Twelve Chinese “technicians” arrived in Dhaka in two batches on January 12 and 13, and were subsequently taken to the Bangladesh Army’s Rajendrapur Cantonment before being moved to Chittagong, where they will undertake upgradation and repair of Chinese-origin battle tanks, according to intelligence agencies operating in the Bangladeshi capital.
The first batch comprised seven technicians, while the second included five specially qualified machinists.
Bangladesh Army sources said the team will visit the Chariya field firing range in Chittagong to observe tank trials and then carry out necessary upgrades and repair work on several armoured platforms in service with the army.
The tanks identified for inspection and repair include the Chinese-origin T-59 Durjoy, T-69-IIG, MBT-2000 (VT-1A) main battle tanks and the VT-5 light tank. The T-59 Durjoy is a heavily modernised version of the original T-59, fitted with new turrets, 125-mm guns and upgraded electronic systems.
The T-69-IIG tanks feature enhanced Chinese components, while the MBT-2000 (VT-1A) is a versatile main battle tank acquired by Bangladesh in 2011. The VT-5 is a relatively newer Chinese light tank inducted into the Bangladesh Army in recent years.
According to an officer from an intelligence wing, Bangladesh ordered 44 MBT-2000 (VT-1A) tanks from China in 2011, with deliveries carried out in phases beginning in early 2013 and spread over 27 months. Among the army’s armoured assets, the T-59 tanks are the oldest, having been acquired from China in the early 1980s to supplement Soviet-era T-54/55 tanks. These were later upgraded to the ‘Durjoy’ standard during 2012–13.
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The T-69 tanks, first inducted in 1991, were upgraded to the advanced Type 69-IIG standard between 2010 and 2013 after receiving kits from China that enhanced armour protection through explosive reactive armour (ERA), as well as fire control systems, engine power and navigation capabilities.
The VT-5 light tanks were procured in late 2021, following a 2019 contract for 44 units. The first batches arrived in November 2021 and 2022, making Bangladesh the first export customer for China’s Type 15/VT-5 light tank.
A document dated January 11, 2026, accessed by intelligence agencies, shows that Bangladesh Army headquarters sought security cover for the Chinese technicians from January 12 to 16, during which period they were to be stationed at the Chariya field firing range in Chittagong.
The document also revealed that repair work was urgently required for at least one T-59 tank that met with an accident during a firing exercise at the Chariya range on May 4, 2024.
The T-59 tanks were procured by the Bangladesh Army through Dhaka-based M/s Badhua Traders Pvt Ltd, a defence-focused firm established in 2003. The company has known links to China’s state-owned defence major NORINCO and specialises in military hardware, services, logistics and communication equipment.
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