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Sun Explainer
F7 fighter jet: A legacy of crashes and controversy
Monday’s Dhaka crash is the fourth deadly accident involving an F-7 in Bangladesh, raising fresh questions over the ageing Chinese-made fighter jet’s safety record
Sayeed Al Mesbah, Dhaka
Published: 21 Jul 2025, 10:51 PM
Rescuers search through the wreckage of the F-7 jet that crashed into a school building in Dhaka on Monday, killing at least 21 and injuring over 171. | Photo: Kamrul Islam Ratan/Daily Sun
A Bangladesh Air Force F7 BGI training jet crashed at a Dhaka school premises on Monday, killing at least 20 and injuring over 170. It was the fourth time an F7 suffered a crash in the country causing casualties.
The F7 BGI aircraft is a licensed and upgraded version of the Russian made MiG-21, initially developed by China in 1970 with technical assistance from Russia. However, its production was officially discontinued in 2013. The F-7 is classified as a third-generation fighter jet.
According to Aerospace Global News (AGN), this type of jet is used worldwide for air defense, multi-role missions and pilot training. However, its accident rate is higher compared to other new generation fighter jets. The key reasons include an outdated airframe design, limited safety features, and the absence of modern flight control systems.
In April 2008, an F-7 training fighter jet crashed into the village of Pahadipara in Ghatail Upazilla of Tangail, killing Squadron Leader Morshed Hasan. The cause of the crash was suspected to be a technical fault.
In June 2015, an F-7MB (model 416) fighter jet crashed off the coast of the Bay of Bengal near Patenga, Chattogram. Pilot Tahmid Rumman went missing after the crash. The aircraft had taken off from the Bangladesh Air Force's Zahurul Haque Base and lost contact just minutes before crashing approximately six nautical miles from Patenga beach.
In November 2018, another F-7BG crashed during a training session in Madhupur, Tangail. The crash claimed the life of pilot Arif Ahmed. The aircraft had taken off from Dhaka and went down in the Rasulpur area of Madhupur, Tangail just 25 minutes into the flight, catching fire when it hit the ground.
According to reports by Dawn and the Anadolu Agency, three pilots were killed in Pakistan when this version of the jet crashed in November 2015 and January 2020. On 24 May 2022, Daily Sabah reported that two pilots were killed when an F-7 jet crashed in Isfahan, Iran.
According to War Thunder, the F-7 BGI is the most advanced and last version of the J-7 fighter jet, made in China and specially updated for the Bangladesh Air Force. It was bought as a temporary solution until a new modern fighter jet is added.
As of 2025, several countries continue to operate the ageing F-7 fighter jets, primarily for training and limited air defence roles. Nations such as Pakistan, Iran, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Sudan, North Korea, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe still maintain F-7 variants in active service.