Separately, the Bangladesh Air Force has alleged technical problems with Chinese-made F-7 fighter jets and short-range air defence systems. The air force also faced issues with firing ammunition for its Chinese-made K-8W aircraft shortly after delivery, said the people cited above.
They indicated that Chinese-supplied airborne interception radars as well as Chinese-made radars on Bangladesh’s fighter aircraft have not met accuracy standards.
The Bangladesh Army had imported Main Battle Tanks (MBT 2000) from China’s North Industries Corporation (NORINCO). NORINCO is reportedly facing difficulties in supplying parts to Bangladesh for the repair and maintenance of these tanks, ET has learnt.
The Bangladesh Navy also has its share of challenges. Two Chinese-made frigates (BNS Umar Farooq and BNS Abu Ubaidah) experienced multiple defects soon after arriving at Mongla port in Bangladesh. The Chinese companies sought additional payments to repair these boats. A decade ago, China had sold two refurbished Ming-class submarines to Bangladesh for just over $100 million each but Dhaka later discovered that the submarines were obsolete.Last September, Bangladesh Navy informed China Vanguard Industry Co. Ltd. (CVIC) of problems with the C704 system installed on warship ‘BNS Nirmul’ but the company decided to upgrade the system only at an additional cost. Bangladesh had also imported 45 Multi Launch Rocket System (MLRS) units from China but is planning to replace 36 MLRS with those made in Turkey.
Bangladesh is not the only one facing problems with Chinese military hardware. Others, including Myanmar Air Force, have complained about Chinese fighter jets.
