B’desh, China sign defence deal to manufacture, assemble UAVs

Dhaka: Bangladesh and China Tuesday signed an agreement for setting up an UAV manufacturing and assembly plant in a bid to strengthen defence cooperation, a deal that further embeds Beijing into Bay of Bengal, testing India’s strategic comfort zone in the region.

The govt-to-govt and technology transfer agreement — signed between the Bangladesh air force and China Electronics Technology Group Corporation International in Dhaka — comes at a time when Dhaka- Delhi ties stand strained following the change in political landscape in Dhaka in 2024.

Under the agreement, the air force and CETC International will jointly set up a state-of-the-art UAV manufacturing and assembly facility in Bangladesh. The deal includes technology transfer, capacity building, industrial skills development and joint technical cooperation, which will help achieve self-reliance in UAV production in long term, according to Bangladesh military.

Bangladesh will initially acquire the capability to produce and assemble various types of medium-altitude low-endurance UAVs and vertical take-off and landing UAVs. The UAVs will play a key role in military and humanitarian activities, the military said.