According to the Global Firepower Index, Bangladesh ranked 37th in the world in terms of military power in 2024. Global Firepower, a well-known organization in the world, collects and researches information on the military sector and publishes a list or index every year by evaluating military power. It evaluates the military power of 145 countries in the world.
According to the information of this organization, Bangladesh was ranked 40th in 2023, meaning that Bangladesh's military power has increased in the last one year. In the budget session of the last 2023-24 fiscal year, the then government informed the parliament that weapons were being purchased from various countries with advanced weapons industries, including Russia, China, Turkey, and India, to increase the capacity of the armed forces.
At that time, "sophisticated weapons" including aircraft, tanks, and surface-to-air missile systems were announced. Bangladesh has long been dependent on China for weapons. However, recently, several Western countries, including Turkey, have been added to this list. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute in Sweden, Bangladesh ranked 28th in the world in arms imports from 2009 to 2023.
This report seeks answers to the questions of what kind of weapons and combat equipment the Bangladesh Army has in its arsenal, from which countries those weapons were purchased, and what priorities are given to arms purchases.
According to the information of this organization, Bangladesh was ranked 40th in 2023, meaning that Bangladesh's military power has increased in the last one year. In the budget session of the last 2023-24 fiscal year, the then government informed the parliament that weapons were being purchased from various countries with advanced weapons industries, including Russia, China, Turkey, and India, to increase the capacity of the armed forces.
At that time, "sophisticated weapons" including aircraft, tanks, and surface-to-air missile systems were announced. Bangladesh has long been dependent on China for weapons. However, recently, several Western countries, including Turkey, have been added to this list. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute in Sweden, Bangladesh ranked 28th in the world in arms imports from 2009 to 2023.
This report seeks answers to the questions of what kind of weapons and combat equipment the Bangladesh Army has in its arsenal, from which countries those weapons were purchased, and what priorities are given to arms purchases.
The Bangladesh Air Force has two types of aircraft, modern and Cold War-era, according to the military information website Wirepower Bangladesh.
According to the report, the Bangladesh Air Force has 212 aircraft in its fleet, of which 44 are combat aircraft. Of these, 36 are Chinese-made F-7 fighter jets. These models are somewhat old. And there are eight Soviet-made MiG-29s in the fleet.
There are also 14 Yak-130 aircraft that are used for training purposes but are suitable for light attacks. The Bangladesh Air Force buys the planes from Russia.
The force also has China's FT Seven training fighter aircraft and two series of strategic transport aircraft from the United States' Lockheed. The air force fleet has 73 helicopters. Of these, 36 are Russian MI series helicopters. There are also 24 helicopters of various models from Cessna and Bell made in the United States.
In addition, Bangladesh also uses some training aircraft and helicopters bought from France, Italy, and Czechoslovakia (Czech Republic).
Drones are very important in the modern defense system. The Bangladesh military has 44 drones, according to Wirepower Bangladesh. Of these, 36 are Slovenian-made Brammer C4I. There are six Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2. These were added last year. However, the process of buying drones capable of carrying military weapons and attacking began for the first time in 2022.
In addition to drones, Bangladesh has also purchased artillery shells, rocket defense systems, armored vehicles, and mine protection vehicles from Turkey.
Meanwhile, in addition to the Turkish Bayraktar, the Bangladesh fleet also has two Italian Silex Falco series drones.
The Bangladesh Navy has two submarines. Both are made in China and were added to the navy in 2017. Wirepower Bangladesh has referred to these submarines as 'attack submarines'. They can use torpedoes as well as naval mines for attacks.
In addition, according to Global Firepower, the Bangladesh Navy has a total of 117 ships. Of these, seven are frigates or warships from Bangladesh. There are also six corvette warships.
Four of the frigates are made by China, two by the United States, and one by South Korea. Four of the corvette ships are from China, two from the UK.
According to Global Firepower, the Bangladesh military has 320 tanks. Wire Power Bangladesh reports that at least 281 of these are made in China. The most is the Type Fifty-Nine Durjoy tank. The tanks were modernized by bringing kits from China between 2014 and 2019.
In addition, there are various types of armored personnel carriers or APCs. The Bangladesh army is using APCs made in the former Soviet Union, the United States and Turkey.
In addition, Global Firepower said that the Bangladesh military has a total of 464 cannons. Of these, 27 are automatic cannons. Bangladesh's anti-aircraft guns or anti-aircraft guns come from two countries.
Among them, there are one from Switzerland and four series of cannons from China. And according to Wirepower Bangladesh, the Bangladeshi military has 77 Multiple Rocket Launcher Systems (MLRS).
Of these, 49 are made in China and a total of 28 MLRS of two types are in their arsenal.
A multiple rocket launcher or mobile rocket projector is an automatic military weapon that can launch several rockets or bombs at once.
During the Pakistan phase, in 1967, the construction of an ordnance factory or ordnance factory began in Gazipur, near Dhaka, with the help of China. It was inaugurated in 1970.
According to the website of the Bangladesh Ordnance Factory, "The construction work was disrupted in 1971 due to the Liberation War and the Chinese team left the factory." On August 31, 1975, China recognized Bangladesh.
The following year, a Chinese technical team revived the factory and a year later, i.e. from 1977, the factory was opened for regular production.
Former Deputy Commandant of the Ordnance Factory, retired Brigadier General Md. Bayezid Sarwar told BBC Bangla that both weapons and ammunition are manufactured in this factory. "Small arms and rifles are manufactured in the ordnance factory," he added.
The main or most widely used weapon of the army is the rifle. The raw materials and components for these come from China.
.webp)
.jpg)
