What we
You misunderstood a few things. I do not seek BAF destruction for the sake off it. I want BAF rebadged and started over because as an organisation it has failed and it is beyond redemption. It’s management is poor because it failed amoungst many things to emphasise the value of the Air Force to the politicians. It is beyond hope.
In an war event BAF in its current state will be decimated in a few hours probably on the ground before it is able to get any of the birds into the skies. That is it’s state, we are not just numarically poor compared to our enemies but also qualitatively poor. This situation needs to be faced before it can be turned around.
Regarding missile force as an alternative to an airforce is not ideal but look at what Iran has been able to achieve so my suggestion is not without precedence. It is merely a short term suggestion and given where we are now it would be an improvement.
BD needs an effective airforce, it currently does not have one. We need to lift morale of a totally demoralised organisation and rebranding will go a long way in doing that. In that journey by co opting BN and BA management We introduce efficient and effective leadership and increase interoperability for the future three services.
I see people doing everything except call out the real issue.
At the risk of stating the nearly obvious - what we may be discounting and/or under-estimating is the amount of 'foreign' interference in building an effective deterrent in the form of air superiority.
Interference from India against BAF purchases come in all forms, but most markedly in building offensive air cover. You can cover Bangladesh in defensive missile cover - short or medium range, fine. But try Long Range Missile cover beyond GMLRS (say around 300 KM limit), and see how far you can get with that.
Same with fighters. Light fighter and trainer jets like F-7BGI and Yak-130 are one thing, but try a 'proper' medium payload fighter like the Su-30SM and see how far you get. The answer is 'nowhere', as seen in the last decade.
The multirole Su-30SM in Bangladesh scenario could be deployed in counter-air strikes, counter-land and counter-sea missions. It could conduct electronic counter-countermeasures and early warning tasks to assist tank forces. The aircraft can also act as a command-and-control platform within a fleet of combat aircraft performing joint missions, although this may be too exotic for BAF at this point.
Su-30SM type aircraft can carry a hefty payload and has excellent range to carry the fight deep inside savage territory to attack strategic or command/control assets that cannot be reachable by GMLRS. Moreover, Su-30SM offers the flexibility to carry out air-to-air, air-to-sea level and air-to-ground mission because it doesn’t need a separate fighter escort. The aircraft has a second crew-member helpful for complex missions.
Xiaolong FC-1 Block 3 may be ready soon or more expensive J-10B too (and these are great to field in numbers in border airfields as deterrents) - but these aren't Su-30SM level birds which we sorely need.
But the basic fact is that as long as the air-force does not get approval to buy Su-30SM type birds, we only have cheap talk being bandied about. It is not BAF brass' fault to convince the country's leadership when the leadership itself is beholden to India's whims.
We may be calling the BAF brass names for nothing. The problem is who is sitting on the PM's seat.
If Hasina is India's biggest stooge (and weapon) then she will shoot down anything India does not approve of.