Bangladesh Air Force and the Move Towards Strategic-Level UAVs

Reading Time: 4 minutes The Bangladesh Air Force’s announcement that it will develop and manufacture strategic-level unmanned aerial vehicles at Bogura airbase marks a significant moment in the evolution of the country’s air power. Speaking at a ceremony at the Flight Safety Institute, Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan outlined an ambition that goes well beyond the incremental acquisition of unmanned platforms. Instead, it signals a doctrinal shift towards persistent, long-range surveillance capabilities and a growing emphasis on indigenous defence production. For the Bangladesh Air Force, unmanned systems are not new. Over the past decade, UAVs have increasingly been used for reconnaissance, training support and limited surveillance roles. What is new is the explicit reference to “strategic-level” UAVs, a term that carries implications not only for platform size and endurance, but also for how such systems are integrated into national defence planning. Understanding this shift requires a distinction between tactical