Bangladesh air force jet crash: Should the ageing Chinese F-7 fighter still be flying?

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6 days ago

A deadly F-7 fighter jet crash in Dhaka has killed 27, including 25 schoolchildren, putting the spotlight on China's ageing F-7 aircraft, which is still in service across Asia and Africa. With a history of crashes and maintenance concerns, many are now asking: Why are these outdated jets still part of air fleets? read more
Firefighters and army members work next to the wreckage of an air force training aircraft after it crashed into Milestone College campus, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 21, 2025. File Image/Reuters
A Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) fighter aircraft crashed into a school building in Dhaka on Monday (July 21, 2025), killing 27 people — including 25 schoolchildren — and injuring over 100 others.
The incident has drawn attention to the safety record of China's F-7 fighter jets, which remain in service across several countries despite concerns about their ageing technology, reliability issues and history of mechanical failures.
As investigations continue, aviation experts and military analysts are questioning the continued use of the Chinese-made F-7 series, especially in high-density civilian areas and for critical military operations.
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What happened in Dhaka
The F-7 BGI fighter aircraft departed from the Bangladesh Air Force base in Kurmitola at 1:06 pm local time on what was meant to be a routine training sortie.
However, shortly after takeoff, the aircraft developed a mechanical fault. The pilot, in a bid to avoid heavy civilian casualties, attempted to manoeuvre away from populated zones.
Despite the effort, the aircraft slammed into a two-storey building belonging to Milestone School and College in the Diabari area of Dhaka, approximately ten kilometres from the originating base.
The impact ripped through the structure, destroying iron railings and leaving a large gash in the building.
Emergency responders retrieved the bodies of 27 individuals from the site, including the aircraft's pilot, a teacher, and 25 students.
Additionally, more than 100 children and at least 15 other people suffered injuries. Seventy-eight of them remain hospitalised, most of them with serious burn injuries.
Visuals captured after the crash showed a mangled fuselage embedded in the building, signalling a catastrophic structural failure during flight. Authorities from the Bangladesh Air Force have formed an investigative committee to determine the cause of the malfunction.
In response to the tragedy, interim Prime Minister Muhammad Yunus assured the public: 'We will take all necessary measures' to ensure accountability and safety.
He also confirmed that "all kinds of assistance" are being provided to the families of the victims.
Why Bangladesh is reliant on Chinese F-7 jets
The aircraft involved in the crash was an F-7 BGI, a variant of the Chinese J-7 fighter series — itself based on the Soviet-designed MiG-21.
Despite being phased out by some countries, Bangladesh continues to operate a fleet of these jets, primarily for training and air defence purposes.
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Bangladesh Air Force J-7 BGI fighter jet in 2018. Image/Wikimedia Commons
Bangladesh first began acquiring F-7 fighters in the late 1980s. Between 1989 and 1990, the country received its first batch of 20 F-7s.
Another 20 followed between 1999 and 2006.
From 2012 to 2013, Bangladesh received 16 units of the upgraded F-7 BGI variant as part of a contract signed in 2011.
As of 2023, the Bangladesh Air Force maintained an active fleet of 36 F-7 fighters and 11 FT-7 trainer aircraft.
These jets form the backbone of the country's light combat and training missions, largely due to their lower cost and the slow pace of military modernisation.
Under the 'Forces Goal 2030' defence modernisation plan, Dhaka has begun to diversify its military purchases — including aircraft sourced from Russia and Europe — but F-7 variants continue to dominate training and interception roles within the Air Force.
What Bangladesh's crash record says
The Monday disaster is not the first fatal crash involving the F-7 in Bangladesh. According to Dhaka Tribune, over the past two decades, the BAF has witnessed at least four significant accidents involving this aircraft type:
In April 2008, an F-7 crashed in Ghatail, Tangail, killing Squadron Leader Morshed Hasan.
In June 2015, an F-7MB went missing over the Bay of Bengal near Patenga, Chattogram. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Tahmid Rumman, was never found.
In November 2018, an F-7BG crashed during a training mission in Madhupur, Tangail. The crash killed pilot Arif Ahmed Dipu.
The most recent accident on July 21, 2025, is the deadliest, with 27 confirmed fatalities.
In total, since 2005, Bangladesh Air Force aircraft have experienced at least 11 crashes.
Of these, seven involved Chinese-made aircraft, including F-7s, FT-7s, PT-6s, and K-8Ws. Three crashes were linked to Russian Yak-130 aircraft, and one to a Czechoslovakian-made L-39 trainer.
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Bangladesh Air Force J-7 BGI fighter jet. File Image
Data also shows that between 1993 and 2006, 16 planes and helicopters crashed within the Air Force, resulting in 14 pilot deaths — many involving Chinese-manufactured models.
These patterns have raised persistent concerns over the mechanical reliability and safety of older fighter platforms, particularly those originating from China's military-industrial ecosystem.
How spotty is the global safety record of the F-7
Although China officially ended production of the F-7 in 2013, the aircraft continues to be operated by several nations for training and limited combat roles. Countries still flying F-7 variants include Pakistan, Iran, Myanmar, Nigeria, North Korea, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
Globally, the F-7 has a long service history marked by frequent accidents.
In Pakistan, three F-7 crashes — in November 2015 and January 2020 — resulted in the deaths of military pilots.
In May 2022, two Iranian pilots died in Isfahan after their F-7 jet went down.
More recently, on June 10, 2025, a J-7 crashed in Pale Township in Myanmar, and a prior crash in China's Hubei province saw a J-7 hit a residential structure in Xiangyang city.
The aircraft, while cost-effective, suffers from serious limitations by modern aviation standards.
Aerospace Global News (AGN) highlights that the jet's outdated airframe, absence of fly-by-wire systems, and restricted safety features contribute to a higher accident rate compared to newer-generation fighters.
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Why the Chinese F-7 is under scrutiny
Originally reverse-engineered by China from the Soviet MiG-21 following a partial technology transfer agreement in 1961, the J-7 — and its export variant F-7 — became China's most widely exported fighter aircraft.
Over 2,400 units were reportedly manufactured by Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) between 1966 and 2013, evolving through more than a dozen iterations.
However, several operators have reported issues in maintaining the fleet.
Nigeria, for example, had to return seven of its nine F-7 jets to China due to an inability to repair them locally.
Reports cite poor documentation practices and language barriers in technical manuals as persistent problems.
Translations are often inaccurate or confusing, rendering maintenance and part replacement difficult.
Also, design modifications occur without timely notification, leading to mismatched or incompatible spare parts.
Myanmar's Air Force also reported dissatisfaction with the aircraft's ground attack capabilities, and analysts note that China's closed industrial ecosystem for J-7 production has limited countries' flexibility in servicing or upgrading their fleets independently.
The F-7 BGI, while more advanced than earlier versions, is still classified as a third-generation fighter.
It lacks the stealth, avionics, and survivability of fourth and fifth-generation jets. Still, it continues to be used in several developing nations due to its affordability and availability.
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Despite widespread concerns about its airworthiness, many air forces retain these aircraft as stopgaps until more modern replacements can be procured.
Experts view the F-7 as a temporary platform — suitable only for basic training and limited defence roles.
The Bangladesh Air Force had viewed the F-7 BGI in a similar light: as a bridging solution until newer jets are added under the Forces Goal 2030 initiative.
However, following the Dhaka school tragedy, that calculus may be revisited sooner than expected.
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With inputs from agencies