Bangladesh set to buy 20 Chinese J-10CE fighter jets for $2.3b
The committee prepares a draft agreement for negotiations over the purchase.
Bangladesh is set to spend $2.302 billion to buy 20 J-10CE multirole combat aircraft from China, with the cost of each fighter rising from a base price of $62.7 million to nearly $115 million after training, logistics, construction and other related expenses are included.
According to an analysis of a report prepared by the Armed Forces Division on the proposed purchase, the additional costs include overseas and local training, operational essential items, technical and logistical support (TST), freight, insurance, VAT, construction work and other related expenses.
The Armed Forces Division report put the total cost of acquiring the 20 aircraft at Tk28,314 crore, based on an exchange rate of Tk123 to the US dollar.
Zahed Ur Rahman, the prime minister's information and broadcasting adviser, said at a press conference at the Secretariat today (25 August) that a committee had prepared a draft agreement for negotiations over the purchase of Chinese-made J-10CE fighter jets.
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He said discussions had already taken place over Bangladesh potentially purchasing J-10 fighter jets. "It is now established that an Indian Rafale fighter jet was shot down by a Chinese-made J-10 fighter aircraft during the India-Pakistan war," he added.
"The Rafale is considered one of the most modern 4.5-generation fighter aircraft. The J-10CE performed very well against it on the battlefield. So Bangladesh is seriously considering the aircraft," the adviser said.
He also said procurement of fourth-generation multirole combat aircraft (MRCA), fighter aircraft, attack helicopters, VIP helicopters and UAV systems was under way.
The J-10CE is a modern, single-engine, single-seat multirole combat aircraft. It is the export version of the J-10C fighter aircraft operated by the Chinese Air Force.
Cost rises from initial proposal
According to officials familiar with the matter, the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus initiated the process of purchasing the fighter jets from China in 2025 as part of efforts to modernise the Bangladesh Air Force and strengthen national air defence.
At the time, the price of each fighter was estimated at $60 million. The Ministry of Finance subsequently gave in-principle approval to a proposal to spend $2.20 billion, or Tk27,060 crore, on the purchase of the aircraft.
However, the price of each aircraft has now risen to $62.7 million in the final proposal.
The Armed Forces Division sent a letter to the Ministry of Finance on 4 August seeking in-principle approval for the additional expenditure.
Sources said 10 of the 20 aircraft are included in the Table of Organisation and Equipment (TO&E), meaning these 10 aircraft will be directly incorporated into the Air Force. The remaining 10 will remain outside the TO&E.
According to the Air Force report, $888 million will be spent on foreign and local training, operational essential items, technical and logistical support (TST) and freight.
Another $158 million will be spent on insurance, VAT and construction work. In addition, $2.28 million will be required for 800-litre and 1,700-litre external fuel tanks.
The aircraft are being purchased from China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC) through government-to-government negotiations.
CATIC is a Chinese state-owned company involved in the military and aviation industries. It mainly imports and exports military and civilian aircraft, fighter jets, helicopters, drones and other defence equipment.
The agreement for the purchase is expected to be signed during the current 2026-27 financial year through a direct procurement process.
The Ministry of Finance will have to make lump-sum allocations over 10 years, up to the 2035-36 financial year, to meet the cost of the fighter jets.
The proposed purchase was discussed during Muhammad Yunus's visit to China in March 2025, according to the chief adviser's press wing after the visit.
In April that year, an 11-member inter-ministerial committee was formed, with the chief of the Air Force as its chairman, to finalise the agreement through negotiations for the purchase of the fighter jets.
