Bangladesh Sets Aside Industrial Land for Defence Manufacturing

A dedicated defence industrial zone is planned at Mirsarai in Chattogram, signalling Bangladesh's intent to manufacture defence equipment domestically rather than import it.

Bangladesh Navy vessels at sea. Photo: Shadman Samee, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

By the UISC BD Editorial Desk · United Information Service Center · Published 9 September 2026 · 5-minute read

Bangladesh has announced plans for a defence industrial zone at Mirsarai, in Chattogram — a dedicated industrial area for manufacturing defence equipment domestically.

For a country that has historically imported the large majority of its military hardware, setting aside industrial land specifically for defence production is a notable shift in intent.

Why Mirsarai

The location is not incidental. Mirsarai sits inside the National Special Economic Zone, Bangladesh's largest industrial development, spanning close to 33,000 acres across Chattogram's Mirsarai and Sitakunda upazilas and Feni's Sonagazi upazila.

That gives a defence zone three things it needs: land at scale, proximity to Chattogram port for imported components and finished exports, and shared industrial infrastructure — power, water, road access and effluent treatment — already being built for neighbouring zones rather than duplicated from scratch.

The Industrial Base That Already Exists

Bangladesh is not starting from zero. The country already builds ships — including vessels delivered to European buyers, an achievement this publication has covered separately. Shipbuilding is one of the most demanding forms of heavy fabrication there is, involving precision welding, complex systems integration and international quality certification.

A country able to construct and export ocean-going vessels possesses much of the industrial competence that defence manufacturing requires. The Bangladesh Ordnance Factories have produced small arms and ammunition for decades, and the armed forces operate substantial maintenance and overhaul capability.

What has been missing is a concentrated industrial zone where those capabilities, foreign technology partners and private manufacturers can co-locate.

The Strategic Case

Bangladesh maintains armed forces of significant size, contributes among the largest contingents to United Nations peacekeeping anywhere in the world, and operates under a long-term modernisation framework. All of that equipment is currently bought abroad, in hard currency, on foreign delivery schedules.

Domestic production changes three variables at once: it retains foreign exchange, it reduces dependence on external supply timelines, and it builds a skilled engineering workforce whose capabilities transfer readily into civilian heavy industry.

The export dimension is real but should not be overstated. Defence exports require decades of track record, certification and trust before a new entrant is taken seriously. The realistic near-term goal is import substitution — building at home what is currently purchased overseas.

A Sensible Note of Caution

This is an announced plan for a zone, not an operating industry. Defence manufacturing demands technology transfer agreements, quality systems, specialised skills and sustained capital, and the barriers are among the highest in industry. The distance between designating land and producing certified equipment is measured in years.

But the sequence has to start somewhere, and it typically starts exactly here: with land, location and a stated intention.

Sources

"Defence industrial zone to be set up in Mirsarai," The Daily Star — thedailystar.net
"National Special Economic Zone (NSEZ) Master Plan," Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority — beza.gov.bd

mirsarai defence zone (1)

Bangladesh Plans a Defence Industrial Zone at Mirsarai