Latest news with #ForcesGoal2030
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First Post
a day ago
- Business
- First Post
Turkish foreign minister in Pakistan, top defence official in Bangladesh. What's brewing?
Turkey has ramped up its defence diplomacy in South Asia, with its foreign and defence ministers visiting Pakistan and its top defence official holding talks in Bangladesh. read more In a week marked by diplomatic choreography across South Asia, Turkey has intensified its strategic outreach with high-profile visits to both Pakistan and Bangladesh, signalling Ankara's deepening interest in the region's defence and geopolitical landscape. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Defence Minister Yasir Guler landed in Islamabad on Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, with a focus on bilateral relations, regional dynamics, and particularly, defence industry collaboration. The visit, described by Pakistan's state media as emblematic of 'brotherly ties rooted in shared history, culture and trust,' underscores growing convergence between the two nations on security and strategic matters. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to officials, the ministers are expected to explore defence industrial cooperation, an area Turkey has prioritised in recent years through increased military exports and joint production deals. The visit follows Ankara's overt backing of Pakistan during military tensions with India in May, a move that drew ire from New Delhi but reinforced Turkey's positioning as a steadfast partner for Islamabad. Meanwhile, across the subcontinent, Turkey's top defence industry official, Haluk Gorgun, held high-level meetings in Dhaka just a day prior. Gorgun met Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Chief of Army Staff General Waqar-us-Zaman, as both sides discussed expanding defence collaboration and enhancing technological cooperation. The visit was billed as a reciprocal engagement following earlier trips by senior Bangladeshi military officials to Turkey. The discussions centred on opportunities for defence technology transfers and domestic production of modern military equipment in Bangladesh, as part of the country's 'Forces Goal 2030' vision for self-reliance in defence. With Turkey's growing reputation in unmanned aerial vehicles, missile systems and artillery, Dhaka appears keen to tap into Ankara's capabilities to diversify away from its traditional defence supplier, China. Bangladesh emerged as Turkey's largest arms customer in 2022, reflecting a notable shift in Dhaka's defence procurement strategy. The closer ties also mirror Turkey's broader ambition to strengthen its footprint in South Asia, a region long shaped by India's security influence. While neither Islamabad nor Dhaka may present an immediate security challenge to New Delhi, the growing sophistication of their defence ties with Turkey could recalibrate regional strategic dynamics. Turkey's simultaneous engagement with both countries raises questions about its evolving role in South Asia and whether its expanding military diplomacy might eventually alter power equations in a region where India has long enjoyed primacy. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With Pakistan and Bangladesh now both deepening defence ties with Ankara, Turkey's calibrated outreach suggests more than symbolic diplomacy. It may well mark the beginning of a more assertive Turkish pivot into South Asia's strategic architecture.
India.com
4 days ago
- Business
- India.com
From Turkish rockets to drones, Bangladesh's anti-India kill chain doctrine is complete as part of 'Pakistan plan' of India's enemies
New Delhi: India's enemies have started giving military help to Bangladesh on the lines of Pakistan. The military modernization plan 'Forces Goal 2030' on which the Bangladesh Army was working for the last one and a half decade has now reached a decisive turn. Under this plan, Bangladesh has fully inducted the Turkish-made TRG-300 Kaplan guided multiple launch rocket system and Bayraktar TB2 drone into active service. What are the features of Turkish weapons? The Bangladesh Army signed its first historic contract for the TRG-300/230 surface-to-surface tactical ballistic missile system developed by Turkey's Roketsan in 2019. By June 2021, the first batteries of the TRG-300 system began arriving in Bangladesh. Turkey has since made continuous deliveries to the Bangladesh Army, including an estimated 18 or more launchers, reload trucks, mobile command posts and supporting logistics vehicles. The system is capable of carrying a high-explosive warhead weighing up to 190 kg, which can cause deadly devastation in enemy territory through steel ball submunitions. What is Bangladesh's 'kill chain' doctrine? The INS/GNSS dual guidance system of the C4ISR i.e. Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Support System enables it to hit targets with accuracy within 10 meters. Not only this, it has also been strongly designed against GPS jamming and electronic warfare, which makes it a unique and futuristic weapon in South Asia. Bangladesh is believed to have created a 'kill chain' network by integrating these systems. The kill chain network was most discussed during the recent India-Pakistan conflict, when many defense experts along with China claimed that with the help of China, the Pakistan Air Force had created a 'kill chain' network against Indian fighter planes. TB2 drones from Turkey According to the report, along with the Kaplan rocket system, Bangladesh has also purchased 12 Bayraktar TB2 MALE (Medium Altitude Long Endurance) drones from Turkey, six of which have already come into operation from 2023 and the delivery of the remaining six is being completed in 2025. These drones have been deployed in the ISR regiments of the army and they also work to identify ground targets, send real-time data and rocket or missile guidance when needed. India's warning to Bangladesh In 2024, the Indian Army had warned the Bangladesh Army that if its Bayraktar TB-2 drones even reach close to the sensitive border areas of Meghalaya, Tripura or Mizoram, they would be shot down. At the same time, a senior Indian military officer had said that 'under the permanent SOP, no drone is allowed to fly within 10 kilometers of the India-Bangladesh border.' According to a report, a Bangladesh TB2 drone flew very close to Indian airspace in the Meghalaya-Tripura region, which had issued a security alert. This drone was launched from Dhaka's Tejgaon Airbase and was being operated by the 67th ISR Battalion of the Bangladesh Army. This incident shows that the presence of these new weapons is not just technical but is also affecting the regional strategic balance.
