Bangladesh is building a modern airbase near the Chicken Neck Corridor.

The Yunus government of Bangladesh is expanding the airbase on a large scale near the Indian border. Under this expansion, new hangars and jet parking and radar system are being prepared at Lalmonirhat airbase. This expansion is being done at a time when India’s diplomatic relations with the Yunus government are not going well.

According to Northeast Post, despite India’s prohibition, the Bangladesh government is expanding the Lalmonirhat airbase. In response, India has deployed military at 3 new places near the Bengal and Assam border.

Why is Bangladesh expanding?

However, Bangladesh Army is citing modernization of the army and its military bases as the reason behind this. Bangladesh Army chief Wakar-uz Zaman had recently talked about military modernization by 2030 in a meeting. For this, fresh efforts are being made in Bangladesh. New weapons are being purchased.

Bangladesh Army is expanding Lalmonirhat airbase as part of this exercise. This is the largest airbase of Bangladesh. There are total 9 airbases in Bangladesh. Most of the airbases date back to before the independence of Bangladesh.

What is the government doing at the airbase?

Under the airbase expansion plan, a new hangar is being constructed first. After this parking is being made. Where at least 10-12 fighter jets can be kept at a time. The radar system currently active on this base is quite old.

The government of Bangladesh is also going to change the radar system. The radar system that Bangladesh authorities are preparing to install at this airbase is China’s JSG-400 TDR radar system. Of all the weapons purchased by the Bangladesh government this year, 70 percent are Chinese.

Why is this important for India?

Lalmonirhat Air Base is located in Lalmonirhat district of Bangladesh, adjacent to Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar in West Bengal. This area is located near the sensitive Chicken Neck Corridor. This corridor connects North-East India with the rest of the countries. If the situation here worsens during war or crisis, supply lines and communication networks in Northeast India may be affected.

During his visit to China this year, Bangladesh’s interim advisor Mohammad Yunus had given a controversial statement on the Chicken Neck Corridor.