Bangladesh awaits new frigates, OPVs, patrol boats and LCTs
This is one of four ex-Chinese Type 053 frigates in service with the Bangladesh Navy. (Gordon Arthur)
Little discernible progress has been made in awarding contracts for new Bangladeshi frigates and OPVs, but there is activity in other areas such as patrol boat construction.
In 2017, Bangladesh floated a plan to acquire six indigenously built multirole frigates equipped with guided missiles under its Forces Goal 2030 modernisation plan, but progress to date appears elusive.
These six ships for the Bangladesh Navy (BN), worth an estimated $2.5-3 billion, will be constructed via the government-owned Chittagong Dry Dock Limited (CDDL) with technical assistance from a foreign OEM.
Back in 2018, CDDL claimed that two frigates would be commissioned in 2022, two more by 2025 and the final pair by 2030. This obviously will not happen, since there is no evidence that any foreign frigate design has
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