Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) technicians readied for operation a supersonic fighter craft overhauling the jet independently, a task they accomplished for the first time on their own. The supersonic fighter craft was handed over today for operation after the overhauling process at a ceremony at BAF Base Bangabandhu while it was joined by Prime Minister’s Security Adviser Major General (Retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique as the chief guest.
BAF chief Air Chief Marshal Masihuzzaman Serniabat, senior BAF officials and Chinese embassy representatives were also present on the occasion. “It (Aircraft overhaul) is a great success for our country…It will not only save our money and time but also ends the hassle of overhauling in other countries,” Siddique said.
The BAF chief, on the other hand, called the event a big success of the air force and great achievement of the nation towards attaining the Vision 2041 set by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
“We can save 30 to 40 percent money by overhauling aircraft on our own without any foreign technical support. It also saves out time as well,” he later told media on the sidelines of the event.
Serniabat said generally it takes a year for overhauling an aircraft if it is sent abroad “but now it took us only 8 months to accomplish the task.” He thanked the Chinese government for their cooperation in the fields of air security in particular and expected the bilateral ties to be strengthened further in future.
BAF and Chinese technicians were previously carrying out the overhauling of F-7 BAF for the past few years under joint initiatives. The government launched ‘Bangladesh Aeronautical Center’ at BAF Base Bangabandhu on December, 2011 for enhancing the maintainacne capability of BAF.
