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A dangerous new flashpoint is emerging in South Asia as Turkish-origin Bayraktar TB2 drones—already used by Pakistan in the recent military operations against India—have now surfaced in Bangladesh. The development is raising serious alarm within Indian defence and intelligence establishments, heightening concerns of coordinated drone-enabled surveillance and strike threats along India’s eastern frontier.
From Pakistan to Bangladesh: Türkiye’s UAV Footprint Expands
Indian security agencies first detected Turkish-made drones near the India-Bangladesh border in December 2024. Now, multiple intelligence inputs confirm that these drones—specifically Bayraktar TB2s, known for their long-range ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) and strike capabilities—are being operated from bases in Bangladesh’s Sylhet region.
What’s more concerning, recent shipments of these UAVs reportedly arrived aboard vessels cloaked as humanitarian missions linked to the controversial Chittagong–Rakhine Corridor. Presented initially as a relief route for Rohingya populations in Myanmar, the corridor has sparked political turbulence within Bangladesh and suspicion in Indian security circles.
Also Read: Concerns Over Bangladesh’s Use of Turkish Drones Near Indian Border
Civil-Military Rift in Dhaka: ‘Bloody Corridor’ or Trojan Horse?
The unfolding drone deployment comes against the backdrop of growing tensions between Bangladesh’s military and its interim civilian leadership. Bangladesh Army Chief General Waqar Uz Zaman has denounced the Chittagong–Rakhine Corridor as a potential security nightmare, warning that it may serve as a conduit for foreign—particularly Pakistani—intelligence activity.
As BharatShakti earlier reported, the General’s public rebuke of interim Prime Minister Mohammad Yunus underscores a deepening rift within Bangladesh’s power structure. Sources suggest that the drone transfer, backed by Türkiye and possibly facilitated by Pakistan’s military intelligence complex, may be part of a broader trilateral alignment now challenging Indian interests from the east.
Also Read: Is A Change of Government Imminent in Bangladesh?
Drone Sorties Near India’s Chicken’s Neck Spark Panic
Indian defence officials have confirmed intensified drone activity along the border states of Meghalaya, Assam, and West Bengal. Some Bayraktar TB2s are reportedly conducting surveillance sorties lasting over 20 hours, indicating high-altitude monitoring of critical Indian military infrastructure—including the strategically vulnerable Siliguri Corridor, also known as the Chicken’s Neck.
This narrow stretch of land connects India’s northeast to the rest of the country, and its surveillance by hostile UAVs suggests a probing of India’s most sensitive logistical lifeline.
India’s Military on Alert: East Now a Live Theatre
Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi recently sounded the alarm over potential Pakistani intelligence presence in Bangladesh. With the eastern theatre heating up, the Indian Air Force and the Border Security Force (BSF) have increased aerial and electronic surveillance, including the use of UAV jammers and radar systems, across key sectors.
The December 2024 drone sighting near Sohra and Shella in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills was the first visible sign of the evolving threat. It now appears that this was not an isolated incident but the opening move of a sustained intelligence operation using Turkish drones.
Bayraktar TB2: The Drone That Redefined Modern Warfare
Produced by Baykar Technologies, the Bayraktar TB2 has already proven its battlefield prowess in Ukraine, Syria, Libya, and Nagorno-Karabakh. Its use in South Asia marks a significant expansion of Türkiye’s military influence and a strategic shift in drone warfare, where third-party nations are enabling regional players to extend power projection capabilities without direct engagement.
Security experts caution that Bangladesh’s emerging role as a drone launchpad may be less about its defence and more about facilitating coordinated surveillance—if not future strike operations—by an informal axis involving Pakistan and Türkiye.
A New Axis of Instability?
India’s security calculus is undergoing a dramatic shift. For years, the threat from Pakistan has been largely Western-facing. The sudden appearance of Bayraktar TB2s in Bangladesh, supported by Türkiye and aligned with Pakistani operational doctrine, signals the emergence of a two-front UAV threat, with Dhaka potentially being drawn deeper into a regional strategic realignment.
Indian military now faces urgent decisions: how to counter this new drone-powered axis and whether the current eastern posture is sufficient to secure against increasingly high-tech, asymmetric threats. With drones that can loiter undetected for hours and strike with precision, the battle for South Asia’s skies may have already begun.
Huma Siddiqui
