Bangladesh is running a multi-role guided missile frigate procurement program as part of its navy’s needs.

An article about the frigate program was featured on the Bangladesh-based website defseca.com, which broadcasts in the field of defense, security and aviation.

In the article titled “Bangladesh Navy Nears to Completion of its Billion-Dollar Frigate Program”, it has been pointed out that the country, which previously bought new corvettes from China and installed new radars on its old frigates, is looking for a modern frigate that can be used in both conventional naval combat and anti-air, anti-submarine warfare missions.

According to the news, the UK, France, China, the Netherlands, Italy, India, the Republic of Korea and the Netherlands initially submitted bids for the project.

In the evaluation, the proposals of the Netherlands, China and Italy were found worthy of consideration.

China, through its own shipbuilding company China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Co Ltd Company (CSOC), has offered to build the Type-054 guided missile frigate for 378 million US Dollars per unit in exchange for acquiring a majority stake in the Bangladesh navy’s Chattogram Dry Dock Ltd (CDDL) Shipyard.

The offer was rejected because of the high cost and reservations about the shipyard’s ownership.

The Netherlands’ offer was rejected due to the fact that the displacement of the frigate was not sufficient and Italy’s offer was rejected as it was over the budget allocated for the project.

When evaluated in terms of various criterias, the İ-class frigates, of which STM is the main contractor, were shown as the most suitable ship that Bangladesh could procure.

In the news, it was pointed out that the İ-Class frigate built by Turkey is a multi-role guided missile frigate with a displacement of 3000 tons, with traditional surface, air defense, anti-submarine and electronic warfare capabilities, using a number of modern sensors and weapons.

The news also informed readers about the various systems to be used on the ship. It was noted that for the construction of 6 guided missile frigates, it would be necessary to sign a supply contract between the Bangladesh and the Turkish government within the scope of technical and financial needs.

According to the information in the news, Bangladesh wants at least three or four frigates to be built in its country, and it may be necessary to increase the budget for this purpose.

It is estimated that the total cost for 6 frigates will not be less than 3 billion US dollars.

Bangladesh is expected to make its decision on this issue shortly.