Defense Update Bangladesh

Bangladesh Navy officials inspected Leonardo AW101 helicopter for SWADS operations. AW101 is one of the most efficient and widely used helicopter. There are dozens of variants but Bangladesh Navy will order the latest version. Initially order will be placed for two, and then additional two. This chopper can be armed for the ASW missions too.

Bangladesh Armed Forces participated in the EFES-2018 international military exercise organized by the Turkish Military. This time more than 24 countries attended the live fire massive war game. Most of the Muslim countries and other NATO allies included in the combined exercise. Bangladesh Army Paracommando Battalion and Bangladesh Navy SWADS were the participating units. Turkish Navy SAS-SAT helped to form and train Bangladesh Navy special force SWADS. There are very long-history between these two brotherly nation from the Ottoman era.  Turkey recently unequivocally supported Dhaka’s stance on Rohingya issues. Ankara provided financial and other support to Bangladesh to handle huge influx of Rohingya peoples fled from myanmar military’s genocide. According to the sources there are more bilateral military programs going to be help between Bangladesh and Turkey in the coming years.  The form the cooperation between them will be in the military technological sector...

There are one prominent naval special operations force in Bangladesh Navy which is called Special Warfare Diving and Salvage (SWADS). Besides, there are two other Spec Ops units also, called Special Boat Service and ODD-71. SWADS are the main naval special warfare branch of Bangladesh Navy.  SWADS been formed under supervision of the U.S. Navy SEALs and accordingly. SWADS’s training as same as Navy SEALs. Their weapons and other gears are also in line with the U.S. SEALs. Bangladesh Navy send their SWADS trainees to the Turkey, South Korea too for training along with U.S. Navy’s Coronado Naval Special Warfare Training Center.  The SWADS are operating in home and abroad to attain the national security goals of Bangladesh. Current strength around 1000-1500 operators. Average drop rate is 95%. Only strong and capable are remains. SWADS can operate almost all types of the weapons available. They’re like shark in the seas, eagle in the skies and leopards in the lands. They...

Bangladesh Navy deployed its SWADS in South Sudan in a United Nations Peace Keeping Mission.  Special Warfare Diving And Salvage (SWADS) or the Bangladesh Navy SEAL/UDT is a special warfare branch. UN maintaining some peacekeeping mission in S. Sudan as their promise to bring and maintain stability in the country for better humanitarian situation. Bangladesh has provided a unit of SWADS to the Force Riverine Unit (FRU). It has present in there from 2005.

Special Warfare Diving And Salvage (SWADS) is the elite commando unit of Bangladesh Navy. SWADS receives various training from USA, South Korea & Turkey. SWADS operating dozens of special warfare small arms, assault rifles, sniper weapons systems, grenade launchers etc. Every SWADS member have to get trained almost all those weapons.  Here is a short list of the weapons SWADS members operating currently: Colt M4A1 SOPMOD: primary weapon of SWADS Daewoo K2 assault rifle Type 56 assault rifle BD-08 assault rifle M24 Sniper Weapon System Heckler & Koch HK416 Squad automatic weapon M16 assault rifle M203 grenade launcher MK 19 automatic grenade launcher Heckler & Koch MP5 9mm submachine gun Close Quarter Battle Receiver (CQBR) Carbine, used by SEAL operatives only; Accuracy International AS50 Sniper Weapon System Besides these there are some other arms too SWADS can operate if needed. Bangladesh Navy (BN) SWADS ...

Bangladesh Navy started to form its special warfare team SWADS (Special Warfare Diving And Salvage) in later of the last decade with the direct help of U.S. Navy SEALs. The then U.S. Ambassador Dan Mozena actively helped a lot. Formation and training process started in 2008 by the USN SEALs and in 2009 raising of the SWADS team has been announced with 150 naval commandos and 200 divers. Since then the SWADS teams growing. Screening and training processes are as US Navy Naval Special Warfare Center’s guidelines. Besides United States, Turkey & South Korea also assisting Bangladesh Navy in training of SWADS members. SWADS’ main tasks are special reconnaissance, direct action, foreign internal defense & unconventional warfare; meanwhile anti-piracy, counter insurgency, counter narcotics, counter terrorism. Covert insertions/extractions. Hostage rescue and personnel recovery. Hydro-graphic reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, raid & underwater demolition jobs also...