logo
What do we know about Chinese-made F-7 plane that crashed in Bangladesh?

What do we know about Chinese-made F-7 plane that crashed in Bangladesh?

First Post4 days ago
The Chinese-made F-7 BGI had taken off around 1 pm on a routine training mission when it went down and hit Milestone School and College in Dhaka's Uttara area. At least 19 have been left dead and over 100 injured. The pilot, identified as Flight Lieutenant Mohammed Toukir Islam, has been killed. But what do we know about the F-7 BGI? read more
Tragedy stuck Bangladesh on Monday after an aircraft belonging to the Bangladesh Air Force went down in Dhaka.
The plane, which hit a school campus in Dhaka's Uttara area, left 19 dead and over 100 injured.
The jet, an F-7 BGI, was on a routine training mission when it went down.
It hit Milestone School and College around 1 pm. Several students were on campus at the time.
Rescue operations are ongoing.
The pilot, identified as Flight Lieutenant Mohammed Toukir Islam, has been killed.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
But what do we know about the Chinese-made F-7 plane?
Let's take a closer look:
What we know
It is made by C hina's Chengdu Aircraft Corporation.
It is said to be the most advanced version of the J-7G.
However, it continued to export its advanced versions abroad.
It is mainly used as an interceptor aircraft in various air forces around the world including Bangladesdh and Myanmar.
It was specifically designed keeping in mind the requirements of the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF).
It is said to be a 'cost-effective, multi-purpose' fighter aircraft.
Bangladesh signed a deal with China to deliver 16 such aircraft in 2011 in order to modernise its fleet.
The aircraft were delivered in 2013.
The F-7 BGI is a newer version of the F-7BG fighter jet.
It comes with KLJ-6F fire-control radar.
This allows it to find foes at a distance of over 86 kilometres.
It can track six targets, and engage two simultaneously.
The F-7 BGI has a full glass cockpit with three multi-function displays and three multifunctional heads-up displays and hands on throttle-and-stick controls. These features allow the pilot to improve his situational awareness.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
It can hit a speed of Mach 2.2 and is said to have a service ceiling of 57,420 feet.
Its afterburning engine generating 82 kN of power.
It has five hard-points – to carry air-to-air missiles, laser-guided bombs, GPS-guided bombs, and drop tanks.
It can carry the PL-5, PL-7 and probably the PL-9 short range air-to-air missiles.
It can carry bombs and unguided rocket pods of around 1,360 kilos.
However, the F-7 BGI does not have the capacity to carry Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missiles.
It is said to be far more manoeuvrable than most MiGs and other similar fighters.
This is due to its J-7G2 airframe with a double-delta wing design – which allows excellent lift at high angles of attack, minimises risk of stalling and improves agility.
The F-7 BGI can also carry C-704 anti-ship missiles for maritime strike missions.
It can also use Chinese helmet-mounted sights for better target acquisition.
Experts say the F-7 BGI is primarily suited for short-range aerial combat and training – which is its main use in the Bangladesh Air Force.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
A J-7 last month went down in Myanmar, leaving four people dead in a village.
The Myanmar Air Force attributed the crash to 'technical failure'.
However, the Myanmar's People's Liberation Army claimed that it had downed the craft.
In 2022, a J-7 crashed into a residential building in China's Xiangyang.
Thankfully, the pilot ejected before the crash and survived.
These developments, along with the performance of Chinese-made aircraft used by Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, have raised serious questions about the quality of defence equipment produced by Beijing.
What happened?
The F-7 BGI took off for a training mission around 1 pm.
'The crash and the subsequent fire killed 19 people. At least 50 others were critically injured,' Brigadier General Zahed Kamal, Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defence, told reporters.
He said that rescuers have recovered 19 bodies from the school compound alone while the rescue operation was underway.
Md Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus for the Health Ministry, said that 72 people were hospitalised with burns and other types of injuries.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
He said that wounded people, mostly students, were being treated at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Dhaka Medical College Hospital, and the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery (NIBPS).
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. (Reuters/Stringer)
According to doctors, eight of the injured were in critical condition.
'The number of injured people being brought to our facility is rising,' a doctor at NIBPS told reporters.
In a statement, the defence ministry said that the F-7 BGI training aircraft took off at 1:06 pm and crashed into the college campus soon after.
The plane crashed with a big bang into a four-storey building of the Milestone School with a big bang and immediately caught fire, a fire service official said.
According to police, firefighting units, ambulances, and air force helicopters rushed to the scene soon after the crash.
A teacher of the school, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that security personnel were putting bodies in body bags to be taken to Dhaka's combined military hospital from the damaged building, which housed classes from one to seven.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
'Dozens of ambulances were carrying the wounded to nearby hospitals,,' she said.
The National Burn Institute in the capital said they were treating 18 people, mostly students, some with critical conditions.
The interim government has declared a one-day state mourning on July 22 when the national flag will be flown at half-mast across Bangladesh and its missions abroad.
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus expressed shock and sorrow over the casualties caused by the crash.
'I am deeply saddened by the casualties caused by the heartbreaking accident involving a Bangladesh Air Force jet at the Milestone School and College campus,' he said in a statement.
Fahim Hossain, an eleventh-grade student, said that the jet crashed right in front of his eyes – just 10 feet ahead of him.
It hit the ground floor of a two-storey building around 1:15pm, where classes for the primary section were taking place,' Fahim told The Daily Star.
With inputs from agencies
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Uproar in J&K over ‘killing' of Gujjar youth in Jammu shoot-out, CM joins demand for probe
Uproar in J&K over ‘killing' of Gujjar youth in Jammu shoot-out, CM joins demand for probe

The Hindu

time3 hours ago

  • The Hindu

Uproar in J&K over ‘killing' of Gujjar youth in Jammu shoot-out, CM joins demand for probe

J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday (July 25, 2025) joined the growing clamour from relatives and political parties to constitute an inquiry into the killing of a 21-year-old youth during an alleged shootout in Jammu a day ago. The deceased, Mohammad Parvez, was engaged in sand mining as a profession. According to the family, Parvez and his brother-in-law, residents of Niki Tawi, left home on Thursday to buy medicine. Family members were later called to identify a body at the Government Medical College (GMC) in Jammu by the police. Parvez got married two months ago, with his family claiming he had nothing to do with drug peddling. However, several Jammu-based news portals citing police officials, claimed there was a shoot-out with drug peddlers at Surey Chak area in Jammu's Satwari area on Thursday and Parvez was killed. The police did not furnish further details about the incident. Parvez's family along with the Gujjar community refuted the claim. 'It is a fake encounter,' Talib Hussian, a Gujjar social activist, said. Guftar Ahmed, a Gujjar leader who joined deceased's family in their protest on Friday, said, 'Top officials of the J&K Police should see the act of police on ground zero. Not a single FIR was registered against him. Union Home Minister and J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha should take strong action against officials involved in the killing of tribal youth,' Mr. Ahmed said. A spokesman of the Gujjar Bakerwal Students Alliance said the 'selective killing of Gujjar youth in Jammu through fake encounters is alarming'. 'Why was Parvez Ahmed murdered? Is this a conspiracy to silence us one by one? Under the garb of encroachment, drugs, and smuggling, our community is being targeted. We strongly condemn this,' the Alliance added. Meanwhile, the deceased's family also urged the L-G administration to initiate an impartial probe, announce compensation and a job for the kin. J&K CM Abdullah urged the Union Territory Police to hold an inquiry into the incident. 'The killing of Parvez of Niki Tawi in Jammu is highly unfortunate and deeply regrettable. Use of force by the police has to be calibrated and cannot be indiscriminate. J&K has paid a heavy price in the past because of incidents such as these,' the Chief Minister said. Mr. Abdullah said the incident should be investigated in a transparent and time bound manner. National Conference (NC) leader and Minister Javed Ahmed Rana raised the issue with the Divisional Commissioner and the Inspector General of Police, Jammu, 'over serious allegations of murder of a tribal youth'. 'An Inquiry is being initiated to uncover the truth and ensure justice in this case. The J&K government led by Mr. Abdullah will ensure that justice is delivered in the case,' Mr. Rana said. Former J&K Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti said the tribal youth was 'killed by the police and labelled as a drug dealer'. 'Even that may be the case, we still live in a democratic country where justice is served through rule of law as opposed to khap panchayats or kangaroo courts. Sincerely hope the Director General takes cognisance of this shocking incident by ordering a time bound impartial probe. We must not descend or condone a culture of extra judicial encounters because that's precisely what alienates people,' Ms. Mufti said. BJP leader Ravinder Raina also condemned the incident. The Islamic Welfare Organisation also expressed deep anguish and outrage over the 'tragic killing' of the Gujjar youth. 'Such a brutal and senseless act not only shatters the faith of the people in the law enforcement agencies but also raises serious questions about the continued misuse of power and growing trend of extrajudicial actions,' the organisation said. The organisation 'unequivocally condemned the act and demand a time-bound high-level judicial probe to ascertain the facts behind the killing'. 'The family of the deceased deserves justice, and the community demands transparency, fairness, and accountability from the system,' it added.

Outrage in China as thousands of private pictures of girls posted online
Outrage in China as thousands of private pictures of girls posted online

Time of India

time3 hours ago

  • Time of India

Outrage in China as thousands of private pictures of girls posted online

This is a representative AI image Beijing: Thousands of men allegedly shared intimate photos and videos of their girlfriends without consent on the Telegram app, Chinese media reported, sparking widespread outcry against secret filming and calls to better protect women. Pornography in China is illegal, and conservative social attitudes towards women remain the norm. It comes after a Chinese university expelled a woman student this month for "damaging national dignity" over videos posted by a Ukrainian esports player on Telegram suggesting they had been intimate. The Chinese state-owned Southern Daily reported this week a woman had discovered that photos of her taken unknowingly had been shared in a Telegram forum with over 100,000 users, mostly Chinese men. Members of the forum also shared photos of their girlfriends, ex-girlfriends and wives, according to a commentary in the Guangming Daily, an outlet backed by China's communist party. Revelations of the group have sparked widespread outcry online. "We can no longer remain silent. Because next could be me, or it could be you," read one comment on Instagram-like Red Note. A related hashtag has been viewed more than 230 million times on social media platform Weibo since Thursday. The largest group, called "Mask Park", has since been taken down, but smaller spinoffs remain active, according to reports. Chinese authorities have yet to publicly announce any action against the Telegram group. afp

CUG opens intake for vacant postgraduate seats
CUG opens intake for vacant postgraduate seats

Time of India

time4 hours ago

  • Time of India

CUG opens intake for vacant postgraduate seats

Vadodara: The Central University of Gujarat (CUG) has invited online applications for admission to vacant seats in its various postgraduate (PG) programmes for the 2025-26 academic session. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now CUG officials said all the university's academic activities are conducted from its new campus at Kundhela village in Dabhoi taluka. CUG currently has ten schools, 20 departments and two independent centres and offers three undergraduate, 20 postgraduate and 23 PhD programmes. "Applications have been invited for admission to the postgraduate programmes in comparative literature, Chinese, German, Hindi, Hindu studies, social work, library and information science, MEd, nanoscience and environmental sciences," an official said. According to the officials, the last date to submit applications is July 27. "Admission will be granted on merit basis, determined by a screening exam based on multiple-choice questions. This exam will be conducted on July 30 at the university's campus in Kundhela," said Darshan Maru, the university's controller of examinations. Candidates can visit the university's website at

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store