Revitalising Air Superiority: Bangladesh’s MiG-29BM Upgrade Programme

Reading Time: 5 minutes The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) is presently executing a significant overhaul and modernisation initiative involving its MiG-29 fleet—an endeavour that reflects both fiscal pragmatism and strategic foresight. With only six of the twenty RD-33 engines functional across its eight MiG-29 aircraft, the force had, until recently, faced a severe operational handicap. In response, the government has initiated a long-delayed but crucial programme to restore the fleet’s combat readiness through a contract with Russian firm JSC NASC for engine repair and life extension, alongside structural and avionics upgrades at Belarus’s JSC 558 Aircraft Repair Plant. The total cost of the engine overhaul contract stands at approximately USD 30.6 million, with payments structured across four fiscal years up to FY2028. Notably, this programme will see the aircraft upgraded to the MiG-29BM (Bolyshaya Modernizatsiya) standard, a far more capable multirole configuration than the legacy MiG-29SE (six single-seat) and MiG-29UB