TSAMTO, December 1. The Ministry of Defense of Bangladesh is holding a tender for the purchase of new specialized attack helicopters to equip the army aviation of the Ground Forces.
According to Shephard, the Bangladesh Army Aviation Command has published a request for information on the website of the Directorate General of Defense Procurement (Directorate General Defense Purchase). This purchase is part of the Bangladesh Armed Forces modernization plan for the period up to 2030. At the first stage, it is planned to purchase three twin-engine specialized attack helicopters. Potential suppliers were asked to submit responses by September 26. The further course of the tender is still unknown.
As Asaf Shahi, a senior defense consultant, said in an interview with the Dhaka Tribune, the following candidates for potential acquisition are currently being considered: AH-64E (Boeing), Tiger (Eurocopter), Mi-28NE (Russian Helicopters JSC) and T-129B (Turkish Aerospace). All helicopters, except the T-129B, are armed with a 30 mm cannon, but this is not a key factor when choosing a new machine.
According to the analyst, the open tender can last from two to three years. The USA initially offered the AH-64E and AH-1Z, however, according to A. Shahi, Bangladesh would prefer a more modern AH-64E. The purchase of the European Tiger is extremely unlikely. The chances of the Mi-28NE or Mi-28NM are quite high, since Bangladesh is a major operator of the Mi-171SH combat fleet and other modifications in all power structures with a developed maintenance and repair infrastructure. The main competitor of the Russian Mi-28NE is the Turkish T-129V, if economic and geopolitical considerations are taken into account (in addition to technical characteristics).
A. Shahi noted that Russia has the opportunity to offer Bangladesh a second package of defense loans. Turkey does not offer loans, preferring to issue permits for payments in installments, which is also acceptable for Bangladesh's SV.
