Bangladesh is preparing to install a new air defence radar system at the Lalmonirhat airbase, close to India’s strategically sensitive Siliguri Corridor, despite reservations within the Indian defence establishment.
Sources in the Bangladesh intelligence network said components of the radar system were transported to the Lalmonirhat airbase by truck about two weeks ago. “Plans are underway to construct a concrete platform and a dedicated building for deploying the advanced radar, which is expected to significantly upgrade the existing, decades-old system currently operational at the airbase,” said an intelligence official.
The radar is being installed roughly 70 metres from the new hangar, next to a small concrete structure known locally as the wireless room. A source in the Indian intelligence agency said, “Over the past six months, several new residential complexes have also been developed within the airbase premises, further expanding its infrastructure footprint.”
Air defence radars play a central role in military surveillance, target acquisition and early threat detection. These systems typically include a transmitter, antennas, a receiver, a processor, and a command-and-control centre integrated with tracking and weapons-launch mechanisms.
Indian intelligence sources reported that construction of a large hangar capable of housing 10–12 fighter aircraft is nearing completion. The development comes after a three-member Indian Military Intelligence delegation, led by a major general, visited the Lalmonirhat and Thakurgaon airbases on 16 October, along with other defence-related sites in Nilphamari and Saidabad in Bangladesh’s Rangpur division.
Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman and a lieutenant general accompanied the Indian delegation during the inspection. Following the visit, work on the hangar was briefly halted but has since resumed, with the roof and bay walls now close to completion, according to Bangladesh security officials.
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Additional intelligence inputs indicate that Major General Abu Bakar Siddique Khan, heading Bangladesh’s Master General of Ordnance Branch, met a four-member delegation from China Vanguard Co. Ltd on 13 May. The discussions reportedly centred on acquiring HQ-17AE surface-to-air missiles, JSG radars and FK-3 medium-range surface-to-air missile systems.
“The JSG-400 TDR radar, part of China’s HQ-9BE missile defence system, is a modern fire-control radar designed for guiding interceptors against ballistic missiles. The system was first displayed publicly at the 2021 Zhuhai Airshow and has been associated with the CASIC defence manufacturing facility,” said an official of Bangladesh’s security agency.
The radar expansion at Lalmonirhat also follows Bangladesh’s recent induction of the GM 403-M long-range air surveillance radar systems developed by ThalesRaytheonSystems. On 18 June, the Bangladesh Air Force commissioned its second GM 403-M radar in Bogura, two months after deploying the first system with the 71st Squadron in Dhaka’s Mirpur.
The GM 403-M is a fully digital, state-of-the-art 3D radar capable of tracking a wide range of targets, from low-flying tactical aircraft to small drones. The system can be integrated into a broader air defence network, is remotely operable and offers detection accuracy up to 50 metres.
The ongoing modernisation of the Lalmonirhat airbase has triggered heightened strategic concern in Indian security circles because of its proximity to the narrow Siliguri Corridor, the crucial land link between mainland India and the northeastern states.
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