DHAKA, Dec 10 (Reuters) - The Bangladesh Air Force has signed a letter of intent with Italy's Leonardo S.p.A to buy Eurofighter Typhoon multi-role combat aircraft as part of its modernisation plans.
"It was signed yesterday, and it is a preliminary step to begin discussions," an army official said.
The air force did not say how many of the jets - developed by Italy, Britain, Germany and Spain - it intends to buy.
The move comes as the Bangladesh interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is taking several major aviation decisions.
In July, it announced plans to buy 25 aircraft from Boeing to avoid a 35% import tariff proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. That raised questions about an earlier plan to buy 10 Airbus aircraft, a commitment made under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, but left uncertain after her ouster.
If finalised, the Typhoon deal would be Bangladesh's first major purchase of a Western-built fighter jet.
There is no official data for the number of aircraft in Bangladesh's air force. Defence analysts estimate the number at around 200, including nearly 50 fighter jets.
(Reporting by Ruma Paul and YP Rajesh; Editing by Mark Potter)
