Bangladesh to Procure 24 Chinese J-10C Fighters After Combat Successes Against India

Multiple media outlets have reported that the Ministry of Defence of Bangladesh has reached a decision to procure two dozen J-10C fighter aircraft from China, which although unconfirmed, has been re-reported by Chinese state media outlets. Plans to procure the aircraft were reportedly advanced during Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit to China from June 24 to 26, as Dhaka and Beijing prepare to deepen cooperation in defence, infrastructure development, and trade. Local sources in Bangladesh have reported that a procurement agreement is planned to be reached before the end of July. The J-10C has been confirmed to have been ordered by Pakistan and Indonesia, with unconfirmed reports indicating that orders may have also been placed by Egypt, and were placed by Sudan in the late 2010 before being cancelled due to the Western-backed overthrow of the country’s government in 2019.

The Bangladesh Air Force has fielded multiple types of Chinese fighters in the past, with two major variants of the J-7 fighter in service, including aircraft procured as recently as 2013. The service lacks any modern ‘4+ generation’ or fifth generation fighters, however, and other than the J-7 it relies on the Soviet MiG-29 medium weight fighter and Russian Yak-130 lightweight fighter-trainer to form the backbone of its combat fleet. Alongside the J-10C, Chief of General Staff of the Bangladesh Armed Forces Lieutenant General S M Kamrul Hassan has also expressed a strong interest in the lighter Chinese JF-17 Block 3 fighter, with the Defence Ministry reported in January 2025 to be planning to send an official delegation to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the aircraft. The aircraft uses much of the same weaponry and similarly advanced avionics to the J-10C, albeit with a significantly lower payload, more constrained flight performance, and weaker radar. 

Bangladesh Air Force Air Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan in December 2024 confirmed that the service was exploring the possibility of acquiring J-10C fighter aircraft. The Pakistan Air Force currently fields both fighter types as part of a high-low combination, with the JF-17 filling out the bulk of its large fleet while the J-10C is fielded in a smaller number of more elite unit, which has raised the possibility of Bangladesh replicating this combination. The JF-17 could replace the J-7 while the J-10C replaces the MiG-29. The J-10C has proven capable of outperforming several other advanced fourth generation fighter types, and in 2020 to have consistently outperformed the Russian Su-35 in simulated engagements. In late May Chinese state broadcaster CCTV confirmed longstanding reports that J-10C fighters operated by the Pakistan Air Force won overwhelming victories in simulated air-to-air engagements against Qatar Emiri Air Force Eurofighter combat jets, despite these being the most advanced Eurofighters operated anywhere in the world. 

The J-10C saw its first high intensity combat test to achieve outstanding results against the Indian Air Force in May 2025, shooting down between one and four Rafale fighters according to prevailing reports. These successes have been one of multiple factors that significantly raised the prestige of China’s combat aviation industry, with the country’s unveiling of two new sixth generation fighter types in December 2024 at flight prototype stages providing a further indicator that the industry was leading the world in development. Chinese sixth generation fighters are projected to enter service close to a decade before those of any other country, with service entry expected in the early 2030s while the American F-47 enters service in the early 2040s.

The Bangladesh Army was in February confirmed to have received a new batch of Chinese Type 15 lightweight battle tanks, otherwise known as the VT-5, which are expected to equip a second regiment, after one regiment equipped with 44 of the tanks completed its rearmament in 2025. This followed the approval of the purchase of Chinese SY-400 tactical ballistic missiles in November. In August 2025 the VT-4 main battle tank appeared for the first time appeared in Bangladesh Army camouflage, fuelling speculation that a contract for the sale of the vehicles had already been signed. The tank was a modernised variant integrating the new GL-5 hard-kill active protection system, which has not been procured by other clients. Bangladesh is expected to continue to increase its defence procurements from China, as the rising standing of the East Asian country’s defence sector provides growing opportunities to acquire world leading equipment.