Bangladesh’s potential purchase of a Sino-Pakistani fighter jet could raise tensions in India’s sensitive northeast, as relations between Dhaka and New Delhi remain tense, analysts said.

Fighter jet simulators replicate the experience of flying an aircraft and are used to train pilots in combat tactics and systems management.

Jointly developed by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, the fighter is one of the main combat aircraft operated by the Pakistan Air Force and has also been exported to Azerbaijan, Myanmar and Nigeria.

Pakistan’s reported transfer of the simulator follows a meeting between the two countries’ air force chiefs in Islamabad in January which included “detailed discussions” on potential procurement of the jet, according to the Pakistani military.

If confirmed, the purchase would boost Dhaka’s air combat capabilities, replacing its ageing Russian-made MiG-29s and Chinese-made F-7s, also known as J-7s.