Bangladesh’s Strategic Airfields: Reactivation and Operational Potential

Reading Time: 3 minutes Bangladesh’s network of dormant and underutilised airfields represents one of the nation’s most underexploited strategic assets. Many were originally constructed or expanded during the Second World War, when the British and American forces recognised Bengal’s exceptional geographic value: a bridge to Burma, India’s eastern theatre, and China. These airfields facilitated logistics, fighter deployment, reconnaissance, and amphibious operations, forming a network that allowed the Allies to project power over Southeast Asia efficiently. Today, in a world of drones, long-range precision weapons, electronic warfare, and asymmetric threats, the lessons of WWII remain highly relevant. Reactivating these airfields would allow Bangladesh to: Establish forward operating bases across critical theatres. Support tri-service operations: Bangladesh Air Force (BAF), Army Aviation, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and Navy. Enable rapid UAV and ISR deployment across strategic areas. Provide redundancy and survivability for aircraft, helicopters, and UAVs. Serve as logistics and airlift hubs in