Bangladesh Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Hasan Mahmud Khan is set to visit Istanbul between October 1 and October 5 at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart, General Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu, as part of Dhaka’s deepening defence engagement with Ankara.
He will be accompanied by three Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) officers — Group Captain B M Hasan, Squadron Leader Ismat Ara Begum, and Flight Lieutenant Ha-mim Muhammad Mushfique Hossain.
This will be ACM Khan’s second visit to Turkey in two months, following his participation in the 17th International Defence Industry Fair in Istanbul in July.
Since the Muhammad Yunus-led interim regime assumed power on 5 August 2024, Bangladesh has stepped up its military diplomacy with Turkey. Senior officers across the three services and key government agencies have paid multiple visits in recent months.
In early April 2024, DGFI chief Maj Gen Jahangir Alam held talks with the head of Turkey’s Milli İstihbarat Teşkilatı (National Intelligence Organization), exploring avenues for intelligence cooperation and equipment procurement.
Industrial cooperation and defence production plans
Bangladesh’s interest in developing defence industrial complexes in Chittagong and Narayanganj has also advanced. In May, BIDA Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun led a five-day visit to Turkey, including rare access to the Makine ve Kimya Endüstrisi (MKE) facilities at Kırıkkale.
Harun’s meetings focused on co-production, technology transfer, and capacity building in areas such as artillery systems, energetics, and small arms. MKE is expected to send technical teams to Bangladesh soon to conduct site surveys for potential industrial clusters.
Naval and Air Force cooperation
On 21 July, ACM Khan visited Istanbul to discuss the possibility of acquiring naval assets. This was followed by a trip by Navy Chief Admiral Mohammad Nazmul Hassan (22–25 July).
Earlier, on 8 July, Turkish Defence Industry Secretary Haluk Gorgun visited Dhaka and met senior Bangladeshi defence officials, including General Waker-uz-Zaman, ACM Khan, and Admiral Hassan.
While specific procurement details remain under wraps, sources indicate that Bangladesh is keen to expand its fleet of Bayraktar TB2 drones. The country already operates several TB2s but aims to strengthen its UAV capabilities.
The upcoming visit is expected to advance talks on defence acquisitions and industrial cooperation, with both sides preparing to formalise negotiations through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Institutionalising defence cooperation
Officials have signaled that Dhaka and Ankara may soon establish a Defence Industrial Working Group to oversee planning, policy alignment, and execution of joint projects.
Future collaboration is likely to be facilitated under the Bangladesh Economic Zones Act 2010, which provides incentives such as tax holidays, duty exemptions, and operational flexibility for foreign investors in defence manufacturing.