UK Government Silent on Bangladesh Aircraft Sale Price
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The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has refused to disclose the financial details of its sale of five C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft to the Bangladesh Air Force, citing concerns that releasing such information could undermine future defense contracts and harm commercial interests. The decision came in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the London correspondent for the Bangladeshi newspaper *Prothom Alo*.
The MoD argued that publishing financial specifics would weaken the UK’s commercial standing in future defense deals and compromise the competitive advantage of its industry partners. While withholding pricing information, the ministry did confirm details regarding the aircraft themselves.
বিজ্ঞাপন
The five military transport planes, which served the British Royal Air Force (RAF) for 18 to 20 years, were transferred to Bangladesh between September 2018 and September 2019. This period coincided with the Awami League government in power in Bangladesh, which was ultimately unseated by a student-led mass uprising in 2024.
The sale was part of a broader RAF initiative to retire its older Hercules aircraft, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, as it began integrating next-generation Airbus A400M Atlas transport planes into its fleet. The Hercules aircraft were progressively withdrawn from active RAF service between 2017 and 2019.
বিজ্ঞাপন
According to the MoD’s response, two of the five aircraft were handed over to Bangladesh in September 2018, one in June 2019, and the remaining two in September 2019. The ministry also released the full RAF serial numbers for the aircraft: ZH-881, ZH-882, ZH-883, ZH-884, and ZH-887. These planes were originally inducted into the Royal Air Force fleet incrementally between 1999 and 2001.
The MoD maintained that the disclosure of financial values and detailed costs associated with the agreement falls under Section 43(2) of the UK’s Freedom of Information Act, which pertains to “commercial interests.” The ministry also stated that revealing specific information from contractors’ tender proposals could provide an unfair advantage to competitors in future bids, adhering to a long-standing policy against publishing such documents.
The Defence Equipment and Support division’s NADG Policy Secretariat, which responded to the FoI request, confirmed that it possesses detailed information on the contract value, sale price, refurbishment costs, training packages, spare parts, maintenance support, and other expenditures for the five aircraft but would not make it public.
Before deciding to keep the sale price confidential, the MoD conducted a “public interest test.” While acknowledging the general public interest in transparency, the ministry ultimately concluded that safeguarding commercial interests was paramount in this instance. The MoD also indicated it had no information regarding the involvement of UK Export Finance (UKEF) or any other government export support schemes in the deal.
The acquisition of these Super Hercules aircraft has bolstered the Bangladesh Air Force’s transport capabilities. The planes underwent refurbishment and modernization through the UK-based Marshall Aerospace at the time of purchase.
Despite the UK government’s reticence on pricing, defense analysts estimate that similarly refurbished C-130J aircraft could be valued between $25 million and $35 million each. Turkey, for instance, also acquired former RAF C-130J-30 Hercules aircraft in 2025. International aviation and defense media, including ‘The Aviationist,’ have reported that Turkey purchased a total of 12 such planes, with the entire program – encompassing transfers, structural development, training, maintenance capability transfer, and long-term support – estimated to cost approximately $740 million.
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