The Main Battle Tanks (
MBT-2000)
and the ARVs will be bought from China, and the helicopters
from France through government-to-government deals, which
were recently signed. According to the deals, the cost of
the tanks will be around Tk 1,201 crore, and the helicopters
Tk 174 crore. Besides, a process is on to buy 18 brand new
cannons.
The purchases would be done from the budgetary allocations
for the army, said government sources.
The government increased the allocation for the armed
forces to Tk 12,134 crore in the proposed budget for fiscal
2011-12 from Tk 10,918 crore in the current fiscal year.
"The tanks will be bought through a government to
government deal ensuring maximum transparency," Master
General of Ordnance (MGO) of Bangladesh Army Maj Gen Abdul
Matin told The Daily Star yesterday.
"The purchase is being done as a part of modernisation
of the Bangladesh Army," he said adding that the
tanks will be delivered in phases over a span of 27 months.
In the first phase 24 tanks will come within 20 months,
and the rest will come in the second phase over the next
7 months.
