The Pentagon notified Congress of a possible $180 million foreign military sale of four regenerated C-130E transports and associated parts, equipment, and training to Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has requested the sale of the four US Air Force baseline C-130Es, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s May 22 release. The United States would provide 20 Rolls-Royce T56AA engines for the aircraft as excess defense articles, states the release. The proposed sale would help the Bangladesh air force to modernize its aging transport fleet, it states. The BAF would use the C-130Es “to respond more capably to humanitarian-assistance and disaster-relief needs in the region and support Bangladesh’s significant contributions to United Nations peacekeeping operations, and support operations to counter violent extremist organizations,” states the release. The sale would also improve commonality and interoperability between the BAF and US Air Force, it states.
U.S. munitions have been expended at a high rate during Operation Epic Fury against Iran, prompting concerns that the Pentagon is eating into weapons stockpiles it needs to deter threats around the world. Yet the newly released $1.5 trillion defense budget request was developed before the war against Iran and…