Bangladesh signs Eurofighter Typhoon jet agreement with Italy as China's J-10 loses appeal.

Bangladesh has signed a Letter of Intent with Italy’s Leonardo for future Eurofighter Typhoon procurement, confirming Dhaka’s interest in a Western multirole fighter for its Forces Goal 2030 plan.

On December 9, 2025, the Bangladesh Air Force signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Italy’s Leonardo in Dhaka for a future acquisition of Eurofighter Typhoon multirole fighter jets, marking a first step to replace older Chinese fighters with a more modern European alternative. The agreement, part of Bangladesh's Forces Goal 2030 plan, could also indicate a reduced interest in the China-produced J-10 as well as a possible transition toward European technology under long-term modernization plans.
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The twin-engine canard delta configuration used by the Eurofighter Typhoon improves lift, provides better pitch control, and enhanced agility at both low and high speeds. (Picture source: Eurofighter GmbH)

The signing ceremony, held at the Air Force Headquarters in Dhaka, was attended by Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, Italy’s Ambassador Antonio Alessandro, the Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division, and Italian representatives. The LOI states that the Typhoon is intended to enter frontline service as part of Bangladesh’s Forces Goal 2030 modernization effort, which aims to expand air, land, and maritime capacities. The agreement identifies Leonardo as the lead industrial partner with planned aircraft assembly in Turin. This step opens the path to establishing a new Western fighter component within the Bangladesh Air Force inventory. The content of the LOI follows several years of preparatory evaluations by the Bangladesh Air Force and indicates Dhaka’s interest in a modern Typhoon configuration, possibly the Tranche 4.

Earlier in 2025, Bangladeshi pilots and engineers visited Turin to fly and assess the ISPA 6 instrumented aircraft, which was equipped with the Captor-E active electronically scanned array radar and the P3Eb upgrade package, showing that Bangladesh is examining standards comparable to Tranche 4 with updated sensors and mission systems. The number of aircraft has not yet been fixed, although planning has referenced a requirement for around 10 Typhoons within a broader mix of Western and Chinese aircraft. The Typhoon is expected to replace aging J-7 fighters and MiG-29s, which will require introducing new Western weapons because current Russian and Chinese munitions are not compatible. The integration effort is expected to involve a complete restructuring of Bangladesh’s existing combat support ecosystem.

This agreement follows an extended procurement cycle that previously examined Russian, Western, and Chinese options. In 2017, Bangladesh opened a closed tender for 8 Russian MiG-35 or Su-30 fighters, a process later canceled due to financial limitations, sanctions exposure, and difficulties integrating European radar and electronic warfare systems with Russian designs. In 2021, the Air Force allocated approximately 25,200 crore taka, around €2.5 billion, as part of a plan for 16 Western-made multirole fighters and requested 6,300 crore taka in the 2021 to 2022 budget as an initial installment. No contract was finalized before the change in government in 2024, and interim authorities clarified that no Rafale agreement had been signed and that earlier discussions halted during the COVID-19 period had not resumed. In parallel, Bangladesh reportedly explored a mixed fleet option involving approximately 20 Chengdu J-10CE fighters, 10 Eurofighter Typhoons, and 16 Pakistani JF-17 Block 3 fighters to balance capability increases, supply chain considerations, and financial constraints across multiple suppliers.

The Typhoon LOI is also part of the broader Bangladeshi Forces Goal 2030 program, which aims to build a three-dimensional structure across land, sea, and air. The Air Force has established Northern and Southern commands, opened new bases in Cox’s Bazar and Dhaka, and is constructing additional bases in Barishal and Sylhet, along with a planned maritime air support operations center under Southern Command. The force has added 16 F-7BGI fighters, 16 Yak-130 trainers, two batches of C-130J transports, 21 Mi-171Sh helicopters, four AW139 maritime rescue helicopters, K-8W trainers, L-410 aircraft, and two AW119 training helicopters. Air defense expansion includes FM-90 surface-to-air missiles, RAT 31DL long-range radar, and six KRONOS Land AESA radars with communications equipment, spares, and instruction packages. The Air Force, founded on September 28, 1971, today has about 17,000 personnel and over 200 aircraft, supported by institutions such as the Air Force Academy, Recruits Training School, Airmen Training Institute, and Flying Instructor’s School. Between 2001 and 2025, several accidents involving aging aircraft occurred, including a fatal FT-7BGI crash in Dhaka on July 21, 2025.

The Eurofighter Typhoon originated from a multinational requirement issued in 1983 during the late Cold War by the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Spain for a multirole fighter with advanced air superiority capability. The program evolved as these countries created the Eurofighter GmbH consortium in 1986, supported industrially by BAE Systems, Airbus, and Leonardo. Development progressed through prototypes such as the EAP demonstrator (first flown in August 1986) and subsequent instrumented production aircraft tested through the 1990s to refine avionics, flight control logic, and structural design. Production later expanded into Tranche sequences, beginning in 2004, that introduced incremental hardware and software changes, including updated computers, new sensors, and an expansion of air-to-ground roles. By 2025, more than 570 aircraft have been produced for the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar.

The Typhoon follows a twin-engine canard delta configuration that supports high agility and energy retention through a combination of relaxed static stability and digital flight controls. The Typhoon measures about 15.96 meters in length, 10.95 meters in wingspan, and 5.28 meters in height, with structural provisions for 13 external hardpoints. The cockpit features a wide field head-up display, multifunction displays, and a helmet-mounted sight that supports cueing for weapons and sensors. Core avionics include the Captor radar family, with the latest Captor-E variant providing enhanced tracking and electronic scanning performance. The defensive suite integrates radar warning receivers, missile approach warning, electronic countermeasures, and a towed decoy. The Typhoon's architecture also focuses on a modular subsystem assembly that allows national variations in mission computers, communications, and data links.

The Typhoon’s two Eurojet EJ200 afterburning turbofan engines allow speeds near Mach 2, high climb rates, and a service ceiling suitable for beyond visual range engagements. The Typhoon can carry a broad weapons inventory that includes Meteor, AIM-120 AMRAAM, IRIS-T, and ASRAAM missiles for air-to-air roles, along with Paveway laser and GPS guided bombs, Brimstone precision weapons, Storm Shadow cruise missiles, and various anti-ship munitions. The choice of weapons depends on each operator’s requirements, procurement policies, intended missions, financial scope, and industrial partnerships. Such modularity is relevant for Bangladesh as it evaluates Western weapons for the first time in its combat aviation structure. Therefore, the introduction of new mission data and logistics networks will require a progressive adaptation across several air bases.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.