ÿÈÕ´óÈü

The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Italy’s Leonardo in a long-awaited first step toward the country buying the Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft.

Air Chief Marshal Hassan Mahmud Khan, the Bangladesh Air Force’s chief, signed the agreement with Leonardo and Italian Embassy officials in Dhaka on Dec. 9, the service announced on social media.

Officials say Leonardo will supply the Eurofighters under a Multi-Role Combat Aircraft requirement. The number of aircraft required by Dhaka has not been formally disclosed, but local media reports say 12-16 aircraft are being sought. Leonardo has taken the lead on the Bangladesh sales campaign on behalf of the four-nation Eurofighter consortium and would therefore supply the aircraft from the Italian supply line in Turin. But the airframer would not comment further on BAF’s announcement.

Bangladesh was known to have been considering the Eurofighter for several years, and the interest stepped up with a series of evaluation flights conducted by senior BAF officers in Italy last spring.

The agreement is a preliminary step toward a contract, but no details on a potential timeline for a sale have emerged.

Bangladesh has also been linked with the potential purchase of Chinese Chengdu J-10 combat aircraft.

Buying the Eurofighter would give Bangladesh a radical upgrade in capability, but the service has never previously operated an advanced, complex Western combat aircraft. It is currently reliant on a mix of Chinese-made Chengdu F-7s and eight Russian-supplied Mikoyan MiG-29s, according to Aviation Week’s fleet information database. The Bangladesh sales campaign is the second acknowledged in the region. Leonardo is also leading on a for up to 32 aircraft.