Deal over Chinese drone production in Bangladesh sets off alarm bells in India
Bangladesh inks an agreement with China to manufacture UAVs, with technology transfer and the development of military infrastructure. Although Dhaka stresses the technology’s civilian use, New Delhi views the agreement as a strengthening Chinese military presence in a neighbouring country.
Dhaka (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Bangladesh and China have agreed to manufacture drones in the South Asian country, something that is causing concern in India.
Yesterday, the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) and China Electronics Technology Group Corporation International (CETC International), a Chinese state-owned defence electronics company, signed an agreement at the BAF headquarters in Dhaka for the establishment of a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturing and assembly facility. The deal includes technology transfer.
In an official statement, the Bangladesh Ministry of Defence in Dhaka confirmed that the agreement will serve to "produce and assemble state-of-the-art UAVs."
Under the deal, which will be implemented in phases, the BAF will acquire the capacity to produce and assemble various categories of drones, including Medium Altitude Low Endurance (MALE) UAVs.
These are military and dual-use drones designed to operate at medium altitudes for extended periods, and Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) UAVs, drones capable of vertical take-off and landing without the need for traditional runways.
The project is expected to cost 608.07 crore taka, or around US$ 55 million, over four years.
Bangladesh has not revealed the model that will be built, but observers believe it could be the XY-I, a MALE drone developed by CETC and unveiled at the 2022 Airshow China, often described as similar to the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2.
The Bangladeshi government – led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, who is also defence minister – has insisted on the civilian use of the drones.
According to official statements, the UAVs will be used for humanitarian assistance and climate emergency management, as well as in military missions.
The deal provides for the establishment of a production and assembly line, as well as the development of the infrastructure that will host production, at a proposed military base in Bogura (Bogra), in the north of the country, in a strategic location not far from India's northeastern states.
A BAF radar unit has already been present at Bogura since June last year, installed to boost the defence and surveillance capabilities in the area, which includes the Bay of Bengal, another factor that worries India.
CETC International has been sanctioned by the United States, and according to some analysts, the XY-I – capable of performing reconnaissance, surveillance, and patrol roles, but also potentially attack roles – could play a strategic role because it can be integrated into interconnected drone architectures ready to fight electronic warfare, based on jamming the enemy's electronic systems.
Relations between New Delhi and Dhaka, which share a border of more than 4,000 kilometres, have cooled since August 2024, when former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India following anti-government protests led by young university students.
Bangladesh is a major buyer of Chinese weapons, according to data released by SIPRI, absorbing approximately 11 per cent of China's arms exports between 2019 and 2023.
The agreement represents a qualitative shift in bilateral relations because, as is already the case with Pakistan, drone production would be located within Bangladesh, opening the door, according to some analysts, to exports to third countries.
Furthermore, the BAF was in talks in October for a deal worth approximately US$ 2.2 billion to purchase 20 Chengdu J-10C fighters, while more recently it has also shown (like several other countries) interest in the JF-17 Thunder, the multi-role fighters developed by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and China's Chengdu Aircraft Corporation.
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16/11/2024 11:13
