Even since I have pointed out the T-69 Mk.II G is superior to the Al-Zarrar, some of you have been twisting words and setting up false claims, which is a most unfortunate happening.
Personally I don't care if BD buys or does not buy Pakistani products. You check them out, if you do not like them then you do not buy. Secondly, Pakistan does not dump obsolete equipment anywhere. The party has to show an interest in it and that is the only time such things come up at the defence ministry. T-69MKII vs. Zarrar comparison needs to move away from mine is better than yours. Most people do not even understand the GSRs laid down by the two armies for each of these tanks. While I cannot say anything about the T-69MKII, all I know for the AZ is that it was considered a feasible and high Return on investment type of a project to overhaul, upgun and upgrade the systems on existing T-59 inventory which was nearing its end of life. For that purpose, the tank is fine given the theater it will be operating in. The idea is not for AZ to go up against the likes of Abrams and Challenger, rather T-72s etc. and for that it is fine.
I have been for long saying BD and Pakistan should strengthen ties; possible even forming an alliance with China and Myanmar to contain India. I have suggested joint exercises, training and patrols. I have hailed the joint venture of PN and BN. I have never said Bangladesh and Pakistan should end defence relations.
Most here are proponents of this kind of relationship. There is nothing to lose, only to gain from such dealings (the key thing is to put aside pride and respect each other).
1. I have only given a rough response as some members have said that anything Pakistan donates to Bangladesh will make Bangladesh stronger; no matter how inferior it is.
If that is the perception then its wrong for the Pakistanis to believe that. All Armies, including BD's, evaluate things on their merit. If you do not like it, you do not take it. Please also see my point about donations. We do not offer things which we cannot maintain ourselves. If the idea is broached by BD, then its something else, otherwise Pakistan has no reason to offer an older SSK which she herself is retiring. In the most desperate times for Bosnians, we sent them the newest hardware off the production lines and the same goes for the Sri Lankans. Why would we pass on sub-grade stuff to BD? There is a lot of rumor mongering going on in the press, sometimes back (4 yrs ago) the Indian media reported that 50,000 9mm rounds exported by PoF to the London Police were of inferior quality, in a week's time, no less than the representative of London Metropolitan police clarified that there were absolutely no issues with the ammo. So trust me on the point about quality, our exports are starting to ramp up, we will not pass on trash to others.
2. BD is not a dump yard that it will accept anything from other nations. Even than based on a fake news report. Bangladesh Navy HQ later denounced the claim made by the Indian media.
Exactly.
3. It is information from BAF sources that they have rejected procurement of JF-17. So it is not possible to just stick to internet news and information and pretend everything can be known from there. Initially it was believed that BAF would procure a large fleet of JF-17 to replace all existing aging combat aircraft as it is a modern multi-role fighter. It was later rejected as superior options were available; The Su-27 were being offered since 2005 and negotiations for its purchase began back in 1999. Also available was the J-10 option.
All possible, however what existed as an option (FC-1/JF-17) on paper in 2005 is different from what it is turning out to be now. You pick what is best for you but thus far I know of no serious evaluation of the JF-17 by the BAF. Maybe they do not want it, but if that is the case then its not based on the performance of the aircraft, rather other considerations which could include buying straight from Russia or even the West. Given what BAF have flown in the past and do so currently, JF-17 would be a good fit but then again then is an outside observation. Maybe there are plans afoot for something grander for the BAF.
However the JF-17 is a failure in the international export market. Even China will not be procuring it; instead they will be using the J-10 and Su-30 and large numbers of F-7MG and F-7G. The only country which may procure the JF-17 other than Pakistan is Egypt. No other country is likely to procure it. It would have been excellent for Pakistan if they could export it as it will improve their economy and with feedback data they could build superior variants or successor models.
How does an aircraft become an export failure without having even met IOC with the Air Force which has turned this concept into a reality with the help of the Chinese? China not buying it has nothing to do with the potential of the aircraft. China has to worry about potentially facing F/A-22 over Taiwan and as such their compulsions are different. If we had to face the likes of F/A-22, then JF-17 would certainly not be on our minds. Chinese will definitely buy FC-1s as they are much, much better than the considerable old inventory of F-7s. Even in the PAF service, the F-7s were never planned but were included as a stop gap measure. Chinese are faced with the same problem as everyone else..I.E. Cost! Yes they would like an Air Force entirely equipped with J-10 however each J-10 costs a lot more than the JF-17. So either you go for a high-lo mix or you whittle down the inventory.
Overall on this point you are extremely ill-informed. Thus far Azerbaijan and quite a few other, pragmatic air arms have shown interest in the aircraft. The idea is to appeal to the smaller, tactical airforces which do not want to be tied down with export restrictions and still have the ability to field BVR and other modern avionics. The key is that once the aircraft is operational in the PAF service, then only others would be interested in the aircraft. Chinese buying the aircraft provide an added incentive as it reduced the overall cost of the aircraft with their purchase.
4. I have never said that the T-69 Mk.II G is superior to the Al-Khalid; I said it was “roughly comparable.” Do not think that the Al-Khalid is the best MBT around; the T-84 Yatagan and some others are superior. I have said that the T-69 Mk.II G is superior to the Al-Zarrar, T-55, T-64 and T-72.
Who knows. We are all comparing specs on the paper and those too of tanks that are in service with Armies that have different general staff requirements for their tanks. Pakistan may favor more mobility and as such lighter armour for combat, whereas BD not being an ideal tank country, may opt for more armour. For our requirements, AK and AZ are fine. Maye the idea in BD is to do the same, have an in-house capability to upgrade own tanks and put them through next generation updates. Great! The more the merrier.
5. Bangladesh has been satisfied with some Pakistani hardware including ATGMs and T-37C; PN and BN are strengthening relations. A lot of personnel are being trained in joint training courses in both countries.
Exactly what we want.
6. Bangladesh is not satisfied with other hardware imported from Pakistan. In the late 90s BA procured a small number of 122mm MBRLs from Pakistan, they were not satisfied with it and have decided to not procure any more. Instead Type-90B MBRLs are being procured from China along with a large number of other artillery systems.
Market economy in action. You do not like the product, you do not buy it. I do want to point out that pretty similar 122mm MBRLs from Pakistan were extremely effective in use with the SL Army against the Tigers. End of last year, we sent them a rather large number of rounds for these same MBRLs. Thus again, requirements of the BD Army may be different. I stand by the quality issue. If there is a problem, Pakistan will typically rectify the problem by taking things back and replacing. Not sure what the basis for the dissatisfaction with the MBRL was?
7. Bangladesh will not be procuring any Anza Mk.II MANPAD SAM. A production facility is under construction; when completed it will be capable of producing 10,000 SAMs per year, this will make export possible. BD is already mass producing the BD-08 Assault Rifle that is now the standard issue weapon.
This is the Chinese model. What they have helped with in Pakistan, they are doing the same in BD. This is a good thing. You want to reduce dependence on the outside as much as possible.
