Bangladesh wants to purchase Chinese made 12 J-10C fighter jets

The Bangladesh government is interested to purchase J-10C fighter jets manufactured in China for the modernisation of the Bangladesh Air Force. Interim government chief adviser professor Muhammad Yunus brought up this issue during his meeting with China president Xi Jinping last March.

Two members of the entourage that accompanied Dr. Yunus during his China visit confirmed about Bangladesh’s interest to purchase fighter jets from China.

Earlier, on 26 March, the chief adviser went to China on a 4-day official visit. The chief adviser’s press wing said at the time that the two leaders discussed various issues, including Chinese aid in the Teesta project, purchase of multiple combat aircraft, multilateral connection between the ports of Bangladesh and Kunming, China.

As part of the modernisation of the three armed forces to prepare them for future challenges, Bangladesh wants to purchase J-10C fighter jets.

Diplomatic sources said preliminary discussions between Bangladesh and China on the purchase of J-10C fighter jets had already begun at the official level before the chief adviser’s visit.

Wishing to be unnamed two representatives at the policymaking level of the government told, “At a meeting in Beijing, the chief adviser raised the government’s plan for the modernisation of the Bangladesh Air Force. He expressed interest in purchasing 12 J-10C fighter jets from China, to which the Chinese president responded positively.”

Asked about this, adviser to the foreign ministry Touhid Hossain told Prothom Alo that the chief adviser discussed purchasing fighter jets during his meeting with the Chinese president.

Diplomatic sources said preliminary discussions between Bangladesh and China on the purchase of J-10C fighter jets had already begun at the official level before the chief adviser’s visit.

The matter was raised during the meeting in Beijing, paving the way for the purchase to be implemented. Talks between the two countries on the issue have been continuing since the visit.

According to information from various defence-related websites, China’s J-10C fighter jet is also known as the Vigorous Dragon. It is a multirole combat aircraft (MRCA) belonging to the fourth generation, with the capability of carrying out multidimensional operations.

The J-10C can fly at supersonic speeds (faster than the speed of sound) and is highly effective in detecting enemy fighter jets. It has both air-to-air and air-to-ground attack capabilities and can strike targets up to 200 kilometres away.

The aircraft can also operate in coordination with other fighter jets and drones. In terms of technology, speed, stealth, and surveillance, the J-10C is capable of executing precision attacks while evading enemy detection.

Earlier-generation fighter jets had separate roles such as surveillance, bombing from the air, or engaging in dogfights with other fighters.

In contrast, a multirole combat aircraft can carry out a wide range of missions such as striking enemy ground bases, tanks, artillery, and infrastructure from the air; conducting surveillance and intelligence gathering; attacking warships at sea; and targeting enemy radar and communication systems to disable them. In short, a single fighter jet is capable of multidimensional operations.

After the terrorist attack in Kashmir, in May this year Pakistan claimed that the technological and military capabilities of China’s J-10C were proven. Islamabad said that for the first time, the Chengdu J-10 or J-10C was deployed in direct combat. Pakistan also claimed that with the Chengdu J-10, it had downed a French-made Dassault Rafale fighter jet.