Two days after Pakistan declared that it has sealed an export deal for the JF-17 Thunder Block III fighter jets with an unnamed ‘friendly nation’ at the Dubai Airshow 2025, a report claimed that the buyer could well be Bangladesh.
In what is described as Bangladesh’s largest fighter jet acquisition in history, Pakistan will hand over 16 to 24 aircraft valued at USD 400–700 million to its neighbour, the Defence Security Asia said in a report. Myanmar, Nigeria, and Azerbaijan are other states to have bought the jets so far.
The development comes weeks after Bangladesh decided to equip its Army with Chinese-made SY-400 Missile Systems.Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stopped short of revealing the identity, withheld due to strategic sensitivities. The speculation was further fuelled by the fact that Bangladesh is known for its discreet procurement strategy, often waiting until the last moment before making their defensive developments official, the Defence Security Asia report said. It added that the possibility of the MoU having been signed in Dhaka between Bangladesh Air Force officials and representatives of Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) cannot be ruled out. Pakistan will also train BAF pilots to fly the jets and also provide maintenance support and spares, it added.
Dhaka decided to look for alternatives to Russia fearing sanctions. Supply chain delays and engine dependencies are said to have forced them to distance themselves from their conventional defence partner, China. Bangladesh is said to have begun formal evaluation of the JF-17 in January 2025, evaluating all aspects including feasibility studies, pilot familiarisation, and technical briefings. The current Bangladesh Air Force fleet consists of aging F-7BG/MB fighters, MiG-29s, and Yak-130 trainers, which in no manner suits a modern air force with sea and land challenges to deal with. This is said to be the reason for the country to make a masterplan to modernise its forces by 2030.
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Bangladesh, which was born after a war with Pakistan in 1971, is looking for affordable options to modernise its armed forces by 2030 and has zeroed in on JF-17 Thunder Block IIIs as a great asset for its Air Force (BAF). Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime, the relations between Dhaka and Islamabad have improved. Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh's interim chief adviser, even created a diplomatic stir by gifting a "Greater Bangladesh" map to a Pakistani general, appearing to incorporate parts of India's Northeast.
Earlier this month, a top Bangladeshi diplomat has said that his country's ties with Pakistan have improved since last year, as he emphasised the need to establish direct sea links between Karachi and Chittagong to boost trade between the two nations.
Bangladesh-Pakistan ties were at their lowest ebb during Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League regime, particularly when it initiated in 2010 the trial of collaborators of Pakistani troops during the Liberation War. A violent student-led street movement toppled Hasina's government on August 5, 2024, paving the way for revitalising ties with Islamabad.