Chief of the Bangladesh Air Force Air Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan has confirmed that the service is exploring the possibility of acquiring 16 J-10C fighter aircraft from China, according to a number of local sources. The acquisition would follow the Pakistan Air Force’s procurement of 36 J-10C fighters from early 2022, with 36 more planned. The report comes after local media in August began to widely claim that the J-10C was being considered to modernise the fleet. A number of sources have reported that older Chinese-supplied J-7MB fighters are the aircraft which the new J-10Cs are intended to replace. The J-7 currently forms the backbone of the Bangladeshi fighter fleet, with three squadrons of the aircraft operating alongside a fourth squadron of MiG-29A/UB aircraft. The J-7MB is the oldest J-7 variant in service in the country, and has significantly older and less advanced avionics and weapons than the newer J-7BG/BGI which were procured until the mid-2010s.
Although the Bangladesh Armed Forces are reported to favour the J-10C, which has made a strong impression in neighbouring Pakistan, political considerations may well still obstruct a deal. Large scale riots in the country, which a wide range of sources reported to be strongly backed and facilitated by Western Bloc states, overthrew the Bangladeshi government in July, with the new administration being far more closely aligned with U.S. and European interests than its predecessor. This is expected to potentially cause tensions between the new administration and the armed forces should the Air Force seek to proceed with the procurement of advanced Chinese fighter aircraft.

The J-10C is one of three fighter classes that has been acquired by China’s air force over the past five years, alongside the J-20 fifth generation fighter and the ‘4+ generation’ J-16. Although much lighter and shorter ranged than the other two aircraft, the J-10C is highly prized for its sophistication, and is widely considered to be overall the most capable class of single engine fighter in the world other than the American fifth generation F-35. Despite its much smaller size, the J-10C has proven capable of outperforming some of the world’s heaviest fighters in air to air combat, with the aircraft reported in 2020 to have consistently outperformed the Russian Su-35 in simulated engagements. The J-10C class has also at times outperformed the J-16 in such engagements, albeit less consistently, with the two considered well matched. Its air to air combat potential is thus currently considered to be the greatest of any fighter class in South Asia.
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