Does anybody have updated info on Bangladesh's Mig-29s purchased in 1998? According to Scramble all the Fulcrums are grounded just wanted to know if this changed? Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina will stand trial on charges of receiving kickbacks in the purchase of Russian-built Mig-29 combat aircraft when she was in office in February 1999. Seems like a very poor country was Pakistan or another country threatening them, why the need for Fulcrums?

Story I found
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryP...to+stand+trial

Scramble link to their air force
http://www.scramble.nl/bd.htm

It always surprises me that governments buy these weapons yet can hold a begging bowl to feed it's people

Originally Posted by LeEnfield

It always surprises me that governments buy these weapons yet can hold a begging bowl to feed it's people

Thats what I wanted to tell. It always suprises me too .Good point.

In Africa their are countries that have bought Flankers and Fulcrums too instead of food or medical supplies. A good rule of thumb is double the cost of the aircraft price for a years operational cost. Western fighters because of their higher prices are closer to triple the cost of the aircraft. It's less if the jet stays in the hanger and is never used but overall semi modern fighters are big money items maintenance and up keep wise. In Scramble it listed that: Bangladesh is at the receiving end of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers where they pour into the Bay of Bengal. Fifty-four rivers flow into the country making it the largest deltaic region in the world. The disastrous river floods of 1987 and 1988 inundated 40 and 60% of the country, respectively.
I can't even imagine what 54 rivers look like running into a mid or small size country. I would think military wise an inner navy would be more helpful then Mig-29s. Can somebody tell me who might Bangladesh's enemies be just so understand the region a little better. Myanmar next store also bought Mig-29s and a bunch of older Chinese attack jets A-5, much of aren't flying because of poor construction. They seemed displeased with the Chinese made aircraft bought in the past. Thanks

Originally Posted by LeEnfield

It always surprises me that governments buy these weapons yet can hold a begging bowl to feed it's people

Cuba, Iran, Venezuela, Syria, North Korea, Burma, Sudan.... and countless other countries where people's lives aint matter. But weapons matter and therefore they waste their money on weapons.

I heard despite being a begging bowl by itself and keeping billions of its own population half hungry, half sanitized, and half educated India is buying Fulcrum, Sukui, Nukes, Missiles, PKAF etc. They even going for nuke powered subs whereas one sub could feed 1 million of its starving people for a year. What a shame...

Originally Posted by rock45

Seems like a very poor country was Pakistan or another country threatening them, why the need for Fulcrums?

Military power causes respect. The US recognized the former Soviet Republics that had Nukes before they recognized the others. Bangladesh is a Moslem country surrounded by a Hindu one.

Unless the MiGs come equipped with anti-Cyclone missiles then this was a waste of money.

Originally Posted by iajdani

I heard despite being a begging bowl by itself and keeping billions of its own population half hungry, half sanitized, and half educated India is buying Fulcrum, Sukui, Nukes, Missiles, PKAF etc. They even going for nuke powered subs whereas one sub could feed 1 million of its starving people for a year. What a shame...

Hi iajdani,

Every Country needs to Evaluate the threats to their country and decide how best they can spend money on public infracture and defence .... India spends less that 3% of it's total GDP on Defense which is moderate by most standard as compared to it's neighbors most of whome are standing above 4 to 5 % of their GDP.

We need to take into consideration the level of threats a country has , the point everyone was trying to make is at the moment Bangladesh has no knows Military threat . Where as if you compare that with India , Even a small delay in deference procurements in the past had triggers it's Neighbours Pakistan to attack sighting opportunity .

1 Sub cannot feed Millions , a Government cannot start throwing money towards the Poor .. .. Poverty eradication is a panefully slow process the only thing government can do is increase it's spending and invent in infracture projects that would create more jobs ....... Simply saying the 10 million spend on a Sub should have been distributed among the poor would not have helped a little bit ...... in the long run it would end up pretty much like Zimbabwe with 231 million per cent Inflation ...



And you would end up like this guy going to buy a Burger


iajdani You need to understand different countries have different aspirations and situations and most times can't be compared to each other .

Btw: You Dugg a 3 years old thread .. we all had buried this deep under


Peace
-=SF_13=-

Originally Posted by iajdani

I heard despite being a begging bowl by itself and keeping billions of its own population half hungry, half sanitized, and half educated India is buying Fulcrum, Sukui, Nukes, Missiles, PKAF etc. They even going for nuke powered subs whereas one sub could feed 1 million of its starving people for a year. What a shame...

Keeping 'billions' of its own people half hungry .......The world has 6 billion and india has 1.1 billion. Not sure if billions is the right word in ur statement. Millions is more accurate.
Anywayz, allow me to present you some statistics: only 4-5 percent of india's population pays taxes every year. Feeding all people based on that money alone is not feasible. Lets look at two scenarios,
1) India spends all its monies on feeding hungry people. India eradicates poverty. But then India would be the next tibet. It would fall to external threat. Invasion would be almost imminent with not enough deterrence. ever since her independence India has been under constant threat.
2) India prioritizes its goals spends enough on defense sector to avoid occupation and then sets out on a long journey to rise the poeple above poverty line. Eradicating such collosal amounts of poverty takes time. India is very well placed in terms of annual GDP. That would not have been achieved if the literacy and poverty statistics were on the similar proportions as they were some 50 years ago.
If like u said India was shameless in spending all its monies on defense alone, India would have had more equipment that what it currently has. she is making procurements to protect its frontier. If it was not for those unfriendly neighbours, she would have never brought such state of the art equipment. If anyone is to be pointed at, it should be failed state next to us and not us.