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[🇧🇩-Navy] Submarine Warfare

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[🇧🇩-Navy] Submarine Warfare
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Submarine Diplomacy

A Snapshot of China's Influence along the Bay of Bengal
By Matthew P. Funaiole, Brian Hart, Aidan Powers-Riggs, and Jennifer Jun
November 17, 2023

China is quietly deepening its influence along the Bay of Bengal, a region intimately linked to Beijing’s expanding overseas interests. Commercial satellite imagery reveals that China has made significant progress on a naval base it is constructing for Bangladesh’s military. The base houses a pair of submarines that Dhaka received from Beijing two years before ground broke at the facility. China has likewise transferred a submarine to neighboring Myanmar to aid the embattled military regime.

Beijing’s efforts to strengthen ties with Bangladesh and Myanmar are taking place amid growing geopolitical competition with India. As smaller powers in the region seek to shore up their military capabilities, India and China are striving to become the security provider of choice.

Over the past decade, China has increasingly filled that role. Since 2010, more than two-thirds of Bangladesh’s arms imports, and nearly half of Myanmar’s, have come from China.

Military-to-military exchanges also support China’s strategic objectives. Closer defense ties may help the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) secure access to logistics facilities needed to sustain future naval operations in the region. The U.S. Department of Defense includes both Bangladesh and Myanmar on its short list of locations where Beijing has likely considered establishing overseas military facilities.

Gaining a foothold in the Bay of Bengal would significantly level up the PLA’s ability to operate farther from China’s own shores and create new challenges for India, as well as the United States and its allies.

Building Ties in Bangladesh​


As a part of the Forces Goal 2030 initiative designed to modernize its military, Bangladesh ordered its first two submarines from China in 2013 for the bargain price of just $203 million. Both vessels are Type 035G diesel-electric attack submarines, a Ming-class variant first commissioned into the PLA Navy (PLAN) in 1990.

China refitted and upgraded the two vessels before handing them over to Bangladesh in 2016, but their capabilities remain far behind modern attack submarines fielded by today’s leading navies.

Just one year after handing over the vessels, the giant Chinese state-owned defense contractor Poly Technologies secured a $1.2 billion contract with Bangladesh to build a new submarine support facility on the country’s southeastern coast.​
 

Why This Indian Neighbour Decided To Buy 2 Submarines From China
Bangladesh analysts said procurement of the two submarines at a cost of US $203 million reflected the country's growing economic and defence ties with Beijing.
WorldPress Trust of IndiaUpdated: July 13, 2017 7:08 pm IST

Bangladesh Navy commissioned 2 Type 035G-class submarines, also known as Ming-class

1713400571114.png


Dhaka: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today defended her country's decision to buy two submarines worth US $203 million from China saying that the move won't elicit "negative reactions" from other countries as the purpose for it was to safeguard Bangladesh's sovereignty.

Prime Minister Hasina called China a key-development partner and said that Bangladesh purchased two Chinese-made submarines to modernise its defence system by upgrading the navy into a "three-dimensional force".

"I believe that the decision of buying two submarines from China is related to the national interest of Bangladesh, and it won't create any negative reaction in the political arena in the outside world," she told Parliament yesterday.

Ms Hasina's comments came in response to a lawmaker's question about the negative speculation four months after Bangladesh Navy commissioned the two Type 035G-class submarines, also known as Ming-class, naming them as BN Nabajatra and BN Agrajatra.

She said Bangladesh's defence system was further strengthened than before due to induction of the two submarines into the Navy.

The prime minister said the two submarines would make important contributions to safeguarding the country's sovereignty and "besides, it's expected that the two submarines would play a special role in the "Blue Economy" meaning the country's economic uplift.

The conventional diesel electric submarines are equipped with torpedoes and mines.

Bangladesh analysts said procurement of the two submarines at a cost of US $203 million reflected the country's growing economic and defence ties with Beijing.

Ms Hasina announced her plan to procure the Chinese submarines in 2013 when Bangladesh signed a billion-dollar deal with Russia to buy fighter training jets, helicopters and anti-tank missiles.​
 

Submarines lead Bangladesh navy into new waters

1713400724040.png

One of the submarines Bangladesh procured from China is seen docked at a Chinese naval base - ISPR
Publish : 12 Mar 2017, 12:24 PMUpdate : 13 Mar 2017, 07:17 PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina officially commissioned the Bangladesh Navy's first submarines on Sunday afternoon. With the addition of the Chinese-supplied submarines - – Nabajatra and Joyjatra - the Navy can be considered a "three-dimensional force" for the first time. The Type 035G-class submarines, also known as Ming-class, were reportedly assembled at the Dalian state's Liaonan shipyard.The submarines are a class of diesel-electric submarines used by the People's Liberation Army Navy. They are 76 metres in length and 7.6 metres in width.

The primary weaponry for Type 035G is the Yu-3 torpedo. It uses French-made sonar DUUX-5 unit. The 035G-class is also renowned for its anti-submarine weapon capabilities. They were built with further improvements, especially in terms of noise reduction, weapons, sensors and crew living standards.O35G-Class Submarine The Type 035G, which is frequently used for coastal patrols, will be especially useful since, after settling maritime border disputes with Myanmar and India, Bangladesh now has about 118,813 sq km of maritime territory.

According to an Inter Service Public Relations release, after the submarines arrived at the Chittagong port on December 22 last year, the naval personnel of both the countries completed a sea trial and real training to operate them.china-inventory-copyIn November last year, Bangladesh, seeking to boost its naval power in the Bay of Bengal, paid China a reported $203m for the two submarines. This deal, which reflects the country's growing economic and defence ties with Beijing, intensified the transnational tug of war between India and China to sway Bangladesh towards either of the nations. When Chinese President Xi visited Bangladesh in October last year, 27 deals, amounting to some $25 billion, were signed. This caused Indian authorities to feel some concern. Post-submarine sales, India launched a response by rushing Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to Bangladesh to ensure long-term cooperation between the nations in matters of defence. India is now willing to offer Bangladesh a $500 million line of credit for the purchase of military hardware.

In 2013, when the government signed a billion-dollar deal with Russia to buy fighter training jets, helicopters and anti-tank missiles, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had announced a plan to purchase two submarines. Bangladesh has since been expanding its defence capabilities – building a new airbase close to neighbouring Myanmar, opening several new military cantonments across the country and adding new frigates to its naval fleet.​
 

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