Bangladesh is establishing a military unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturing facility under a government-to-government agreement with China, marking a substantive expansion of the Bangladesh Air Force’s (BAF) indigenous aerospace and unmanned systems capability. The programme, approved by the Ministry of Finance in early January, covers the construction of a production facility and the transfer of UAV manufacturing and systems integration technology from China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) International.
The initiative represents a structural shift in Bangladesh’s air power development, embedding domestic production, sustainment and upgrade capacity for unmanned systems within the national defence industrial base.
Programme Structure And Funding
The project is formally designated “Establishment of Manufacturing Plant and Transfer of Technology (ToT) for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)” and carries an approved value of Tk608.08 crore.
Of this total, Tk570.60 crore is allocated to foreign currency expenditure for the import, installation and commissioning of the UAV manufacturing plant, associated production equipment and technology packages. The remaining Tk37.47 crore is assigned to domestic costs, including value-added tax, letters of credit (LC) opening charges and SWIFT transaction fees.
Disbursements are scheduled across four fiscal years, with payments managed entirely within the Bangladesh Air Force’s existing capital procurement allocations. The Ministry of Finance has stipulated that no additional budgetary allocations will be made for the programme and that all payments must comply with prevailing financial regulations and be executed through letters of credit. Allocated funds are restricted exclusively to the approved contract.
The contract value was reduced during negotiations, with CETC International’s initial quotation renegotiated downward before final approval.
Industrial Partner
CETC International, a subsidiary of the state-owned China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, is the designated technology provider. CETC is one of China’s principal defence electronics conglomerates, with core competencies spanning radar systems, electronic warfare, secure communications, navigation, command-and-control architectures and unmanned systems electronics.
CETC’s role indicates that the Bangladeshi facility will place particular emphasis on avionics integration, sensor payloads, datalinks and mission systems, alongside airframe production and assembly.
UAV Platforms And Transferred Technologies
The technology transfer programme draws on CETC-developed UAV platforms and electronic architectures currently fielded or marketed internationally. Two systems are central to understanding the capability direction of the programme.
XY-I MALE UAV
The XY-I is a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) UAV developed by CETC as a multi-role platform optimised for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), with provision for strike and electronic warfare missions.
Key characteristics
- Endurance exceeding 24 hours
- Operating altitude in the 25,000–30,000 ft class
- Satellite communications enabling beyond-line-of-sight control
- Modular payload architecture supporting EO/IR sensors, maritime surveillance radar, electronic intelligence (ELINT) and communications relay equipment
- Structural and systems growth margin for precision-guided munitions or loitering weapons
Within the Bangladesh Air Force, a MALE-class platform of this category provides persistent wide-area ISR coverage across land borders and maritime approaches, including extended operations over the Bay of Bengal and Bangladesh’s exclusive economic zone.
JY-300 “Tian Shao” Airborne Early Warning UAV
The JY-300 is a specialised unmanned platform configured for airborne early warning (AEW) and wide-area surveillance missions. Unlike conventional AEW aircraft employing a rotodome, the JY-300 integrates conformal active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar antennas within the airframe structure, providing near-continuous 360-degree coverage with reduced aerodynamic drag.
Key characteristics
- Primary role: airborne early warning and multi-target surveillance
- Endurance of up to approximately 15 hours
- Operating altitude around 7,500 m
- Estimated range of up to 3,000 km
- Integrated AESA radar capable of tracking multiple airborne and surface targets simultaneously
The JY-300 introduces an unmanned approach to early warning and battlespace management, extending sensor coverage and supporting network-centric air defence and fighter operations.
Operational And Strategic Implications
The establishment of a domestic UAV manufacturing facility enables the Bangladesh Air Force to assemble/manufacture, maintain and progressively upgrade unmanned systems locally. This reduces dependence on external suppliers for sustainment, shortens maintenance and modification cycles, and supports the development of indigenous expertise in UAV systems integration and mission electronics.
From an operational perspective, the introduction of MALE-class ISR UAVs strengthens persistent surveillance, maritime domain awareness and border monitoring. Exposure to AEW-oriented unmanned systems and advanced radar integration supports broader air defence modernisation and enhances situational awareness across Bangladesh’s airspace and maritime approaches.
The programme aligns the Bangladesh Air Force with regional trends emphasising unmanned, sensor-centric and network-enabled air power, while establishing a durable industrial foundation for future unmanned aviation capability development.
Amit Bhattacharya is a leading defence procurement expert with deep expertise in modern weapon systems and military hardware acquisition. Over more than a decade, he has collaborated with top defence contractors and strategic research institutions, delivering incisive analysis on procurement frameworks, capability development, and technology integration for armed forces worldwide. Amit bridges the gap between operational requirements and industrial capacity, providing authoritative evaluations of modernisation programmes, defence budgets, and acquisition reforms in both established and emerging defence markets. He leads the Defence Procurement and Defence Industry sections at BDMilitary, shaping strategic discourse on defence innovation. Amit earned his Master of Policy and Governance (MPAG) from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, complementing his practical expertise with advanced policy and governance insight.
