A Sky Unfulfilled: How Bangladesh’s Air Power Strategy Endangers Its Own Capital

31 July 2025

It takes a special kind of national dysfunction to station fighter jets in the middle of a megacity—and call it “strategic deterrence.” But that’s exactly what Bangladesh has done. The tragic crash on July 21, 2025, when a training jet plunged into Milestone School in Uttara, killing over 30 children and maiming dozens more, wasn't a mere accident. It was the end result of years of arrogant doctrine, institutional laziness, and a military strategy that confuses noise for capability.

We are not defending the skies over Dhaka. We are endangering them.

Kurmitola’s Illusion of Safety

Let’s get one thing out of the way: yes, Kurmitola Air Base (aka Bir Uttam AK Khandaker base) has its own military runway, separate from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. This fact is often cited as a justification for its location, an attempt to soothe concerns about safety. But the mere presence of a dedicated runway does not make it safe.

Because Dhaka’s airspace is shared. Fighter jets don’t teleport. They fly over schools, mosques, offices, markets—entire vertical neighborhoods—during takeoff, training, and landing. The aircraft that crashed in Uttara was on a training mission. A first solo flight. And it flew directly over one of the most densely populated capitals on the planet. What kind of doctrine thinks that’s okay?

Kurmitola isn’t some hardened underground bunker. It’s a visible, fixed, easy-to-target airbase that sits right in the middle of our capital’s economic, civilian, and government core. In wartime, it’s not a defense asset—it’s a damn bullseye.

In a Real War, This Base Gets Hit First

Any adversary with a functioning drone or satellite knows exactly what to target: the hangars, the fuel depots, the command towers—all crammed between schools and hospitals.

And let's not delude ourselves: our neighbor to the east, Myanmar, despite its internal turmoil, has been actively modernizing its military intelligence capabilities. Reports indicate their increasing reliance on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for surveillance and strike, alongside growing access to advanced satellite imagery analysis, including a joint center with Russia. Given their strategic focus on the border region and documented military presence there, it is a near certainty that they already possess detailed strategic plans, high-resolution imagery, and precise coordinates for every key installation within Bangladesh, including our "strategic" airbase in Kurmitola. The vulnerability of our capital is not a secret; it's an open book to anyone looking for targets. That alone should keep us up at night.

What happens when the enemy attacks first? A precision strike on Kurmitola’s single runway would immediately cripple our air defense. Worse, given its proximity, Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport would almost certainly become a collateral casualty, ceasing all air travel and isolating Dhaka. This isn't merely about destroying military assets; it's about turning a tactical strike into a catastrophic urban disaster, engulfing the surrounding neighborhoods where millions live, work, and sleep.

This isn’t speculation. It’s textbook military logic. You always strike your enemy’s offensive air capability first. And we’ve gift-wrapped ours inside Dhaka’s heart. One lucky missile, one successful air incursion, and you’ve got a fireball in Cantonment that paralyzes the entire city—politically, economically, logistically.

Tell me again: who benefits from this “strategy”?

Millions for Jashore, but We Train Over Dhaka?

Here’s the part that should make every citizen livid: Bangladesh spent millions building a state-of-the-art air force training academy in Jashore. Dedicated runways. Simulators. Isolated airspace. Built for this very purpose—to train rookie pilots in low-risk, controlled conditions.

So what the hell was a first-time cadet doing flying solo over Uttara? Let me say that again: the pilot who crashed into Milestone School was on their first solo flight. Not over empty fields. Not over the training skies of Jashore. Over the lungs of Dhaka.

This isn’t just a procedural lapse. This is willful negligence dressed in ceremonial uniform. We built Jashore, then ignored it. Why? Because of command vanity. Because brass likes to stay close to HQ. Because nobody had the spine to challenge the tradition of “training near the capital.” We sent a child pilot over a city of 20 million—and dozens of real children died. That’s not defense. That’s manslaughter by doctrine.

Forces Goal 2030: A Case Study in Optical Illusion

For 16 years, the military has waved around “Forces Goal 2030” like a holy book. Billions allocated. Crores spent. PR events thrown. But here’s what we haven’t gotten:

 * No true multirole fighters (MiG-29s are Cold War fossils).

 * No drone defense doctrine.

 * No satellite surveillance.

 * No integrated command structure with the Navy or Army.

 * No digital air defense grid.

Meanwhile, Myanmar, with a GDP a third of ours and a country in chaos, has leapfrogged us in indigenous UAVs, real-time strike capabilities, and defense tech integration. They’re building and deploying. We’re recycling and rehearsing. We didn’t build an air force. We built a museum.

Kurmitola Isn’t Sacred. It’s Suicidal. Learn from Singapore.

There’s no logical reason fighter jets should take off from inside the capital in 2025. This isn’t 1971. We are not fighting guerrillas. We’re preparing for modern threats—cyberwarfare, drones, surgical air strikes.

Consider Singapore, a nation even more densely populated than Bangladesh. Recognising the inherent risks and the need for future urban development, Singapore made the strategic, proactive decision to relocate its Paya Lebar Air Base. This ambitious, multi-decade plan, initiated years ago, is moving flight operations away from residential areas to dedicated, expanded facilities. Not only does this enhance safety for its citizens and bolster strategic defense, but it also frees up vast tracts of land for future civilian use, demonstrating true foresight and integrated national planning.

Kurmitola should be decommissioned as a combat airbase and repurposed as:

 * A helicopter command hub

 * An unmanned aerial logistics node

 * A ceremonial or VIP-only base (at best)

Fighter and training squadrons must be relocated to places like Jashore, Lalmonirhat, or Comilla—areas with airspace, distance, and survivability.

Because if your frontline squadrons are stationed where the prime minister, the parliament, and a million civilians sleep at night, you’re not defending your capital. You’re sacrificing it.

This Must Be the Last Crash of Its Kind

If Milestone’s tragedy doesn’t shake us out of this delusion, then we are unfit to govern, to plan, or to defend. We owe the families more than condolences. We owe them a new doctrine—one that puts civilian life ahead of brass ego.

The sky over Dhaka isn’t a theater for air shows. It’s a fragile ceiling over millions of lives. And it has become a mirror, reflecting not our strength—but our decay.

Move the jets. Close Kurmitola. Or prepare for more funerals.