Bangladesh Air Force
Posted on: November 1st, 2011
BANGLADESH HAS shown remarkable resolve and resilience since gaining independence 37 years ago. In doing so it has built a strong and professional military, used more often for nation-building than for conflict.
With its brake ‘chute fully extended, the Kurmitola Base Commander taxies his MiG-29 Fulcrum-A, off the runway, which the BAF’s premier air base shares with Dhaka’s Zia International Airport.
However, like so many countries in this part of the world, a crisis never seems to be far away, which demands a high state of operational readiness from its military. The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF), with a force of about 11,000 personnel operating a mixed bag of fighters, helicopters and transport aircraft from the east and west, has the responsibility of defending its air space from any intruder.
In the skies over Bangladesh, the F-7BG must be very difficult to spot, but down below the clouds, it is a different story. The BAF’s F-7 fleet wears some high-viz markings as seen here, which include 5 Sqn’s name ‘Defenders’ on the nose. Note that this example has two fuel tanks under the wings rather than one large one on the central hard point as many of the other -BGs carry.
In an exclusive interview, the BAF Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal SM Ziaur Rahman, told AFM that his force had three main objectives: to defend the air space of the country, provide support to ground forces and to assist the government when called for, particularly during any natural disasters. Unfortunately, Bangladesh suffers its fair share of these because, as a low-lying delta, it is regularly threatened by floods owing to monsoon rains, tidal bore and cyclones coming off the Bay of Bengal. As well as handling these crises, the BAF supports UN peacekeeping operations.
Here, the bigger wider spine of the FT-7MB is visible as it rolls down the end of the runway after a training sortie. Its colour scheme is in complete contrast to the other FT-7MB or F-7MBs of 35 Sqn ‘Thundercats’.
Like many former British colonies, the BAF is based on the RAF ranking system. Unlike Pakistan, it has kept its traditional RAF rank lapels. There are four wings at each operational air base: Operations, Flying, Maintenance and Administration. The head of each wing is usually a Group Captain reporting to the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) of the base.
Like any professional air force, the BAF keeps its operational readiness at a high level to meet any potential security threats, although none are deemed to be at the severe level they have sometimes been in the past.
An FT-7BG sits on the ramp, ready for its next mission. The open gun-bay underneath the aircraft and the cannon pods means it was probably going on a low-level gunnery mission. The single seat F-7BGs has two guns, either side of the forward fuselage.
Bangladesh currently enjoys good relations with neighbouring India, which surrounds the majority of its borders. However, until the 1996 Ganges Water Treaty, relations between the two countries were strained. This agreement ensures India allows 45% of the River Ganges water, a main source of fresh water for the 37-year-old state, to flow down from the Himalayas into Bangladesh. However, there are concerns that India could cut off this water.
Another source of potential tension would be if India recommenced the sheltering, arming and training of Chakma rebels, should the group choose to launch another insurgency. The Chakma had run a guerrilla campaign against Bangladesh’s security forces, over land disputes, until they were finally resolved in December 1997, when the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord was signed.
There is no official maritime boundary with Myanmar in the south east, so there is also the possibility of a stand-off between the two countries over the exploration of huge amounts of oil and gas, as well as fishing rights, which conceivably could escalate into war. In November 2008, Myanmar allegedly began oil and gas extraction in the disputed waters in the Bay of Bengal, which led to the Bangladesh Navy promptly sending vessels to the area to monitor the situation. One senior government advisor vowed: “we will defend our sovereignty at all costs.”
Developed from the Sheyang F-6, the A-5III Fantan joined the BAF in the late-1980s as a ground attack/close air support aircraft. Despite the onset of obsolescence, the aircraft is now going through a service life extension along with several FT-6s, which are used to train A-5 pilots and to keep them current. All of them fly with 21 Sqn at Zahurul Haque at Chittagong, having been relocated there from Kurmitola.
In 1978 and 1982, Myanmar allegedly forced ethnic minority Muslim Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh and there is concern history could repeat itself.
Fighter Force
With the huge responsibility of defending its air space, the Bangladesh Air Force has built up a strong fighter force, and like many air forces that need a cost-effective solution to defending a nation’s sovereignty, has found China a good source of aircraft inventory, although there is a sprinkling of types from the USA, Russia and the Czech Republic. China has been a regular source for fighters since the late-1970s when the BAF acquired several Shenyang FT-5s (two seat MiG-17 trainers) and FT-6s (two seat MiG-19s). The FT-5s have now gone but the FT-6s soldier on. During the 1980s, Pakistan donated around 20 Shenyang F-6s, however most of these were destroyed during the terrible cyclone that hit BAF Base Zahurul Haque at Chittagong in 1991.
They may have been rendered useless by the effects of corrosion, but many of them have been preserved at BAF facilities all over the country.
A young pilot departs the runway in a PT-6 with his instructor sitting in the back. There are two primary flying training courses a year, comprising around eight students.
In the late-1980s 16 A-5IIIs were delivered to 21 Squadron at Kurmitola to fulfil the ground attack/close air support role and are still operational today alongside the dual-seat FT-6s, which are used to train A-5 pilots and keep them proficient. Both aircraft types now fly out of Chittagong in southern Bangladesh, not far from the Myanmar border. Despite their age and creeping obsolescence the BAF is putting them through a life extension programme that will enable them to fly for another ten years. BAF technicians and Chinese specialists have already carried out this work on three FT-6s at Chittagong, and attention has now been switched to three A-5s and another four FT-6s.
Kurmitola Air Base, inside Dhaka’s sprawling military cantonment, is the BAF’s showcase facility, where the majority of its fighters are based, tucked away behind the trees at Dhaka’s Zia International Airport. It has been home to a squadron of Chengdu F-7MB/FT-7Bs (Chinese-built MiG-21s) since December 1989, when the supersonic air defence fighters were delivered to 35 ‘Thundercats’ Sqn. Gp Capt Mafidur Rahman, the current Officer Commanding (OC) of the Flying Wing at Kurmitola, was a young pilot with 5 ‘Supersonics’ Sqn, flying MiG-21MFs, when he was posted to Chengdu in 1989 to train on the new fighter. He was one of the 16 pioneers, led by Wg Cdr Mirza Akter Maruf, who were trained to fly the F-7BG and who subsequently ferried the aircraft to Kurmitola. They eventually went on to form the nucleus of a new unit, 35 Sqn, when it officially stood up on March 28, 1990.
No 15 Sqn at Matiur Rahman has 12 side-by-side T-37Bs, although there are less than a handful flying at any one time. While they are used for basic flying training, the T-37Bs also fulfil a multi-engine training role for pilots progressing to transport aircraft. Both courses will see students flying 45 hours, although they differ considerably. The aircraft still fly in their former USAF Air Education Training Command (AETC) colours.
At the time, the multi-role F-7MB, equipped with two PL-7 air-to-air missiles and an arsenal of rockets and bombs, was the most modern fighter serving the BAF. Only one year later, the BAF retired the MiG-21MFs, which meant that 5 Sqn no longer had their own aircraft, and so the F-7MBs were pooled between 35 and 5 Sqn. In 1999, the BAF acquired six single-seat MiG-29 Fulcrum-As and two Fulcrum-Bs from Russia for a reputed $115 million. Ten Bangladeshi pilots and 70 technicians travelled to Krasnador in southern Russia for four months to train on the aircraft. The MiG-29s are equipped with the N019M Slot Back air interdiction radar, an IRST (Infra Red Search while Track) sensor and a Helmet Mounted Sighting system that interfaces with the R-60 (NATO name: AA-8 Aphid) and R-73 (AA-11 Archer) air-to-air missiles. The MiG-29s also have tactical air support, close air support and recce roles, and work regularly with the Army and Navy.
Since the MiG-29s have been delivered to 8 Sqn, there have been ten terms of command, with Wg Cdr Hasan Mahmood Khan taking on the role as OC no less than three times in that ten-year period. Today Wg Cdr Khair ul Afsar is the OC, having taken over in May 2008. There had been much speculation that the MiG-29s are grounded and for sale, but according to the current OC that is not true. While there has been an investigation into alleged corruption by a senior politician at the time of the MiG-29 acquisition in 1999, the BAF has always been happy with the primary air defender. Talks are currently underway to send four MiG-29s abroad, where work will be done jointly by BAF technicians and a foreign overhaul factory. This is part of the transfer of knowledge policy now being adopted, so that work on the other four aircraft can be done in country.
In 1999, when the BAF COAS was then working as OC Flying Wing at an operational base, he visited Zhuhai Air Show in China, where the double-delta winged F-7MG was being marketed. Subsequent studies of the aircraft took place over a six-year period, and the Government opted to purchase 12 F-7BGs and four FT-7BGs (B denoting Bangladesh) for the BAF in 2005.
No 9 Sqn at Tejgaon is the only BAF squadron dedicated to operating Bell 212s. In recent years they have been used for UN ops in Kuwait and East Timor, although they are all currently being used for domestic purposes.
The L-39ZAs are used for lead-in fighter training. After successfully completing their basic flying training at the BAF Academy, Jessore, students destined for fighters will go on to 25 Sqn to fly the L-39ZAs. An instructor pilot, Sqn Ldr Mahfuz stands alongside one of the students during a ground attack phase of the course.
A couple of pilots, including Gp Capt Mafidur Rahman, who had served as OC 5 Sqn three times, were sent to Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) in 2005 to evaluate the aircraft and check out the specifications, before the Government signed a formal contract later that year. In 1997, the Pakistan Air Force had also sent two pilots to Chengdu (see Pakistan’s New Fighters, October 2003, p42-49) for an evaluation of the aircraft, followed in 2001 by several PAF pilots that trained on the jets. It was not surprising then that CAC’s Chinese cooks knew how to cook a great spicy curry – much to Gp Capt Mafidur’s delight!
On April 4, 2006, the F-7BGs were formally inducted into the BAF to serve 5 Sqn, under the leadership of Wg Cdr Qazi Mazharul Karim. According to the BAF, these ‘all-weather multi-role advanced supersonic aircraft have an improved air combat manoeuvrability (when compared to the earlier F-7MB) and a longer endurance with a stronger air-to-air and air-to-ground capability’. The F-7BG is equipped with a Chinese SY-80 radar, copied from Italy’s FIAR Grifo, to provide the aircraft with its main sensor and is highly rated for its versatility.
At least four L-39ZAs were upgraded in Romania by Aerostar during 2003/04 and this is probably the reason why this example carries a civil registration as well as a military serial.
Two weeks before their official entry into service, the BAF signed a contract with PAC Kamra on March 19, 2006, that allows the procurement, repair and overhaul of spare parts for their fleet of F-7, A-5III and FT-6s.
Flying Training
Defending the nation is one of the top priorities of many young Bangladeshi men and women and if they have the necessary qualifications, they can enter the BAF Academy at Mathiur Rahman Air Base in Jessore. The facility is situated in the southwest of the country about 18 miles (30 kms) from the Indian border.
Wg Cdr Mazhar was the OC for Flying Training Wing at Matiur Rahman during my visit. He is a veteran F-7MB/BG fighter pilot who has served as an instructor at the Flying Academy and the advanced jet training squadron/25 Sqn, so he has a great pedigree. The base is usually very busy with T-37s, PT-6s and Bell 206s taking off, landing or flying in the circuit, however, the area is often susceptible to mist during the winter, as it was during the author’s visit, so instead of flying early the OC FTW delayed it until around 10-11am and continued non stop until 3pm.
