Bangladesh has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Leonardo signalling its interest in acquiring Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft.

If advanced to a formal contract, the agreement – which was initialled in Dhaka on 9 December – could lead to a purchase of Typhoons which would undergo final assembly in Italy by the Eurofighter consortium partner.

The Bangladesh air force says the LOI was signed by officials including its chief of staff, Marshal Hassan Mahmud Khan, and Italy’s ambassador to the country, Antonio Alessandro.

“Leonardo will supply Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to the Bangladesh air force under this letter of intent,” the service says referring to its Multi-Role Combat Aircraft requirement.

Other potential candidates for Dhaka’s fighter modernisation need had previously been listed as including an export version of China’s Chengdu J-10C.

A Typhoon acquisition would mark a notable change of direction for Bangladesh, with its air force’s current combat aircraft inventory made up of equipment sourced from China and Russia. Information from aviation analytics company Cirium used in our 2026 World Air Forces directory shows it as operating 35 Chengdu F-7s, along with a dozen FT-7 trainers, plus a total of eight RAC MiG-29s.

Local media reports suggest that an initial purchase could be for between 12 and 16 Eurofighters, to start the process of replacing the nation’s obsolete F-7 fleet.