Bangladesh Defense
Saif
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2024
- Messages
- 17,364
- Likes
- 8,373
- Nation
- Residence
- Axis Group
Bangladesh to buy Eurofighter Typhoon jets from Italy
The Letter of Intent for the purchase has been signed in the presence of the Italian ambassador to Dhaka
bdnews24.com
Bangladesh to buy Eurofighter Typhoon jets from Italy
The Letter of Intent for the purchase has been signed in the presence of the Italian ambassador to Dhaka
Senior Correspondent
Published : 09 Dec 2025, 10:04 PM
Updated : 09 Dec 2025, 10:04 PM
Bangladesh is set to purchase Eurofighter Typhoon jets from Italy amid pressure from European ambassadors as the government backs down on buying Airbus passenger and cargo planes.
The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) finalised a Letter of Intent (LOI) on Tuesday with Italian company Leonardo SpA to buy the fighter jets.
The Eurofighter is manufactured and marketed under the Eurofighter GmbH consortium of Leonardo SpA Italy, BAE Systems, and Airbus Defence and Space company.
A notice on the BAF Facebook page shared information about the signing of the LOI with Leonardo SpA, adding that the signing took place at the Air Force Headquarters in the presence of Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan and Italian Ambassador to Dhaka Antonio Alessandro.
The notice also said this fighter jet is being purchased as a state-of-the-art multi-role combat aircraft for frontline warfare.
Under the LOI, Leonardo SpA will supply the BAF with the fighter jets.
The number of jets to be purchased and the total cost, however, were not disclosed.
According to information on Leonardo's website, the Eurofighter consortium includes the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Spain.
The twin-engine Eurofighter Typhoon is capable of flying at a maximum altitude of 55,000ft.
This supersonic fighter jet is currently in the fleet of the air forces of Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Austria, Saudi Arabia, and Oman.
Following the ouster of the Awami League government, French-based manufacturer Airbus has actively pursued the sale of aircraft to state-owned Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
During a visit to Dhaka in September 2023, French President Emmanuel Macron said Bangladesh had “committed to buying” 10 large aircraft from Airbus.
During this process, the American company Boeing also became active in reviewing the deal to purchase eight passenger and two cargo aircraft from Airbus.
Negotiations were ongoing when the Sheikh Hasina government fell in a mass uprising in August 2024.
The US-China trade war initiated by President Donald Trump this year also impacted Bangladesh.
To avoid Trump's proposed 35 percent tariff, the interim government announced in July the decision to purchase 25 aircraft from Boeing.
This move cast doubt on Bangladesh's prior commitment to buy 10 large aircraft from Airbus.
In response, European officials began pressuring the government to proceed with the Airbus sale.
Airbus Executive Vice President Wouter van Wersch met with Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus during his visit to the UK in June, initiating sustained contact with government officials.
However, in standard airline procurement, the purchasing company initiates the demand for aircraft, but here Biman was kept out of the process.
In early November, the ambassadors of the UK, France, Germany, and the EU jointly expressed their hope of Airbus being “reasonably” considered in the aircraft purchase negotiations, highlighting the multi-billion euro market for Bangladeshi products in Europe, the Least Developed Country (LDC) graduation, its duty-free access to the UK, and the long-standing partnership.
At a Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh, (DCAB) talk in Dhaka on Nov 26, German Ambassador to Bangladesh Rüdiger Lotz said if Dhaka withdrew from its Airbus commitment, it would affect trade relations with Europe.
He hinted it could also alter the “climate of tariff negotiations” in the European market, to which Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain responded saying Bangladesh's “overall relations” with Europe did not depend on a “commercial deal”.
Meanwhile, the BAF announced on Tuesday its intent to purchase Eurofighter Typhoon jets from Leonardo SpA.
The Letter of Intent for the purchase has been signed in the presence of the Italian ambassador to Dhaka
Senior Correspondent
Published : 09 Dec 2025, 10:04 PM
Updated : 09 Dec 2025, 10:04 PM
Bangladesh is set to purchase Eurofighter Typhoon jets from Italy amid pressure from European ambassadors as the government backs down on buying Airbus passenger and cargo planes.
The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) finalised a Letter of Intent (LOI) on Tuesday with Italian company Leonardo SpA to buy the fighter jets.
The Eurofighter is manufactured and marketed under the Eurofighter GmbH consortium of Leonardo SpA Italy, BAE Systems, and Airbus Defence and Space company.
A notice on the BAF Facebook page shared information about the signing of the LOI with Leonardo SpA, adding that the signing took place at the Air Force Headquarters in the presence of Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan and Italian Ambassador to Dhaka Antonio Alessandro.
The notice also said this fighter jet is being purchased as a state-of-the-art multi-role combat aircraft for frontline warfare.
Under the LOI, Leonardo SpA will supply the BAF with the fighter jets.
The number of jets to be purchased and the total cost, however, were not disclosed.
According to information on Leonardo's website, the Eurofighter consortium includes the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Spain.
The twin-engine Eurofighter Typhoon is capable of flying at a maximum altitude of 55,000ft.
This supersonic fighter jet is currently in the fleet of the air forces of Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Austria, Saudi Arabia, and Oman.
Following the ouster of the Awami League government, French-based manufacturer Airbus has actively pursued the sale of aircraft to state-owned Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
During a visit to Dhaka in September 2023, French President Emmanuel Macron said Bangladesh had “committed to buying” 10 large aircraft from Airbus.
During this process, the American company Boeing also became active in reviewing the deal to purchase eight passenger and two cargo aircraft from Airbus.
Negotiations were ongoing when the Sheikh Hasina government fell in a mass uprising in August 2024.
The US-China trade war initiated by President Donald Trump this year also impacted Bangladesh.
To avoid Trump's proposed 35 percent tariff, the interim government announced in July the decision to purchase 25 aircraft from Boeing.
This move cast doubt on Bangladesh's prior commitment to buy 10 large aircraft from Airbus.
In response, European officials began pressuring the government to proceed with the Airbus sale.
Airbus Executive Vice President Wouter van Wersch met with Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus during his visit to the UK in June, initiating sustained contact with government officials.
However, in standard airline procurement, the purchasing company initiates the demand for aircraft, but here Biman was kept out of the process.
In early November, the ambassadors of the UK, France, Germany, and the EU jointly expressed their hope of Airbus being “reasonably” considered in the aircraft purchase negotiations, highlighting the multi-billion euro market for Bangladeshi products in Europe, the Least Developed Country (LDC) graduation, its duty-free access to the UK, and the long-standing partnership.
At a Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh, (DCAB) talk in Dhaka on Nov 26, German Ambassador to Bangladesh Rüdiger Lotz said if Dhaka withdrew from its Airbus commitment, it would affect trade relations with Europe.
He hinted it could also alter the “climate of tariff negotiations” in the European market, to which Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain responded saying Bangladesh's “overall relations” with Europe did not depend on a “commercial deal”.
Meanwhile, the BAF announced on Tuesday its intent to purchase Eurofighter Typhoon jets from Leonardo SpA.
