Bangladesh’s Strategic Leap: Attaining Short-Range Ballistic Missile Capability

Reading Time: 6 minutes Bangladesh stands at the threshold of a significant transformation in its defence posture. With sustained backing from trusted strategic partners, Dhaka is preparing to field a precision long-range strike capability that will extend the operational reach of its armed forces and alter strategic calculations across the eastern subcontinent. The project, which has been under negotiation for several years and is expected to reach operational readiness in the mid-2020s, signals a doctrinal inflection point for the Bangladesh Army — moving from a posture narrowly focused on territorial defence to one capable of imposing credible costs on any prospective aggressor. For a country that has traditionally emphasised defensive force structures, the arrival of a credible deep-strike option is both symbolic and substantive. It will complicate adversary planning, strengthen national deterrence and provide Dhaka with a new lever of military influence. The political, operational and regional ramifications of this