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Forces Goal 2030
Forces goal 2030 is a military modernization program which began in 2009 and was revised in 2017. It was designed to enhance the capabilities of three service branches of
Bangladesh Armed Forces: the
Army, the
Navy and the
Air Force. The primary focus of the modernization program is the reformation of the military organization, expansion of the forces, the transformation of the indigenous defense sector to support research and manufacturing, and acquisition of modern military weapons. The requirement for modernization was realized in the aftermath of
2008 Bangladesh–Myanmar naval standoff later resulting in Bangladesh's favour. One of the primary objectives of the modernization program is to develop a three-dimensional force (land, air and sea) capable of conducting multi-platform warfare.
To fulfil the modernization requirements, the
Bangladesh Government allocates funds exclusively for the program in addition to the defense budget. The funds allocated for the program during the first five years is estimated to be around forty-thousand crores taka (US$5.2 billion). The program was revised in 2017, following the
Rohingya refugee crisis, which facilitated a larger monetary allocation towards the modernization program.
Bangladesh Army
The modernization program aims to transform Bangladesh Army into a technologically advanced, multi-domain force by 2030, capable of coordinating both defensive and offensive operations. Keeping up to reorganize the force, the army plans to establish three independent corps – Central, Eastern, and Western. To facilitate the establishment of three independent corps, steps have been taken to increase the overall size of the force.
17th infantry division was raised at
Sylhet in 2013,
10th infantry division was raised at newly established
Ramu Cantonment at
Cox's Bazar in 2015 and
7th infantry division was raised at newly established
Sheikh Hasina cantonment Barishal-
Patuakhali in 2018. The establishment of three infantry divisions has raised the total number of the Army's infantry divisions to ten. In 2017, The Army began the establishment of a Riverine Engineer Battalion, which will be stationed at the newly constructed Mithamoine Cantonment at
Kishorganj. Another full-fledged cantonment is being established at
Ruma of
Bandarban District. By 2021, The army will raise 97 new units. Of them, 19 units will be formed for the
Jalalabad Cantonment in Sylhet, 22 units for
Ramu Cantonment in
Cox's Bazar , and 56 units for
Sheikh Hasina cantonment in
Barisal. A number of existing infantry battalions are being converted into
para infantry battalions and
mechanized infantry battalions for newly established and proposed cantonments. To increase special operation capabilities, the 2nd Para Commando Battalion has been raised, headquartered in Maulavibazar. Army Aviation Group has set up a full-fledged Airbase in
Lalmonirhat Airport.Build a forward Airbase in Chittagong.
Under the modernization goal, several programs are being implemented to enhance the readiness of the force. Under such programs, approaches have been taken to modernize the regular infantry outfits. The new infantry outfits are equipped with
Night Vision Goggles (NVG),
Ballistic helmets,
Eye protective gear,
Bulletproof vest, person to person communicators,
palmtop GPS device and
BD-08 assault rifles with
Collimator sight.
Metis M-1
To enhance the anti-tank capabilities,
Metis-M-1 anti Tank guided missile systems and
PF-98 rocket systems has procured since 2016.
2022
Bangladesh Army procured undisclosed number of
Anti-tank guided missile ALCOTAN-AT (M2) and ALCOTAN-BIV (M2) along with Portable VOSEL (M2) firing control units from
Spain.
The Procurement process of
AK15 assault rifles and
submachine guns is also going on.
The firepower of artillery units was increased by procuring 36
Nora B-52 K2 self-propelled artillery systems. Total 49 units of
WS-22 Guided Multiple Rocket Launcher Systems were added in Bangladesh Army with since 2014.
WS-22
Bangladesh Army Ordered undisclosed number of
TRG-300 Tiger MBRL System and
TRG-230 MRLS from
Turkey.June 2021 Army got delivery of 20 units
TRG-300 Tiger MBRL system from Turkey.June 2022 Turkey delivered 1 regiment of
TRG-230 With Armaments.All of the order of TRG System and Armaments are completed by 2022.In 2022 Turkey delivered TEBER Guidance Kit that converts general purpose bombs to guided smart bombs.
SLC-2 weapon locating radars were added to help the artillery firing. Procurement process of
155mm towed howitzer, 122 mm field artillery howitzers and 105mm towed field artillery systems is going on.
Procurement of long range (120 to 280 km) multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) is also in the process. To support accurate artillery firing, Bangladesh Army has procured 36
Bramor C4EYE battlefield reconnaissance UAV from Slovenia in 2017. These UAVs have a maximum range of 40 kilometers and endurance of 3 hours. In October 2020, the Army published an evaluation notice for medium range UAV.
The Bangladesh Army procured 44
MBT-2000 tanks from China in 2011. Army engineers have completed the upgradation process of
Type 69 tanks to
Type 69IIG standard. Upgradation of 174
Type 59 tanks to
Type 59G Durjoy standard is going on. Bangladesh Army has signed contract with China for 44
VT-5 light tanks in 2019.The delivery has completed by 2021 Army also started light amphibious tank procurement process in 2019.
Two regiments of
FM 90C short range
surface to air missile were added in 2016 to enhance air defence capabilities. Since 2019, 4/8 Oerlikon Skyguard – 3 firing control radar system with
Oerlikon GDF 009 anti aircraft gun have been procured and process to procure a Reagiment. At the End of 2022
Thales has delivered Two units of
Ground Master 400 long range portable air defence radar Systems to the Bangladesh Army.
Ground Master 400
In the same month, another tender was issued for procuring 181
Man-portable air-defense systems. Here, Chinese
FN-16, Russian
Igla-S and Swedish
RBS 70 systems has been shortlisted.
Army Procured Swedish RBS 70 NG by the year 2020.[
failed verification] In August 2020, the army has floated a tender for the procurement of medium range
surface to air missile (MRSAM).
Modernizing the army aviation Group is in full swing. Two
Eurocopter AS365 Dauphins were put into service in 2012.
[32] 12
Mil Mi-171Sh helicopters were procured ince 2016.Two
C-295 transport aircraft was bought from Spain so far.Army got delivery six Diamond DA40 trainer aircraft from
Austria by the year 2020.The first 2
Bell 407GXI helicopters has supplied by 2022.In September 2021, the Army issued a tender notice to procure 8 Heavy attack Helicopters.Army has to be interested about purchasing the
Boeing AH-64 Apache ,
Eurocopter Tiger or Leonardo's
AW249.
The Army issued a tender notice to procure
fixed-wing aircraft in financial year 2020–2021.
Enhancing of mobility power of the Bangladesh Army purchased $1 Billion worth of
BTR-80 APC from 2012 to November 2017.
But the nos of BTR-80 is not clarified."minimum 660 to 1030". Until 2018 17/68 units of Otokar Cobra 1/2 were delivered. In the year 2021–22, 50 units of
MaxxproMRAP has delivered and 64 more are in the pipeline.Army has plan to procure a large number of Maxxpro MRAP vehicles. 30 March 2021
Indonesia supplied 6 bacth of
Anoa (armoured personnel carrier). Army Purchased 10+
BOV M11 Armored reconnaissance Vehicles from
Serbia. Bangladesh Army deployed a large number of APCs in UN peacekeeping missions. Army is still seeking a suitable light amphibious APC.
Iveco delivered 200+ Iveco Trakker in 2021. Since 2017 Iveco delivered Trakker 380 prime movers, Iveco Trakker 420 gun tractor, Trakker 310 jet fuel browsers.1st Bach
Volvo FMX and Astra military Trucks delivered on first of 2023. Also
Renault VAB,
Mercedes-Benz, Japanese Turkish and British military Vehicle used so far. Also has a procured Tender was floated for procurement of a command ship in 2017. The vessel will be used as a floating command centre for different waterborne operations. Several tenders were floated to procure a total of six
Landing craft tank for the army between 2017 and 2018. Bangladesh army issued tender for procuring two
Troops Carrier Vessel (TCV) in January 2018. The vessels will be able to carry 200 personnel. The shipbuilding contract awarded to
Khulna Shipyard Limited. October 2022 Vard Maritime inc a group of
Fincantieri and KSL signed a contract with jointly build the Landing Kraft, a long term multi-stage program.The landing Krafts will be built on based on the famous famous Vard 7 507 Landing Craft Series.
In a ceremony on 27 October 2021, Prime Minister discussed about the ongoing modernization plan of the Bangladesh Army and its upcoming equipment. She states that one regiment of 105 mm and 155 mm each artillery guns have been procured to increase the artillery power. She added that process of procuring one battery of
Oerlikon GDF-009 was going on. Government had signed a contract to procure Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORAD)system and two battery of radar controlled air defence guns. Government also procured six
MALE UAV and tactical missile system for Bangladesh Army.
In January 2024, the Army issued a tender notice to procure
DJI Mavic 3T drone.
Bangladesh Navy
Due to the importance Bangladesh's vast maritime area of 118,813 square kilometers, high dependence of country's economy in maritime resources, and the geopolitical importance of Indian Ocean, Bangladesh Navy was given a significant importance in the modernization program. The programs aims to transform Bangladesh Navy into a modern, well-equipped three-dimensional force capable of conducting multi-domain operations. Under the program, the Navy have witnessed significant growth in firepower and weapon manufacturing capabilities. The expansion of Navy's surface fleet and force size is going on simultaneously. As of 2020, the navy acquired two submarines, eight frigates, six corvettes,
[45] eleven patrol vessel
[46] and a significant number of other surface combatants.
Under the modernization, indigenous shipyards have made significant strides in enhancing naval shipbuilding capabilities. There are three indigenous shipyards capable of developing large surface combatants for the navy:
Khulna Shipyard Limited,
Dockyard and Engineering Works Limited and
Chittagong Dry Dock Limited, all fully-owned by the Bangladesh Navy. Khulna Shipyard has successfully launched the program of building eight
Durjoy-class and twenty three
Padma-class patrol craft.
Chittagong Dry Dock Limited, ownership of which was transferred to the Navy in 2015, has been tasked with constructing six 2,000-tonnes
Offshore patrol vessel and six multirole
Guided Missile Frigate.
Alongside the development of Navy's water capabilities,
Bangladesh Naval Aviation; the aviation wing of the Navy, have been established in 2011. Naval aviation added 4
Dornier 228 NG aircraft from Germany and two
AgustaWestland AW109 helicopter from Italy.
Dornier 228 MPA of Bangladesh Navy.
The Navy attained three-dimensional capabilities with the establishment of submarine fleet, with two
Ming-class submarine acquired from
People's Republic of China.
Bangladesh Navy has operated a Full-fledged submarine base named
BNS Sheikh Hasina, at Pekua in
Cox's Bazar. Commissioned in 2023.The Submarine Base One of the largest Project of the Bangladesh Navy. The largest naval base of the country is under construction at Rabanabad in
Patuakhali named
BNS Sher-e-Bangla. The base will have submarine berthing and aviation facilities. A full-fledged operational base, named
BNS Sheikh Mujib, has been constructed in Khilkhet of Dhaka.
[51] The construction works of a fleet headquarters at the Sandwip channel of Chattogram with ship berthing facilities is also going on. Navy has taken initiative to make missiles and
IFF system in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Air Force
Forces Goal 2030 plans to make the
Bangladesh Air Force a technologically advanced, well-trained and well-equipped force that can deter any threat to the Bangladesh airspace. To efficiently perform the increasingly challenging duties and responsibilities, the air force is being divided into two separate commands: Southern air command and Northern air command. Two airbases has already been set up – BAF base Sheikh Hasina at
Cox's Bazar and BAF base Bangabandhu at Dhaka. Two new air bases are under construction now, one at Barishal
[54] and another at Sylhet. A maritime air support operation center (MASOC) will be set up under southern command. BAF has operated
Bangabandhu Aeronautical Centre and a university
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Aviation and Aerospace University.
The Air Force is on the process of setting up an advanced fighter pilot training unit named
105 Advance Jet Training Unit which will be consist of three training squadrons that will provide advanced trainings to the fighter pilots trainees.
In 2013, Bangladesh Air Force procured 16
Chengdu F-7BGI 3.5 generation fighter aircraft from China.
Bangladesh has signed a government to government contract with the United Kingdom for the supply of five off-the-shelf
C-130J aircraft served with the
Royal Air Force. All five aircraft have been delivered.
The Bangladesh Air Force procured twenty one
Mil Mi-171Sh helicopters from Russia from 2010 to 2019 that can be used for both transport and attack roles.
[63] BAF also procured four
AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters from Italy for maritime SAR operations.
[64] One
Mil Mi-171E helicopter was purchased for VIP transport role.
BAF procured nine
K-8 intermediate jet trainer to complement the fleet of seven
L-39s. In 2015, BAF added three
Let L-410 Turbolets into a newly formed squadron of
Transport trainers.
[66] The Air Force also procured 16
Yakovlev Yak-130 Lead-in fighter trainer aircraft from Russia. Two
AgustaWestland AW119 Koala helicopters have been procured to enhance helicopter training capabilities.
FM90 Crotale SAM of
Bangladesh Air Force.
The Air Force bought
JH-16,
YLC-2,
YLC-6 and
JY-11B radar systems from China. A
Selex RAT-31DL L Band AESA radar was procured from Italy. Besides, contract has been signed for procuring undisclosed number of
Kronos Land AESA 3D MGFR radar systems from
Leonardo S.p.A. But a large number of the Kronos Land MFGRs used by BAF, which is capable of providing security to the entire country.With the deal Leonardo will also supply communications equipment,technical support, spare parts and a comprehensive training programme for Bangladeshi Air Force personnel with modules in Italy.2011, BAF inducted its first
surface-to-air missile system, the
FM 90, from China. Till date, two regiments of this system have been procured.
In February 2017, BAF has floated a tender for the procurement of medium range surface to air missile (MRSAM) system.
In December 2017, Bangladesh Air Force floated a tender for the procurement of one
Unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV). The system will consist of 3/4
Unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) and
ground control station (GCS). The UAVs will have a range of 1000 km and an endurance of 15 hours without weapon load and nine hours with weapon load. They will have 2/4 hardpoints with minimum payload requirement of 120 kg. June 2020 Bangladesh purchase an undisclosed number of Salex Evo.Bangladesh deployed Salex Evo in UN peacekeeping missions.
In October 2019, the
Bangladesh Air Force was offered two types of attack helicopters and BAF selected the
Boeing AH-64 Apache, pending government approval. In January 2020,
Boeing confirmed that its AH-64E has been down-selected for a potential program in Bangladesh. However the purchase of AH-64 Apache helicopters is still stuck because Bangladesh has not yet signed the
Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) and
General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) agreements with the United States yet. In October 2020, the air force received 7 more
K-8W jet trainers. In January 2021, the air force floated a tender for the procurement of
Kh-31A medium-range air-to-surface missile for
MiG-29B aircraft.
In 2021, Bangladesh Air Force requested Bangladesh Government to earmark around 25,200-crores
taka (2.6 billion euro) for 16 western-origin
multirole fighter jet. In order to sign the agreement and for the first installment council, Bangladesh Govt allocation of 6,300-crores taka (620m euro) in 2021-22 financial year. In 2021, Eurofighter World Magazine already stated Bangladesh as a potential customer for
Eurofighter Typhoon.
Bangladesh Air Force will reportedly procure
Eurofighter Typhoon MRCAs from Leonardo Italy With MRO and other facilities, except the Armaments packages. All armaments will be provided by an (undisclosed Country) with a separate deal.2023 Bangladesh yet not Sign the Agreement.
Germany already ordered 38 Trance 4s as a launch customer with cost of 5.4 billion euro in late 2020. According to Dirk Hoke, CEO Airbus Defense and Space, "The new Tranche 4 Eurofighter is currently the most modern European-built combat aircraft with a service life well beyond 2060." 2019 Bangladesh-UK 3rd strategic Dialogue UK has proposed Eurofighter Typhoon to Bangladesh.March 2020 French Defence Minister
Florence Parly visited Bangladesh and proposed
Dassault Rafale with other Weapons for Bangladesh Defence. For the proposal, Eurofighter Typhoon has been a strong competitor and there have also a possible candidate is
Dassault Rafale. Plans and procedures for the procurement of 16 western-origin multirole fighter jet were established after cancellation the order of 8 to 12 Russian MRCA and 16 Yak-130.
Masihuzzaman Serniabat,former chief of BAF Who implemented much of the Western fighter jet procurement process in Bangladesh also the agreement with Germany for the purchase of the GROB trainer aircraft including full technology transfer and construction of three workshops under his prevalence.
According to the contract, Germany has Completed the Delivery of 24 Grob G 120TP with 2 additional Grob G 115BD and 2 Grob G 115 trainer aircraft, seven different types of simulators, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment have been added to BAF inventory by the year 2022. Germany has already set up 3 workshops also in Bangladesh.
Miscellaneous
Bangladesh Defense
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