neutralise MAF within 2-3 years maximum.

Total bunch of retards(BAF) as the early 2017 "tender" had only SU-27-series that could possibly win it?

BAF obviously does not understand that you cannot have a "tender" with a single winner.

 

[BananaRepublic]

Not really, capable air force in relatively small numbers supported by adequate AD/AB systems is huge deterrent for any adversary and breathing space for land forces.

Given every inch of BD can be reached by short range missiles - first thing India will do is destroy the airforce.

Even Iran showed it can knockout the IAF if it wanted.

Bangladesh’s only defence strategy against India is guerrilla warfare.

Conventional warfare wouldn’t last a fortnight.

India would knockout strategic infrastructure in a week. Then blockade Chittagong.

 

[BananaRepublic]

I would not lay blame solely on BAF.

If 2017 Rohingya ethnic cleansing could not make Hasina see sense and replace incompetent BAF leadership, then the blame is squarely on her after that.

She should have put in better leadership and ordered them to make a quick decision to neutralise MAF within 2-3 years maximum.

Total bunch of retards(BAF) as the early 2017 "tender" had only SU-27-series that could possibly win it?

BAF obviously does not understand that you cannot have a "tender" with a single winner.

Never been a fan of the buffoons of the BAF - given their stranglehold of Biman - after the charade of the fighter procurement - I physically loath them!

BAF could have provided air cover to the Rohingyas - to stop the genocide!

 

[Ak01]

SD-10 seeker is based on Russian Agat 9B-1348E seeker.

No it isnt, the initial batch was, just like the Astra, then it was a wholly indigenous seeker.

 

[UKBengali]

That's not great,

Jumping to 5th gen platforms is going to be a tough task, not impossible of course, but it will require time and investment

Bangladesh needs to expand the size of it's air force and A.D systems

Both Turkish and Chinese A.D systems are a great option, with Myanmar mostly having a china based air force I would go with Turkey

Whatever happens Bangladesh needs a basic everyday driver of a plane that does the daily tasks, I think your air force understands that and just going for 5th gen isn't a great plan

Bangladesh could just expand it's Mig29 fleet
It could go for a J10s but both Bangla and Myanmar would be reliant on China and Chinese interests could come into play
JF17 is also a co-lab with China but purchasing through Pakistan gives Bangladesh a choice of weapons from Pakistan, Turkey and maybe even Bangladeshs own products if they want to make them

There will be no Turkish weapons integration on JF-17 Block-3 as China would not allow it.

Again, no one has given a reasonable explanation of why BAF should buy a brand new fighter to add to the infrastructure, logistics, operational and maintenance headache when it could just expand its Mig-29 fleet with much cheaper refurbushed airframes for 15-20 million US dollars a piece?

BD already has the Mig-29 infrastructure and logistics system in place and so it would be literally "plug and play" for extra Mig-29s.

This new fighter(JF-17/J-10CE/Eurofighter) in the numbers BAF would buy would not deter India in any way and actually overkill for the shambolic mess that is the disintegrating Myanmar. For Myanmar an IADS would suffice.

 

[BananaRepublic]

That's not great,

Jumping to 5th gen platforms is going to be a tough task, not impossible of course, but it will require time and investment

Bangladesh needs to expand the size of it's air force and A.D systems

Both Turkish and Chinese A.D systems are a great option, with Myanmar mostly having a china based air force I would go with Turkey

Whatever happens Bangladesh needs a basic everyday driver of a plane that does the daily tasks, I think your air force understands that and just going for 5th gen isn't a great plan

Bangladesh could just expand it's Mig29 fleet
It could go for a J10s but both Bangla and Myanmar would be reliant on China and Chinese interests could come into play
JF17 is also a co-lab with China but purchasing through Pakistan gives Bangladesh a choice of weapons from Pakistan, Turkey and maybe even Bangladeshs own products if they want to make them

Given horses have already bolted vis a vis Burma….

There’s no rush.

Buy 40-50 5th gen - preferably Muslim supplier - purely to be used against Burma and in BoB.

Don’t waste money on outdated crap.

Maybe send BAF pilots on secondment in Pakistan until 5th gen is viable!

 

[UKBengali]

Given every inch of BD can be reached by short range missiles - first thing India will do is destroy the airforce.

Even Iran showed it can knockout the IAF if it wanted.

Bangladesh’s only defence strategy against India is guerrilla warfare.

Conventional warfare wouldn’t last a fortnight.

India would knockout strategic infrastructure in a week. Then blockade Chittagong.

Hardened aircraft shelters, aircraft can be based underground and also under mountains and hills in some regions.

It is not as easy as some think it is.

Pakistan to some extent has the same proximity to India as it is not that wide and a lot of its airfields are no more than 200km from the Indian border. No one suggests that PAF does not bother with an airforce as they can be taken out in a pre-emptive strike.

Did you know that Dhaka is around the same distance from the Indian border than around 50% of the PAF airbases are to the Indian border?

It is not about being able to defeat India but make the cost so high that they do not even try.

 

[Joe Shearer]

I like the part where you dishonestly skip the fact that MIG-29 procurement had corruption involved. And then BAL traitors dispite having a bigger economy in 2013 than in 2006 ordered another batch of 16 -F-7.

A friendly caution.

You are beginning to sound obsessive.

 

[BananaRepublic]

Hardened aircraft shelters, aircraft can be based underground and also under mountains and hills in some regions.

It is not as easy as some think it is.

Pakistan to some extent has the same proximity to India as it is not that wide and a lot of its airfields are no more than 200km from the Indian border. No one suggests that PAF does not bother with an airforce as they can be taken out in a pre-emptive strike.

Did you know that Dhaka is around the same distance from the Indian border than around 50% of the PAF airbases are to the Indian border?

It is not about being able to defeat India but make the cost so high that they do not even try.

Where are the mountains and hills in BD?

PAF can easily fly their fighters to a safe distance - event of an onslaught.

Where would BD fighters go?

It’s not just feasible, bro!

Given the size of India - we would bankrupt ourselves trying to provide a conventional deterrence.

Our only deterrence is guerrilla warfare.

 

[UKBengali]

Where are the mountains and hills in BD?

PAF can easily fly their fighters to a safe distance - event of an onslaught.

Where would BD fighters go?

It’s not just feasible, bro!

To be honest, what does it matter if a PAF airbase is 200km away from Indian border or 400km away?

They could still be hit by SRBMs with 5m CEP. Accuracy of a 400km range SRBM is exactly the same as a 200km SRBM.

Sylhet Hills and Chittagong Hill Tracts could be made into hill/mountain airbases as per Taiwan.

Like I say the same "distance issue" from India issue applies to PAF as it does to BAF!

 

[Joe Shearer]

To be honest, what does it matter if a PAF airbase is 200km away from Indian border or 400km away?

They could still be hit by SRBMs with 5m CEP. Accuracy of a 400km range SRBM is exactly the same as a 200km SRBM.

Sylhet Hills and Chittagong Hill Tracts could be made into hill/mountain airbases as per Taiwan.

Like I say the same "distance issue" from India issue applies to PAF as it does to BAF!

You are right, but if we delve into the post by @BananaRepublic , what is most important is his essential point about the strategic issue.

Given the size of India - we would bankrupt ourselves trying to provide a conventional deterrence.

He may be carried away by the guerrilla war model, but if BD adopts the anti-tank tactics of the Pakistan Army, the creation of specialist infantry-heavy formations dedicated to armoured corps destruction, that might reduce the conflict to a war of attrition, where BD may safely count on not too many troops being diverted to such a conflict.

 

[BananaRepublic]

To be honest, what does it matter if a PAF airbase is 200km away from Indian border or 400km away?

They could still be hit by SRBMs with 5m CEP. Accuracy of a 400km range SRBM is exactly the same as a 200km SRBM.

Sylhet Hills and Chittagong Hill Tracts could be made into hill/mountain airbases as per Taiwan.

Like I say the same "distance issue" from India issue applies to PAF as it does to BAF!

Distance means cost and time to act. PAF would quickly move their fighters to a distance that is prohibitively expensive.

They can also spread it thinly to make it even more expensive.

BD has no such options due to landmass and geography.

BD is accessible from all sides by India. Pakistan is not.

 

[Joe Shearer]

Distance means cost and time to act. PAF would quickly move their fighters to a distance that is prohibitively expensive.

They can also spread it thinly to make it even more expensive.

BD has no such options due to landmass and geography.

BD is accessible from all sides by India. Pakistan is not.

If we look at the distances, neither Pakistan nor Bangladesh has the space to remove their air units from the reach of any half-way efficient medium-sized air force with stand-off weapons.

Let me put a hypothetical example before you - applicable to both countries.

If extensive reconnaissance by drones is undertaken, on a thorough coverage of the territory, is it not possible to take sightings of the units sought to be neutralised and use a distant, turbo-prop bomb truck to eliminate the target? Every component of this fanciful kill chain is proven and existent, at low cost.

The obvious point is that both Pakistan and Bangladesh can use this precise same plan against their tormentor. But that is not a bad thing, is it? Mutually assured destruction?

 

[hussain0216]

Distance means cost and time to act. PAF would quickly move their fighters to a distance that is prohibitively expensive.

They can also spread it thinly to make it even more expensive.

BD has no such options due to landmass and geography.

Nothing happens in isolation, Pakistan also has a very potent missile force and it's air force consists of hundreds of various fighters

Any conflict would be brutal but Pakistan has multiple options to strike important Indian targets, the cost alone deter both nations

Bangladesh however doesn't have a potent air force, A.D or a ability to strike at targets

Bangladesh needs to as a basic go for air force with numbers, and good numbers of J10s or JF17s may be a better option then 5th gen platforms

Solid multilayer A.D

And something like Pakistans Fateh series of missiles to target the enemy

This is not even mention the army or navy where Bangladesh would do well so get multiple subs to protect it's coast