BMTF–HIT Joint Venture Talks Signal New Era for Bangladesh Defence Manufacturing

Reading Time: 3 minutes Bangladesh’s ambition to establish a robust and sovereign defence industrial base has taken a significant step forward with preliminary discussions between Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory (BMTF) and Pakistan’s Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) on a possible joint venture to manufacture tanks, armoured vehicles, artillery components and associated systems within Bangladesh. The discussions were initiated during a visit in November 2025 by a senior delegation from HIT and are being viewed as potentially transformative for Bangladesh’s long-term defence and industrial strategy. The Pakistani delegation, led by Brigadier Shoeb of the Pakistan Army, visited Bangladesh to assess the feasibility of cooperation with BMTF and to evaluate the existing industrial infrastructure. During their visit, the delegation inspected BMTF’s facilities in Gazipur, reviewed ongoing production activities and held detailed technical and institutional discussions with Bangladeshi counterparts. The focus was on understanding BMTF’s current manufacturing capabilities, workforce skills and capacity for expansion