Bangladesh Air Force Eyes the C-27J Spartan for Tactical Airlift Modernisation

Reading Time: 3 minutes Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Hasan Mahmood Khan of the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) recently concluded a high-profile visit to the Leonardo aerospace facilities in Turin, Italy. The visit, part of a broader effort to modernise Bangladesh’s ageing tactical airlift capabilities, has drawn significant attention due to its focus on the C-27J Spartan – Leonardo’s flagship battlefield airlifter. Sources close to the BAF’s planning circles suggest the Spartan is now being seriously evaluated as a replacement for the long-serving Antonov An-32 fleet, which has reached the twilight of its operational life. The Antonov An-32, introduced into BAF service in the early 1990s, has provided steadfast service for over three decades. However, the geopolitical upheaval stemming from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, combined with the dwindling availability of spares and lack of deep-level maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities for Soviet-origin aircraft, has rendered the platform increasingly unsustainable. The cost