Overview
- The Bangladesh Air Force and Leonardo signed the LOI on Dec. 9 at BAF headquarters in Dhaka in the presence of Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan and Italian Ambassador Antonio Alessandro, according to ISPR.
- The document initiates the commercial and technical negotiation phase rather than a production contract, so aircraft numbers and delivery schedules remain undetermined.
- Leonardo is leading the prospective procurement as a Eurofighter partner, with reporting indicating any eventual aircraft would likely be assembled in Turin, Italy.
- BAF representatives evaluated the type in Turin earlier this year, flying the ISPA 6 test airframe equipped with the Captor-E AESA radar and the P3Eb upgrade package.
- The prospective acquisition aligns with plans to replace aging J-7 and MiG-29 fighters, with prior statements pointing to a notional 10–16 aircraft, and analysts note Bangladesh could become the first Typhoon operator outside Europe and the Middle East if deliveries follow Turkey.