The Bangladesh Army is all set to acquire an assortment of surface-to-air and ballistic missiles besides fire control radar systems to guide interceptors from a Chinese company headquartered in Beijing. This will significantly expand Bangladesh Army’s short and medium-range missile arsenal.
As part of this objective, Bangladesh Army’s Master General of Ordinance Branch Major General Abu Bakar Siddique Khan and other senior officers on May 13 met a four-member team of executives of China Vanguard Co Ltd to discuss plans to acquire HQ-17AE surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), JSG radars and FK-3 medium-range-surface-to-air missiles (MSAMs).
China Vanguard Co Ltd was represented by company Vice-President Zeng Jia and others such as Chen Hong Yu, and Project Managers Xiong Yan Fei and Deng Zhe.
The HQ-17AE is a Chinese-developed, short-range surface-to-air missile system designed to intercept aerial threats at low and medium altitudes. It’s based on the Russian Tor-M1 system, offering all-weather operation capabilities and a range of 1.5 to 15 kms. This SAM is a significant part of China’s expanding arms export portfolio, with Tajikistan, Serbia and Saudi Arabia among its customers.
These missiles are designed to engage a variety of targets, including aircraft, helicopters, drones, and precision-guided munitions. It uses a semi-active radar homing guidance system, which can be enhanced by tracking radar, television, or thermal sights. They can be mounted on armoured wheeled or tracked vehicles for rapid deployment.
On the other hand, the FK-3 is an all-weather medium-range, mobile, surface-to-air missile system, the export version of China’s HQ-22. It is designed to defend against various aerial threats, including aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and UAVs. The FK-3 can engage multiple targets simultaneously and has a range of up to 100 km.
While the FK-3 can engage multiple targets simultaneously, it is capable of reaching targets at three times the speed of sound (Mach 3).
The acquisition of additional QW-18A MANPADS (man-portable air defence missile systems) for the Bangladesh Navy was also discussed during the meeting with the Chinese visitors.
The QW-18A, some of which were procured in November 2021, is an improved version of the QW-18 which is a portable air defence missile system with anti-infrared capability omnidirectionally against low and very low altitude air targets with a flight speed of more than 300 metres per second.
The JSG-400 TDR radar is a Chinese fire control radar, part of the HQ-9BE missile defence system, used to guide interceptors against ballistic missiles. It was first publicly revealed in an infographic at the 2021 Zhuhai Airshow and has been seen at the CASIC manufacturing facility.
A significant part of the Pakistani military establishment’s missile system, the JSG-400 TDR radar is said to add to the Pakistan Air Force’s inventory.
The Bangladesh Army utilises various missile systems, including the FM-90 short-range air defence missile system from China. They also have multiple rocket launcher systems like the Roketsan TRG-230 and TRG-300 from Turkey. Additionally, the army has been inducted with the QW-2 Vanguard 2 series man-portable air defence system (MANPADS).
The Turkish Roketsan TRG-230 and TRG-300 were acquired late last year when 18 units were procured, which represents a significant enhancement to the Bangladesh Arm’s artillery capabilities.
