Bangladesh Air Force
The Bangladesh Air Force (বাংলাদেশ বিমান বাহিনী) was born on 28 September 1971 as Kilo Flight — an Otter, a Dakota and an Alouette helicopter at Dimapur in India — grew up on Soviet MiG-21s and Chinese F-6s, F-7s and A-5s, and in 2026 flies about 44 fighters, most of them F-7s, while it weighs 20 Chinese J-10CEs against a letter of intent for the Eurofighter Typhoon.
The Bangladesh Air Force story: Kilo Flight, Chinese fighters, blue helmets and the fighter question
1971: Kilo Flight and the air war for independence
The Bangladesh Air Force dates itself to 28 September 1971, in the middle of the Liberation War, when Bengali airmen who had left the Pakistan Air Force were formed into a unit at Dimapur in Nagaland, India. ISPR counts one Otter, one Dakota, one Alouette helicopter and 57 personnel. That unit was Kilo Flight: the Otter came from the Indian Air Force, the DC-3 Dakota had been given by the Maharaja of Jodhpur, and the nine pilots included three former PAF officers — Squadron Leader Sultan Mahmud, who commanded, and Flight Lieutenants Shamsul Alam and Badrul Alam — alongside airline captains. On the night of 3–4 December Shamsul Alam and Captain Akram Ahmed flew the Otter against fuel tanks at Chittagong while Sultan Mahmud and Badrul Alam took the Alouette to the Godnail fuel depot near Narayanganj. ISPR credits Kilo Flight with more than 50 bombing missions; Wikipedia counts about 40 combat missions and 90 sorties.
1972–1990: Soviet MiGs, a mutiny and the turn to China
The war had a darker prologue. On 20 August 1971 Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman, a Bengali instructor at PAF Base Masroor in Karachi, took control of a T-33 trainer from Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas, apparently to fly it to India; it crashed in Thatta district and both men died. Pakistan says Minhas forced the crash and awarded him the Nishan-e-Haider; Bangladesh made Matiur Rahman a Bir Sreshtho, and its Jashore base bears his name. After the surrender the new air force started with what it found: the PAF’s Sabres at Tejgaon had been grounded by Indian bombing, and Bangladeshi technicians returned four to service in 1972. The post of Chief of Air Staff was created on 7 April 1972. The Soviet Union then supplied MiG-21MF fighters, two MiG-21UM trainers and twelve Mi-8 helicopters. On 2 October 1977 a mutiny at Dhaka airport killed 11 air force officers, and hundreds of airmen and soldiers were hanged after summary trials.
1991–2013: a cyclone, the MiG-29 affair and the F-7BGI
From the late 1970s the air force re-equipped from China: Shenyang F-6 fighters (Wikipedia says refurbished aircraft came from Pakistan), Nanchang A-5C attack jets and, from 1989, the Chengdu F-7 — 20 F-7Ms delivered in 1989–90 and 20 more by 2006, according to the SIPRI data Wikipedia cites. The 1991 cyclone hit Chittagong hard, and Wikipedia records that most of the air force’s fighters were damaged. In 1999 Sheikh Hasina’s government bought eight MiG-29s from Russia. The Anti-Corruption Commission charged her and six others in 2001, alleging a loss of Tk 700 crore; the High Court quashed the case against her in 2010 and the five other accused were acquitted in June 2011, the court finding that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges. The MiG-21s went around 2006–07. Sixteen F-7BGIs, the last production model of the J-7 family, entered service in 2013, and the Yak-130 (first six on 20 September 2015) and K-8W (from December 2014) replaced older trainers.
Blue helmets: UN peacekeeping aviation
For a small air force, Bangladesh flies a great deal for the United Nations. ISPR says three armed Mi-171Sh helicopters equipped for night-vision flying left Dhaka for the Central African Republic on 20 June 2020 in a chartered An-124, joining the Bangladesh helicopter unit of MINUSCA after a 123-strong advance party had deployed on 29 May; ISPR says Bangladesh was the first member state to deploy under the UN’s rapid deployment level within the shortest time. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo the Bangladesh Aviation Transport Unit flies a C-130B for MONUSCO: its 15th rotation, 62 people under Group Captain Mohammad Selim Javed, flew out on 25 January and 2 February 2026. The BAF’s own figure, quoted by Wikipedia, is more than 600 personnel and 10 helicopters on UN missions. For crews it is real operational flying, far from home.
2024–2025: a flight to Hindon and the Milestone school crash
The air force was pulled into politics on 5 August 2024. Sheikh Hasina resigned and left Dhaka; Business Today reported that she landed at Hindon Air Base near Delhi that evening in a C-130 transport, which Wikipedia describes as a Bangladesh Air Force aircraft. Under the interim government the Kurmitola base, opened as BAF Base Bangabandhu on 9 April 2013, was renamed after A. K. Khandker, the first Chief of Air Staff. Then came the worst accident in the service’s history. On 21 July 2025 an FT-7BGI on its pilot’s first solo, Flight Lieutenant Towkir Islam Sagar, took off at 13:06 and crashed into Milestone School and College in Uttara, Dhaka. The death toll moved: the health directorate revised it to 29 on 23 July, the probe counted 36 including the pilot, and The Business Standard reported 37 on 23 August. The probe blamed pilot error and recommended moving all initial flying training out of Dhaka.
2025–2026: J-10CE, Eurofighter and the fighter question
The fighter question is now the air force’s biggest decision in 25 years. The Business Standard reported in October 2025 that the government planned to buy 20 Chengdu J-10CEs for about $2.2 billion, with an 11-member committee headed by the Chief of Air Staff formed that April and payments spread to 2035–36. On 9 December 2025 the air force signed a letter of intent with Leonardo for the Eurofighter Typhoon, with no number published. In August 2026 Zahed Ur Rahman, adviser to the Prime Minister, confirmed to the South China Morning Post that a J-10CE proposal had gone to the Finance Ministry, citing the type’s reported success in the 2025 India–Pakistan clash. No contract had been announced when this page was checked. Meanwhile the fleet is the one the Milestone crash exposed: 36 F-7s and eight MiG-29s, according to the same newspaper. Whichever jet is chosen, the F-7 has to go.
The Bangladesh Air Force in numbers
Service
- Native name
- বাংলাদেশ বিমান বাহিনীBangladesh Bimaan Bahini, as ISPR and the air force spell it in Bengali. The motto is "Free shall we keep the sky of Bengal"
- Founded
- 28 September 1971Formed at Dimapur, Nagaland, India, during the Liberation War as Kilo Flight with an Otter, a Dakota, an Alouette III and 57 personnel
- Part of
- Bangladesh Armed ForcesOne of three services with the army and navy; the Chief of Air Staff post dates from 7 April 1972. After the mutiny of 2 October 1977, in which 11 air force officers were killed, President Ziaur Rahman considered replacing the air force with an army aviation wing, according to Wikipedia; hundreds of airmen and soldiers were executed after summary trials (The Daily Star), with totals above 1,100 cited by Wikipedia
- Headquarters
- Air Headquarters, Dhaka CantonmentThe 55th anniversary parade on 28 September 2026 was held in the C-130 hangar at Air Base Bashar in Dhaka Cantonment
- Chief of Air Staff
- Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood KhanIn office since 11 June 2024; ISPR transliterates the name as Hasan Mahmud Khan
- Defence portfolio
- Held by the Prime MinisterWikipedia lists the Prime Minister, Tarique Rahman, as defence minister after the 2026 election; not checked on an official page
Strength
- Personnel
- About 17,400Wikipedia’s figure, with 3,700 civilians; not checked against the IISS original
- Total aircraft
- About 212The Business Standard’s count in October and December 2025, including 44 fighters
- Combat aircraft
-
- Chengdu F-7MB/BG/BGI and FT-7 — 32–47 (see note)
- Mikoyan MiG-29B/UB — 8
The Business Standard counts 36 F-7s and 8 MiG-29s; FlightGlobal 2025 lists 35 F-7 plus 12 FT-7 trainers and 6 + 2 MiG-29; Wikipedia 32 F-7 of all versions. One FT-7BGI was lost on 21 July 2025
- Transport
-
- C-130J — 5
- C-130B — 3
- An-32 — 3
- L-410 — 3
The five C-130Js are ex-RAF aircraft refurbished by Marshall; the last was handed over on 24 June 2024
- Helicopters
-
- Mi-17/Mi-171 family — 35
- Bell 212 — 14
- AW139 — 4
- Bell 206L — 6 (training)
- AW119 — 2 (training)
FlightGlobal 2025 figures
- Trainers
-
- Grob G 120TP — 23
- Hongdu K-8W — 14
- Yakovlev Yak-130 — 12–13
- Nanchang PT-6 — 9
- Grob G 115 — 2
FlightGlobal 2025 lists 13 Yak-130; Wikipedia 12. FlightGlobal’s "FT-6 (9)" appears to be the PT-6 that Wikipedia lists as nine
- Ground-based air defence
- FM-90 short-range SAMsTwo regiments received from 2011; a Selex RAT-31DL long-range radar followed in 2019 (Wikipedia)
- Defence budget
- Tk 408.51 billion (about $3.34 billion), 2025For the whole armed forces, 0.71% of GDP, as given by Wikipedia; no air force share published
Infrastructure
- Air bases
-
- Bashar, Tejgaon/Dhaka Cantonment — transport, helicopters
- Bir Uttom A. K. Khandker, Kurmitola — F-7 and MiG-29
- Zahurul Haque, Chattogram — Yak-130, F-7MB, helicopters
- Birshreshtho Matiur Rahman, Jashore — Air Force Academy, trainers
- Cox’s Bazar
- Shamshernagar
Wikipedia’s base and squadron list; Kurmitola was BAF Base Bangabandhu until 2025. Jashore is named after Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman, killed on 20 August 1971 in the T-33 he tried to take from Karachi to India
- Stations
-
- Bogura
- Barishal
The Milestone probe recommended upgrading the Barishal and Bogura airstrips so that initial flying training can leave Dhaka
- UN aviation units
- C-130B in the DR Congo; Mi-171Sh unit in the Central African RepublicBANATU-15 (62 people) deployed to MONUSCO in January–February 2026; armed night-capable Mi-171Sh joined MINUSCA in June 2020
- Flying squadrons
- About 17 numbered unitsWikipedia’s squadron table, including fighter squadrons 5, 8, 25 and 35
- Drone factory
- Joint venture with ChinaReported in November 2025 as a UAV plant with technology transfer in a planned defence economic zone
How the Bangladesh Air Force is organised
Air Headquarters in Dhaka Cantonment over six air bases and three air force stations. The fighters, 36 F-7s and eight MiG-29s by The Business Standard’s count, fly from Kurmitola; transport and helicopters fly from Bashar, advanced jet training from Chattogram and basic training from the Academy at Jashore. After the Milestone school crash of July 2025 the official probe recommended moving all initial flying training out of Dhaka.
Air Headquarters
In Dhaka Cantonment, one of three services of the Bangladesh Armed Forces; the post of Chief of Air Staff dates from 7 April 1972. Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan has been Chief of Air Staff since 11 June 2024.
BAF Base Bir Uttam A. K. Khandker
The fighter base, on the military side of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at Kurmitola: No. 5 and No. 35 Squadrons with F-7s and No. 8 Squadron with MiG-29s, per Wikipedia. It opened as BAF Base Bangabandhu on 9 April 2013 and was renamed in 2025 after the first Chief of Air Staff.
BAF Base Bashar
Grown around Tejgaon, Dhaka’s first airfield: the Bell 212s of No. 9 Squadron, the Mi-171Sh of No. 31, the C-130Bs and Mi-171Es of No. 101 Special Airlift Squadron and the L-410s of No. 103 Air Transport Training Unit, per Wikipedia.
BAF Base Zahurul Haque
Sharing Shah Amanat International Airport: helicopters of No. 1 Squadron, An-32s of No. 3, Yak-130s of No. 21 Squadron and No. 105 Advanced Jet Training Unit, and the F-7MBs of No. 25, per Wikipedia.
BAF Base Birshreshtho Matiur Rahman
Home of the Bangladesh Air Force Academy, on an airfield the RAF built in 1940, with PT-6, Grob G 120TP, K-8W and Bell 206L squadrons per Wikipedia. Flying instructors train at the Flying Instructors’ School at Bogura.
Radar and missile units
FM-90 short-range surface-to-air missiles, two regiments received from 2011, and radar units at Paharkanchanpur, Bogura and Barishal; Paharkanchanpur was the first radar base to receive the BAF Colour, in 2019.
UN aviation units
A C-130B transport unit with MONUSCO in the DR Congo, whose 15th rotation deployed in January and February 2026, and armed Mi-171Sh helicopters with MINUSCA in the Central African Republic since June 2020.
What the Bangladesh Air Force flies today
Every type on charge, linked to its Book of Beasts page where one exists. Counts are aircraft on the books, not aircraft available on a given day.
| Type | Role | In service | Since | Units | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chengdu F-7MB, F-7BG, F-7BGI and FT-7In service | Fighter and conversion trainer | 1989 | 32–47 airframes depending on source and on whether FT-7 trainers are counted: The Business Standard 36 F-7s (October 2025); FlightGlobal 2025 35 F-7 plus 12 FT-7; Wikipedia 32.
MoreOne FT-7BGI was destroyed on 21 July 2025. |
|||
| Mikoyan MiG-29B and MiG-29UBIn service | Air superiority fighter | 8 | 1999 | Eight bought; FlightGlobal 2025 lists six single-seaters and two trainers. | ||
| Yakovlev Yak-130In service | Advanced jet trainer and light attack | 12 | 2015 | 16 delivered; four lost in 2017 (one in July, two in a mid-air collision in December) and 2024 leave 12, Wikipedia’s figure. FlightGlobal 2025 lists 13. | ||
| Hongdu K-8W KarakorumIn service | Intermediate jet trainer | 14 | 2014 | FlightGlobal 2025. One was lost with both pilots on 1 July 2018 (Wikipedia). | ||
| Grob G 120TPIn service | Basic trainer | 23 | 2021 | 24 ordered in June 2021; FlightGlobal 2025 lists 23. | ||
| Nanchang PT-6 (CJ-6)In service | Primary trainer | 9 | Nine according to Wikipedia; FlightGlobal 2025 lists nine under "FT-6", apparently the same aircraft. | |||
| Grob G 115In service | Primary trainer | 2 | FlightGlobal 2025. | |||
| Lockheed Martin C-130J HerculesIn service | Tactical transport | 5 | Five ex-RAF aircraft bought government-to-government from the UK. | |||
| Lockheed C-130B HerculesIn service | Tactical transport | 3 | FlightGlobal 2025. | |||
| Antonov An-32In service | Transport | 3 | FlightGlobal 2025. | |||
| Let L-410 TurboletIn service | Light transport and multi-engine trainer | 3 | FlightGlobal 2025. | |||
| Mil Mi-17, Mi-171 and Mi-171ShIn service | Utility and armed transport helicopter | 35 | FlightGlobal 2025 and Wikipedia. | |||
| Bell 212In service | Utility helicopter | 14 | FlightGlobal 2025. | |||
| AgustaWestland AW139In service | Maritime search and rescue helicopter | 4 | FlightGlobal 2025. | |||
| Bell 206LIn service | Helicopter trainer | 6 | FlightGlobal 2025. | |||
| AgustaWestland AW119KxIn service | Helicopter trainer | 2 | FlightGlobal 2025. |
On order
| Type | Ordered | First delivery | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chengdu J-10CEOn order | 20 | Not a signed contract.
MoreThe Business Standard reported on 7 October 2025 a plan for 20 J-10CEs for about $2.2 billion (aircraft $1.2 billion), government to government, paid over ten years to 2035–36, with delivery targeted by 2027; an 11-member committee headed by the Chief of Air Staff was formed in April 2025. On 28–29 August 2026 the South China Morning Post quoted adviser Zahed Ur Rahman confirming that a draft proposal had gone to the Finance Ministry and the Armed Forces Division. |
||
| Eurofighter TyphoonOn order | Letter of intent only.
MoreSigned with Leonardo at Air Headquarters in Dhaka on 9 December 2025 by the Chief of Air Staff and the Italian ambassador, Antonio Alessandro, as announced on the air force’s Facebook page. No number, tranche or price was published; Wikipedia cites media reports of ten. |
|||
| TAI T129 ATAKOn order | 6 | 2027 | Reported only: Wikipedia, citing SIPRI, lists six ordered for the Bangladesh Air Force in 2025 with deliveries expected by 2027 and a $600 million deal; not confirmed on a Bangladeshi official page in this check. |
Every type the Bangladesh Air Force has retired
11 types, from the de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter to the Nanchang A-5C. Peak figures are airframes taken on charge over the whole service life, not fleet strength on any one date.
| Type | Role | Peak | Served | Replaced by | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nanchang A-5C | Ground attack | 21 | 21 in 2003, down to 18 before retirement (The Military Balance, via Wikipedia). | |||
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21MF and MiG-21UM | Fighter | 1973–2007 | F-7, MiG-29 | 12–14: Wikipedia’s Bangladesh Air Force article says ten MiG-21MF and two MiG-21UM (November–December 1972); its list of MiG-21 operators says 12 MiG-21MF and 2 MiG-21UM in 1973. | ||
| de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter | Light transport, improvised bomber | 1 | 1971– | One, lent by the Indian Air Force (in IAF service since 1959). | ||
| Douglas DC-3 Dakota | Transport | 1 | 1971– | One, given by the Maharaja of Jodhpur. | ||
| Aérospatiale Alouette III | Armed helicopter | 1 | 1971– | One. | ||
| Canadair Sabre | Fighter | 4 | 1972– | MiG-21MF | Four returned to service in 1972. | |
| Mil Mi-8 | Utility helicopter | 12 | 1973– | Mi-17/Mi-171 | Twelve supplied by the Soviet Union in 1972–73. | |
| Shenyang F-6 (J-6) and FT-6 | Fighter | F-7 | ||||
| Shenyang FT-5 (JJ-5) | Jet trainer | |||||
| Aero L-39 Albatros | Jet trainer | K-8W, Yak-130 | ||||
| Fouga CM.170 Magister | Jet trainer | 1997– |
Where the Bangladesh Air Force flies from
Black pins are active bases, hollow pins the airfields that have closed. Dhaka holds the core of the air force: the fighters at Kurmitola, on the military side of the international airport, and transport and helicopters at Bashar, around the old Tejgaon airfield. Shamshernagar was a Second World War "Hump" airfield and Kilo Flight’s base in 1971; Paharkanchanpur is a radar base, and Bogura and Barishal carry radar units. Entries with no published aerodrome data carry no pin.
| Base | ICAO | Status | Runway | Units and aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAF Base BasharDhaka Division, Dhaka (Tejgaon) | VGTJ | Active | 17/352,839 m |
|
| BAF Base Bir Uttam A. K. KhandkerDhaka Division, Dhaka (Kurmitola, Dhaka Cantonment) | VGHS | Active | 14/323,505 m |
|
| BAF Base Birshreshtho Matiur RahmanKhulna Division, Jashore | VGJR | Active |
|
|
| BAF Base Cox’s BazarChattogram Division, Cox’s Bazar | VGCB | Active | 17/353,200 m | |
| BAF Base PaharkanchanpurDhaka Division, Tangail | Active | |||
| BAF Base Zahurul HaqueChattogram Division, Chattogram (Patenga) | VGEG | Active | 05/232,940 mconcrete and asphalt |
|
| BAF Station BarishalBarishal Division, Barishal | VGBR | Active |
|
|
| BAF Station BoguraRajshahi Division, Bogura | VGBG | Active | 12/301,525 m |
|
| BAF Station ShamshernagarSylhet Division, Moulvibazar | VGSH | Active | 17/351,585 mconcrete |
|
No air base matches that search.
Who is stationed where in the Bangladesh Air Force
Flying units by base, current units first. Bangladeshi squadrons are numbered, with three-digit numbers for special units — No. 101 Special Airlift Squadron and No. 103 Air Transport Training Unit at Bashar, No. 105 Advanced Jet Training Unit at Chattogram — and the Pakistan Air Force’s No. 14 Squadron, at Tejgaon until December 1971, is listed as a former unit. Most squadron-to-base listings rest on Wikipedia, and the entries say so.
- No. 9 SquadronHelicopter squadron · active
- Bell 212
- No. 31 SquadronHelicopter squadron · active
- Mil Mi-171Sh
- No. 101 Special Airlift SquadronTransport squadron · active
- Lockheed C-130B Hercules, Mil Mi-171E
- No. 103 Air Transport Training UnitTransport training unit · active
- Let L-410 Turbolet
- Helicopter Simulator Training InstituteSimulator training institute · active
- No. 14 Squadron, Pakistan Air Force1954–1971
- Canadair Sabre
- No. 5 SquadronFighter squadron · active
- Chengdu F-7BG and FT-7BG
- No. 8 SquadronFighter squadron · active
- Mikoyan MiG-29B and MiG-29UB
- No. 35 SquadronFighter squadron · active
- Chengdu F-7BGI and FT-7BGI
- No. 1 SquadronHelicopter squadron (with search and rescue flight) · active
- Mil Mi-17 and Mi-171, AgustaWestland AW139, Bell 212
- No. 3 SquadronTransport squadron · active
- Antonov An-32B
- No. 21 SquadronAttack and advanced jet training squadron · active
- Yakovlev Yak-130, Nanchang A-5III (retired)
- No. 25 SquadronFighter squadron · active
- Chengdu F-7MB and FT-7MB
- No. 105 Advanced Jet Training UnitAdvanced jet training unit · active
- Yakovlev Yak-130
- 4th Combat Cargo Group, US Army Air Forces1945–1945
- Curtiss C-46 Commando
- No. 11 SquadronBasic flying training squadron · active
- Nanchang PT-6
- No. 12 SquadronBasic flying training squadron · active
- Grob G 120TP
- No. 15 SquadronJet training squadron · active
- Hongdu K-8W
- No. 18 SquadronHelicopter training squadron · active
- Bell 206L
- Bangladesh Air Force AcademyOfficer training academy · active
- No. 41 SquadronSquadron (role given by Wikipedia as airborne; not detailed) · active
- Recruits Training SchoolTraining school · active
- 61st Air Service Group, US Army Air Forces1945–1945
- Flying Instructors’ SchoolInstructor training school · active
- Nanchang CJ-6 (PT-6)
- Bogura Radar UnitAir defence radar unit · active
- GM 403M radar
- Flight Safety and Evaluation UnitFlight safety unit · active
- Barishal Radar UnitAir defence radar unit · active
- Surface-to-air missile unitGround-based air defence · active
No unit matches that search.
Bangladesh Air Force milestones, 1914 to today
20 August: Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman dies with Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas when the T-33 he tried to take to India crashes in Thatta. 28 September: the Bangladesh Air Force is formed at Dimapur as Kilo Flight.
3–4 December: Kilo Flight’s first raids, the Otter against Chittagong’s fuel tanks and the Alouette against the Godnail depot near Narayanganj. Pakistan’s forces in the east surrender on 16 December.
7 April: the post of Chief of Air Staff is created; A. K. Khandker is the first. Four abandoned Sabres are returned to service.
Soviet MiG-21MF and MiG-21UM fighters and Mi-8 helicopters enter service (delivery dated late 1972 or 1973 depending on source).
2 October: a mutiny at Dhaka airport, during the JAL Flight 472 hijacking, kills 11 air force officers; mass executions follow.
The first 20 Chengdu F-7Ms arrive (1989–90).
The April cyclone damages most of the air force’s fighters, according to Wikipedia.
Eight MiG-29s are bought from Russia; the deal becomes a corruption case in 2001 that ends in acquittals in 2011.
16 F-7BGIs enter service. 9 April: BAF Base Bangabandhu opens at Kurmitola.
20 September: the first six Yak-130s arrive.
20 June: three armed Mi-171Sh helicopters leave for MINUSCA in the Central African Republic. 15 October: seven more K-8Ws arrive at Chattogram.
24 Grob G 120TP trainers ordered in June; the first 12 are delivered in December.
9 May: a Yak-130 crashes off Patenga, killing Squadron Leader Asim Jawwad. 11 June: Hasan Mahmood Khan becomes Chief of Air Staff. 24 June: the fifth and last C-130J is handed over.
5 August: Sheikh Hasina resigns and flies to Hindon Air Base in India in a C-130.
Kurmitola is renamed BAF Base Bir Uttom A. K. Khandker. 21 July: an FT-7BGI crashes into Milestone School and College in Dhaka, killing between 29 and 37 people depending on the count.
7 October: a plan for 20 J-10CEs is reported. 9 December: letter of intent with Leonardo for the Eurofighter Typhoon.
January: BANATU-15 and its C-130B rotate into the DR Congo. August: the government confirms a J-10CE proposal. 28 September: the air force marks its 55th anniversary.
Every war the Bangladesh Air Force has fought
Sorties and losses where the record gives them, and an honest blank where it does not.
- Bangladesh Liberation War 1971 Night raids on fuel depots and Pakistani positions with a converted Otter and an armed Alouette helicopter, alongside the Mukti Bahini and the Indian Air Force
- United Nations peacekeeping ongoing Provides UN aviation units: a C-130B transport unit for MONUSCO and a medium armed helicopter unit with Mi-171Sh for MINUSCA
Bangladesh Air Force news from Afterburner
Everything MiGFlug’s magazine has published on the Bangladesh Air Force and the aircraft it flies. This list refreshes itself — new Afterburner stories appear here automatically.
Everything people ask about the Bangladesh Air Force
Which fighter jets does the Bangladesh Air Force fly?
What is the Bangladesh Air Force called in Bengali?
How was the Bangladesh Air Force founded?
Is Bangladesh buying the J-10C or the Eurofighter?
What happened in the Milestone school jet crash?
How many aircraft does the Bangladesh Air Force have?
Why did the MiG-29 purchase end up in court?
Does the Bangladesh Air Force fly for the United Nations?
Who was Matiur Rahman?
Who commands the Bangladesh Air Force?
Read the aircraft the Bangladesh Air Force flew
Every type with a page in the Book of Beasts, in service first, then by the year it left the fleet.
Every fact, checked
- ISPR: Bangladesh Air Force 55th founding anniversary (28 September 2026, in Bengali)Official Bengali name; founding with an Otter, a Dakota, an Alouette and 57 personnel; over 50 bombing missions; Chief of Air Staff.
- The Daily Star: Hasan Mahmood Khan appointed air force chief (26 May 2024)Takes over 11 June 2024 for three years; predecessor Shaikh Abdul Hannan.
- The Business Standard: President’s Parade held at Bangladesh Air Force Academy in Jashore (21 May 2026)Chief of Air Staff took the salute; 41 cadets commissioned.
- The Business Standard: At least 164, including children, hospitalised with burns, says ISPR (21 July 2025)F-7 BGI took off at 13:06; ISPR injury figures.
- The Business Standard: Milestone toll revised down to 29 (23 July 2025)Health directorate revises death toll to 29.
- The Business Standard: death toll rises to 37 (23 August 2025)37 dead after a 15-year-old dies of burns.
- The Business Standard: Probe blames pilot error for Milestone jet crash (5 November 2025)Probe led by Lt Gen SM Kamrul Hassan; 36 dead; pilot error; move training out of Dhaka; upgrade Barishal and Bogura.
- The Business Standard: Bangladesh plans $2.2b purchase of 20 Chinese J-10 fighter jets (7 October 2025)20 J-10CE, $2.2 billion, committee, 212 aircraft incl. 44 fighters (36 F-7, 8 MiG-29B).
- South China Morning Post: Bangladesh confirms Chinese J-10CE jet deal (August 2026)Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman: draft proposal submitted; not finalised.
- The Business Standard: Air Force signs LOI with Italy’s Leonardo for Eurofighter Typhoon procurement (9 December 2025)LOI signed by the Chief of Air Staff and the Italian ambassador; no quantity.
- The Business Standard: Bangladesh Air Force setting up drone manufacturing plant in JV with China (1 November 2025)UAV plant with technology transfer.
- The Business Standard: Bangladeshi C-130J fleet reaches full strength with Marshall UK’s support (2024)Five ex-RAF C-130J; last handed over 24 June 2024.
- Dhaka Tribune: Bangladesh Air Force receives 3rd C-130J aircraft (17 September 2020)Third C-130J arrives from the UK; five to be inducted.
- The Daily Star: MiG-29 purchase case verdict (2 June 2011)Eight MiG-29s bought 1999; ACC case 2001; acquittals 2011.
- FlightGlobal: World Air Forces 2025Bangladesh fleet counts by type.
- The Business Standard: Air Force training aircraft crashes near Chattogram port (9 May 2024)Yak-130 down in the Karnaphuli near Patenga.
- Dhaka Tribune: Air force trainer jet crashes in Chittagong (9 May 2024)Squadron Leader Asim Jawwad died; Wing Commander Soham survived.
- Halldale: Bangladesh Air Force receives new K-8W jet trainers from ChinaSeven K-8W delivered 15 October 2020; first K-8s December 2014.
- ISPR: Chief of Air Staff briefs BANATU-15 for MONUSCO (20 January 2026, in Bengali)62 personnel, one C-130B, departures 25 January and 2 February 2026.
- ISPR: Mi-171Sh helicopters deployed to the Central African Republic (20 June 2020, in Bengali)Three armed night-vision Mi-171Sh; 123-strong contingent; RDL deployment.
- The Business Standard: BAF base renamed BAF Base Bir Uttam AK Khandker (10 April 2025)Renaming of the Kurmitola base after the first Chief of Air Staff.
- The Daily Star: …A dictator and his victims (review, 2011)Eleven air force officers killed at Tejgaon; hundreds of airmen executed.
- The Financial Express: Former Chief of Air Staff Bir Uttam Sultan Mahmud passes away (August 2023)Led the Kilo Flight operation; Independence Award 2018.
- Business Today: NSA Ajit Doval meets Sheikh Hasina at Hindon airbase (5 August 2024)Hasina landed at Hindon in a C-130.
- ISPR: Bangladesh Air Force celebrates her 54th anniversary (28 September 2025)Combined dinner at "Bangladesh Air Force Base Bashar, Tejgaon, Dhaka"; Kilo Flight of 28 September 1971 with one Otter, one Dakota, one Alouette and 57 members; more than fifty air attacks; A. K. Khandker deputy chief of staff and Sultan Mahmud officer commanding Kilo Flight.
- ISPR: The renaming ceremony of Bangladesh Air Force Base Bir Uttam A K Khandker (10 April 2025)The base at Kurmitola, Dhaka Cantonment, renamed; Chief of Air Staff Hasan Mahmood Khan chief guest; Khandker deputy chief of staff of the Mukti Bahini, first Chief of Air Staff, Bir Uttam, Independence Award 2011.
- ISPR: National Standard awarded to 1, 3, 5, 8, 9 and 71 Squadron of Bangladesh Air Force (5 November 2019)Ceremony at BAF Base Bangabandhu, Kurmitola, Dhaka Cantonment; President Md Abdul Hamid; nuclei of 1 and 3 Squadrons formed in Kilo Flight.
- ISPR: National Standard awarded to 11 Squadron and 21 Squadron of BAF (23 February 2021)At the BAF Academy parade ground, Jashore. 11 Squadron formed 1982 from the Cadets Training Unit of 1974, PT-6 since 1977; 21 Squadron formed 1987, A-5III for about 28 years, Yak-130 from October 2015.
- ISPR: BAF observes former Chief of Air Staff Air Vice Marshal Khademul Bashar’s martyrdom anniversary (1 September 2025)Bashar commanded Sector 6 in the Liberation War and was killed in an air crash on 1 September 1976 with Squadron Leader Mofijul Haque.
- ISPR: The Hon’ble President inaugurates BAF Barishal Radar Unit and Helicopter Simulator Training Institute (15 February 2021)Barishal Radar Unit at Barishal; Helicopter Simulator Training Institute at BAF Base Bashar, Dhaka; opened by President Md Abdul Hamid by video link.
- ISPR: Bangladesh Air Force observed 55th death anniversary of Shaheed Sergeant Zahurul Haque (15 February 2024)Arrested December 1967 in the Agartala case (17th accused); shot dead in custody in Dhaka Cantonment on 15 February 1969; the Chittagong base was named after him in 1982.
- ISPR: BAF Base Zahurul Haque assisted in relocating forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals to Bhasanchar (17 February 2022)Transit camp at the base before hand-over to the Navy; 19,385 people handed over since 3 December 2020; 1,700 stayed on 16 February 2022.
- ISPR: Pacific Angel 25-3 at BAF Base Zahurul Haque (Bengali, September 2025)150 BAF and 92 US Pacific Air Forces personnel; one BAF C-130J, one Mi-17 and two US C-130Js; US chargé d’affaires Tracey Ann Jacobson visited on 16 September 2025.
- ISPR: BAF observes martyrdom anniversary of Birsreshto Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman (20 August 2025)54th anniversary; prayers at all BAF bases; ceremony at the Martyred Intellectuals’ Graveyard, Mirpur.
- ISPR: Inter-base small arms firing competition of BAF comes to end (25 February 2025)Closing ceremony at "BAF Base Bir Uttam Sultan Mahmud" on 24 February 2025; seven teams; BAF Base Birsreshto Matiur Rahman champion, BAF Base Zahurul Haque runner-up.
- ISPR: Inter-base kabaddi competition of Bangladesh Air Force ends (14 October 2021)Held at Bangladesh Air Force Base Paharkanchanpur, Tangail; final between BAF Base Birsreshto Matiur Rahman and BAF Base Bangabandhu.
- ISPR: BAF Colour awarded to BAF Base Paharkanchanpur (13 November 2019)Presented by Air Chief Marshal Masihuzzaman Serniabat; the first radar base of independent Bangladesh to receive the BAF Colour; base commander Air Commodore Md. Zahidur Rahman.
- ISPR: Distribution of relief by Bangladesh Air Force (28 April 2020)Names "Bangladesh Air Force Base Sheikh Hasina, Cox’s Bazar"; relief distributed on five dates between 26 March and 26 April 2020.
- ISPR: Inauguration of air defence radar at Bogura Radar Unit of Bangladesh Air Force (18 June 2025)GM 403M air defence radar inaugurated by Chief of Air Staff Hasan Mahmood Khan.
- ISPR: Certificate award ceremony of BAF Flying Instructors’ Course held (28 August 2022)No. 61 course at the Flying Instructors’ School, Arulia Air Field, Bogura; 14 BAF officers and one from the Sri Lanka Air Force.
Figures verified 2026-09-30. Order of Battle pages are regenerated from a single dataset; if a number here disagrees with a Book of Beasts page, this page is the more recent of the two.
Photographs: Photo: Md Shaifuzzaman Ayon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Md Shaifuzzaman Ayan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: AlfvanBeem / Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · Photo: The original uploader was Mottld at English Wikipedia. / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Bangladesh Air Force / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Shadman Samee from Dhaka, Bangladesh / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Photo: Sonet069 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Masum-al-hasan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)