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Roundel of Bangladesh air force
Air Forceยท ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฉ Bangladesh

Bangladesh Air Force

The Bangladesh Air Force operates 226 military aircraft in 2026 โ€” 69 combat aircraft (fighter and attack jets), 69 helicopters, 21 transport aircraft, 6 drones, 61 trainers. It ranks #64 of 160 air forces worldwide, with 6 more aircraft on order.

Active aircraft
2262026
On order
+6
Combat
69
Helicopters
69
AIRS Index (Air Inventory Rating of Strength)
6.2/ 100
Global rank: #64 / 160
The score reflects a fleet of 69 combat aircraft, 69 helicopters and 21 transports out of 226 active airframes, weighted by combat effectiveness.
Combat quality 0.10 ยท enablers ร—1.00 ยท armament ร—1.07 ยท availability ร—1.08
How this score is calculated
Fleet Composition โ€” 2026
  • Combat 69
  • Helicopter 69
  • Training 61
  • Transport 21
  • UAV 6 +6
ActiveOn order
Fleet Evolution
2020 โ€” 168 168 2020 2021 โ€” 169 169 2021 2022 โ€” 205 205 2022 2023 โ€” 198 198 2023 2024 โ€” 207 207 2024 2025 โ€” 205 205 2025 2026 โ€” 226 226 2026
Origin of Aircraft
Most Used Aircraft
J-7 Fishcan profile drawing J-7 Fishcan Combat ยท 46 active Mi-17 Hip-H profile drawing Mi-17 Hip-H Helicopter ยท 36 active Nanchang CJ-6 profile drawing Nanchang CJ-6 Training ยท 24 active Grob G-120 profile drawing Grob G-120 Training ยท 23 active JL-8 profile drawing JL-8 Combat ยท 15 active UH-1N Twin Huey profile drawing UH-1N Twin Huey Helicopter ยท 14 active

Full inventory in 2026

22 aircraft types

Bangladesh Air Force

Aircraft Origin Model year Active ฮ” YoY Ordered
Combat
J-7 Fishcan ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China 1966 46 -4 โ€”
JL-8 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฐ Pakistan 		1994 15 +1 โ€”
MiG-29 Fulcrum ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Ex-USSR 1983 8 โ€” โ€”
Helicopter
Mi-17 Hip-H ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Ex-USSR 1977 35 โ€” โ€”
UH-1N Twin Huey ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States 1970 14 โ€” โ€”
206 JetRanger ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States 1967 6 โ€” โ€”
AW139 ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง United Kingdom
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Italy 		2003 4 โ€” โ€”
AW119 ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง United Kingdom
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Italy 		2000 2 โ€” โ€”
Transport
C-130 Hercules ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States 1956 8 โ€” โ€”
An-32 Cline ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Ukraine 1982 3 โ€” โ€”
Let L-410 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฟ Czechia 1970 3 โ€” โ€”
Training
Nanchang CJ-6 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China 1958 24 +24 โ€”
Grob G-120 ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Germany 1999 23 -1 โ€”
Yak-130 Mitten ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Russia 2010 12 -1 โ€”
Grob G-115 ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Germany 1999 2 โ€” โ€”
ActiveOn order

Bangladesh Army

Aircraft Origin Model year Active ฮ” YoY Ordered
Helicopter
AS565 Panther ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท France 1986 2 โ€” โ€”
Bell 407 ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States 1996 2 โ€” โ€”
206 JetRanger ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States 1967 1 โ€” โ€”
Mi-17 Hip-H ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Ex-USSR 1977 1 -4 โ€”
Transport
C-295 Persuader ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ Spain
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉ Indonesia 		2001 2 โ€” โ€”
208 Caravan ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States 1984 1 โ€” โ€”
UAV
Bayraktar TB2 ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ท Turkey 2014 6 +6 +6
ActiveOn order

Bangladesh Navy

Aircraft Origin Model year Active ฮ” YoY Ordered
Helicopter
AW109 ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง United Kingdom
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Italy 		1976 2 โ€” โ€”
Transport
Do 228 ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Germany 1982 4 โ€” โ€”
ActiveOn order

Overview

The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) is undergoing a transformation guided by its long-term modernization plan, "Forces Goal 2030," and a more ambitious "BAF 2040" strategic blueprint. These initiatives aim to develop the BAF into a technologically advanced and regionally potent force. The planned structure will operate from a network of 8 main air bases and 8 forward operating bases, designed to provide strategic depth and rapid response capabilities.

The BAF's strategic doctrine is primarily shaped by the geopolitical dynamics on its eastern and western borders. This necessitates a doctrine focused on deterrence, denial, and domain awareness. To achieve this, the BAF is working to develop its own operational concepts through the establishment of a dedicated Doctrine Development Center. This indicates a shift towards a more systematic and analytical approach to force structuring and capability development, addressing the need to balance affordability with credible defense. Beyond its core defense role, the BAF is also an active contributor to United Nations peacekeeping operations and provides domestic humanitarian assistance during natural disasters.

A key element of the BAF's modernization is the enhancement of its combat aircraft fleet. The force is currently executing a significant upgrade of its MiG-29 aircraft to the MiG-29BM standard in collaboration with Belarus. This program will provide the aircraft with multirole capabilities, including improved ground-attack functions, modern avionics, and compatibility with precision-guided munitions, extending their service life beyond 2030. The backbone of the fighter fleet currently consists of these MiGs and various models of the F-7. Future plans under the BAF 2040 blueprint envision a significant expansion with the acquisition of new multirole combat aircraft; in August 2026 a government committee finalised a draft direct-procurement agreement with China for 20 J-10CE fighters, valued at about $2.3 billion, which had not been signed at that point.

Compiled from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), official air force and government publications and dated press reports; the update journal below lists the sources of each pass. Last updated on 6 October 2026. Suggest a change

Frequently Asked Questions

How many aircraft does Bangladesh have?
Bangladesh Air Force operates 226 active military aircraft as of the current year. Additionally, 6 aircraft are currently on order.
How does Bangladesh's air force rank globally?
Bangladesh Air Force ranks #64 out of 160 air forces worldwide based on the AIRS Index (Air Inventory Rating of Strength), which measures overall air power capability considering fleet size and combat effectiveness.
How many combat aircraft does Bangladesh operate?
Bangladesh operates 69 combat aircraft, including fighters, multirole jets, and attack aircraft. These form the core of its offensive and defensive air capabilities.
How many military helicopters does Bangladesh have?
Bangladesh Air Force operates 69 military helicopters, including attack, transport, and utility rotorcraft used for various combat and support missions.
What is the AIRS Index score of Bangladesh?
Bangladesh has an AIRS Index (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) score of 6.2 out of 100. This composite score weights every active airframe by category and by generation tier (strategic bombers highest, then combat aircraft, helicopters and transports), scales the combat fleet by its enablers โ€” tankers and airborne early warning โ€” and its stand-off armament, and applies a budget-based availability proxy to the whole force.
Where does Bangladesh get its military aircraft from?
Bangladesh sources its military aircraft primarily from China, Ex-USSR, and United States. The fleet composition reflects both domestic production capabilities and international defense partnerships.
Compare this Air Force
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฉ Bangladesh vs
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ India ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Sri Lanka ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ฒ Myanmar ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฐ Pakistan
Related Pages
Bangladeshi Military Ranks Chinese Aircraft Designations Soviet and Russian Aircraft Designations Soviet & Russian Fighters Chinese Fighter Aircraft
Latest Data Updates
  1. OCT 62026 Updated Fleet counts revised (AW109, J-7 Fishcan, Mi-17 Hip-H); removed: MiG-19 Farmer; added: Nanchang CJ-6
  2. OCT 52026 Updated Su-27 removed from the inventory (not operated)
  3. SEP 262026 Updated Air force overview updated: draft J-10CE procurement agreement with China
  4. SEP 232026 Updated F-7 order closed out; G115 and G120TP fleet counts updated; Bayraktar TB2 order revised down
  5. SEP 232026 Updated AS365 and FT-7 fleets linked to their aircraft pages
  6. SEP 82026 Updated Logged 1 crash from 2024
  7. AUG 202026 Updated First UAV inventory pass: the Army TB2 fleet added to the 2026 snapshot.