The press wing of Bangladesh's Chief Adviser of the interim government has dismissed reports by The Sunday Guardian, an Indian newspaper, regarding an alleged agreement between Bangladesh and France to purchase Rafale fighter jets.
In a statement on its Facebook page on Monday (October 27), the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing clarified that the interim government has no knowledge of such a deal.
The Sunday Guardian report, published on Sunday, claimed that France was hopeful the new Bangladeshi government would finalise a long-anticipated deal to acquire Rafale jets, aiming to modernise Bangladesh’s air force.
It suggested that the Chief Adviser, Dr Muhammad Yunus, had expressed a positive stance on the potential agreement, adding that talks had gained momentum.
According to the Sunday Guardian, a 2017 tender issued by Bangladesh's Directorate General of Defense Procurement (DGDP) had called for eight multi-role combat aircraft, with an option for four more, as part of a 2.5 billion euro initiative.
The proposal aimed to enhance Bangladesh's air defence capabilities for counter-air, anti-surface, and maritime operations. In addition to France's Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon was reportedly considered as part of the deal.
The report speculated that since India already operates Rafale jets, Bangladesh might avoid the Rafale to diversify defense equipment sources and avoid relying on the same suppliers as neighboring countries.
However, The Sunday Guardian stated that it had not received any official response from Dassault Aviation, the French manufacturer, or the Bangladesh Cabinet Division.
Bangladesh Air Force sources reportedly noted that the fighter jets would need to be newly manufactured and construction could only commence after a formal agreement.
The report also highlighted French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Bangladesh in September 2023, following the G-20 summit in New Delhi.
According to the article, Macron’s visit—the first by a French president to Bangladesh in 33 years—was partially aimed at advancing the Rafale deal. Despite Macron’s efforts, Bangladesh did not provide a definitive response at the time.
In response to the report, the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing iterated, “The news published in The Sunday Guardian is not true. Bangladesh's interim government isn't aware of any such deal in the offing. The Rafale procurement deal was in negotiation stage between Dhaka and Paris in 2019 when the autocratic regime of Sheikh Hasina was in power. It got stalled during the Coronavirus pandemic. Bangladesh has not received any official request from France yet to revive the negotiations.”