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| Bangladesh |
| Bangladesh Buys Fighter Jets From China for $96.3M |
| 2006-02-24 |
| Bangladesh has signed a $93.6 million deal with China to procure 16 fighter jets for its air force, the countryÂ’s acting defense minister said Feb. 23. Each fighter plane would cost 5.85 million dollars, Hafizuddin Ahmed, the countryÂ’s water resources minister who is also acting minister of defense, told the national parliament, according to the state-run BSS news agency. The minister did not indicate what kind of planes were being bought but Lieutenant-Colonel Nazrul Islam, spokesman for the countryÂ’s armed forces, identified them as F-7 fighter jets. Dhaka and Beijing have strong defense ties and much of Bangladeshi military hardware is purchased from China. Last April, Chinese premier Wen Jiabao visited Dhaka as part of his maiden South Asian tour when the two countries signed a raft of agreements covering development, trade, economic and defense cooperation. China is also BangladeshÂ’s biggest source of imported goods, this year surpassing India for the title for the first time since the country became independent in 1971. |
| Posted by:john |
| #7 Congratulations, Bangladesh. You've taken nearly one hundred million dollars out of the mouths of your populations and bought...Chinese knockoffs of MiG freaking twenty-ones. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2006-02-24 19:08 |
| #6 Wonder who they think that they are going to be able to fight with these? Indeed, especially since BD is surrounded on three sides by India and the fourth side by the Bay of Bengal which is the stomping ground of the Indian Navy carrier group. Latest word on the Indian MRCA contract is that the tender documents are being rewritten to include the Navy. Total will be 200 aircraft with a probable mix of planes from two vendors. In the running - the F-18 SH, the F-16, the Mig-35 (an upgraded Mig 29 with French avoinics and a new thrust vectoring engine), the Rafale, the Eurofigter typhoon. |
| Posted by: john 2006-02-24 17:12 |
| #5 Chinese knockoffs of 40 year old Russian technology combined with Bangladeshi maintenance? Good luck, Brave Bangla Flyboys! You're gonna need it... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2006-02-24 12:04 |
| #4 Wonder who they think that they are going to be able to fight with these? |
| Posted by: RWV 2006-02-24 12:04 |
| #3 Considering that Bangladesh is underwater most of monsoon season I hope they bought seaplanes. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2006-02-24 11:20 |
| #2 Wow...when China is selling you their obsolete, third-line stuff, you know you've made it in the world. |
| Posted by: gromky 2006-02-24 11:02 |
| #1 Bangladesh is one of the world's poorest, most densely populated and least developed nations. The government launched reforms in the 1990s to establish a more open, market-based economy and to accelerate economic growth. However, massive flooding in 1998 destroyed most of the rice crop, shattering the economic progress being made. Nearly 30 million people were affected by the floods, and the impact is still being felt today. The minister did not indicate what kind of planes were being bought Planes made of sausage I hope. |
| Posted by: Visitor 2006-02-24 08:33 |