New Delhi, Aug. 28 -- Bangladesh is moving ahead with plans to procure China's J-10CE fighter jets and attack helicopters as part of its effort to modernise the Bangladesh Air Force. A draft agreement for the procurement has been prepared following negotiations, according to Prime Minister's Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman, Bangladesh-based The Daily Star reported.

The proposed acquisition has also brought the Chinese J-10CE into focus because of its reported use by Pakistan during last year's Operation Sindoor by India. Bangladesh has pointed to the aircraft's claimed performance against India's French-made Dassault Rafale, as well as the J-10CE's lower reported cost compared with Western alternatives.

But the claim that a J-10C shot down an I...