Sri Lanka Air Force - Modernization
The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) is famous for alleged corruption cases though none of those cases was ended finding justice to stop recurrence through due process of the common law. Some companies tried to make arms deals with Russian companies, but many of those deals were highly corrupt and had to be withdrawn due to public protest.
Because of a severe shortage of hard currency for military expenditures in the wake of the 1971 uprising, the Number Four (Helicopter) Squadron began operating commercial transportation services for foreign tourists under the name of Helitours. In 1987 the air force had a total strength of 3,700 personnel, including active reserves. The force had grown gradually during its early years, reaching a little over 1,000 officers and recruits in the 1960s. Rapid growth began in the mid-1980s, when the ethnic disturbances drew the service into a major, long-term security role. Between 1983 and 1987, the force grew by nearly 50 percent.
The air force had a fleet of approximately eighty aircraft, of which sixty-four were reported to be operational in early 1988. The earliest aircraft--small transport airplanes and trainers--were provided by the British and were supplemented in the late 1960s with United States Bell helicopters. During the 1971 insurgency, the left-leaning Bandaranaike government turned to the Soviet Union for more sophisticated weaponry, and received five MiG-17 F fighter bombers, a MiG-15UTI Midget trainer, and two Ka-26 helicopters. The British also assisted with five BAC Jet Provosts. By the early 1980s, the Provosts and all of the Soviet aircraft had been taken out of active service and were relegated to long-term storage, leaving the air force without any bomber capability.
After the 1983 riots, the government worked rapidly to expand the inventory, relying largely on sources in Italy, Britain, and the United States. Because of tight budget constraints, the air force was compelled to refit a number of noncombat aircraft for military uses in counterinsurgency operations against Tamil separatists. Central in the government's security efforts were six SIAI-Marchetti SF-260 turboprop trainers which were used for rocket attacks and strafing.
Additionally, the air force, with the help of Heli Orient of Singapore, equipped twelve Bell 212 and 412 helicopters to serve as gunships and as transport vehicles for commando assault operations. Government forces reportedly also used helicopters on "bombing" missions; frequently operating without conventional bombs, air force troops reportedly dropped hand grenades stuffed in wine glasses so that the lever would not be released until the glass shattered on the ground. A more effective bombing capability was provided by a small fleet of Chinese Yun-12 turboprop transport aircraft. These were equipped with bomb racks that had been fitted to carry up to 1,000 kilograms of fragmentation and antipersonnel bombs. Transport, training, and surveying functions were carried out by a variety of Cessna and DeHavilland aircraft.
As in the other services, a shortage of spare parts plagued maintenance efforts, forcing the service to send a number of aircraft to Singapore and elsewhere for repairs. After the purchase of equipment from Canada in 1986, the air force gained the capability to make structural repairs on its fleet of Bell helicopters, several of which had been damaged in operations against the Tamil insurgents. Maintenance of electronic equipment was performed at the communications station at Ekala, in the north of Colombo District.
On 14 March 2007, former Minister of Port Development, Sripathi Sooriyarachchi, and Sripathi's mentor and former Foreign Minister, Mangala Samaraweena, leveled fresh charges of corruption against the administration, claiming that the President's brother, Defense Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa, received kickbacks of about 600 million Rupees (approximately 6 million U.S. dollars) on a recent purchase of MiG 27 fighter jets from Ukraine. The government denied the allegations and accused Sripathi and Mangala of harboring terrorist sympathies and attempting to embolden the LTTE with their muckraking.
On 03 September 2007 defense Correspondent Iqbal Athas temporarily left Sri Lanka with his family following a barrage of threats and intimidation apparently orchestrated by the Government of Sri Lanka (GSL). On 12 August 2007, he wrote an article for the Sunday Times about the Ukrainian Government's inquiry into "irregularities" in the sale of four MIG-27 aircraft to Sri Lanka. In his article, he noted that the third-party facilitating company, Bellimissa Holdings, seemed to exist only on paper, while the government claimed the deal was handled directly between the two states. Athas published extensive details on the transaction, even reprinting the letter of credit issued by a government-owned bank for the planes.
On August 14, a Sinhala version of the article was published in a local paper. Subsequently, demonstrators gathered to protest in front of his house, a man claiming to be a retired Air Force officer threatened to kill his translator, and he has received warnings that he may be kidnapped and questioned about his sources. Athas's situation has received extensive coverage in both local and international media. One of Athas's employers, CNN, and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have championed his case.
Corruption continued to be a widespread problem in Colombo. Government officials are widely understood to be involved in taking bribes while also inhibiting corruption and bribery cases against political allies. For example, when the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption (Bribery Commission) was moving forward earlier this year with an investigation into the government's shady purchase of MIG-27 aircraft from Ukraine, the President removed the Director General of the Commission, "transferring" him to the President's Secretariat. As the DG was the only individual within the Bribery Commission authorized to sign indictment charges, Rajapakse effectively stopped the ability of the Commission to operate.
Since 2007, the Sri Lanka Air Force has been planning to increase its interceptor capability with the acquisition of Mikoyan MiG-29s from Russia. Also according to the June 2009 issue of Airforces Monthly the aging Kfir may also be retired in the future with the winding down of combat operations. The favoured replacement will be the MiG-29- despite rumors, none have yet been inducted into the air force. However, with the end of the civil war, the SLAF has changed its priorities and has set a long-term goal of modernizing its aircraft and developing its air defence capability. There have been claims that SLAF was looking for a replacement for its Kfirs and MiG-27s.
In 2013 Pakistan offered the PAC JF-17 Thunder aircraft to several countries including Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka will become the first foreign country to acquire the JF-17 Thunder / FC-1 Xiaolong "Fierce Dragon". According to reports, the order will be for around 18-24 aircraft, confirming claims made at the 51st Paris Air Show in June 2015 that the first contract for the sale of the JF-17 had been signed with "an Asian country." The Pakistan Air Force announced that they will begin delivery of the JF-17 to Sri Lanka from 2017, adding that its Pakistani and Chinese developers will continue efforts to promote the aircraft to other countries.
The Sri Lankan government had previously been looking at the Chinese-Pakistani JF-17, however,this was met with protest by India who in turn suggested a procurement of its own development, the LCA Tejas. In mid 2016 Sri Lankan Government gave the green light to a program to procure multirole combat aircraft. The program, featuring the acquisition of between 8–12 aircraft, would be pursued through a government-government basic agreement. In December 2016 Sri Lanka Prime minister Ranil Wickramasinghe said Sri Lanka received offers from China, India, Sweden and Russia and they are still in progress to take final decision.
Colombo was interested in purchasing six ex-Indian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30K fighter aircraft that had been grounded in Belarus. Negotiations were held 2-4 November 2016 between company representatives of Lanka Logistics and Technologies Limited, fully owned by the Government of Sri Lanka, and Russia’s Irkut Corporation at 558 Aircraft Repair Plant, in Baranovichi, Belarus. Moscow had already sold 12 former Indian jets to Angola, and is reportedly waiting to sell 6 to Sir Lanka.
The SLAF hoped to expand its maritime patrols with long-range aircraft suited for the purpose, and re-establish No. 3 Maritime Squadron, to this end it is looking at procurement of a dedicated maritime patrol aircraft, with attention given the possibility of acquiring the Lockheed P-3 Orion with assistance from Japan. It has developed its own R&D program to develop UAVs. In 2018 it has planned to purchase new UAVs at a cost of Rs 6.2 billion. India is looking to transfer a single Do228 reconnaissance aircraft.
The SLAF has been considering increasing its fleet of helicopter transports with new purchases of 10-14 Mi-171SH, 2 Bell 412s and 2 Bell 206s. These are intended for flight training, VIP transport and overseas deployments for UN peace keeping operations. By mid-2018 the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) had ambitions to acquire helicopters and UAVs worth up to LKR64.8 billion ($415 million). The helicopter wish list includes Russian utility platforms, trainers and VVIP rotorcraft. The MoD was expected to reconvene a technical evaluation committee to work through the proposal, which includes ten Mi-171Sh utility helicopters. To fund the purchase, Colombo would make use of a $300 million credit line from Russia. These funds, which had lapsed in 2015, had been renewed by Russia to entice Sri Lanka into ordering a Gepard 5.1 frigate.
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in June 2021 signed a contract, worth USD $50 million with Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defense to upgrade Kfir aircraft for the Sri Lankan Air Force. The deal includes replacing the aircraft's basic avionics with the advanced 4+ generation fighter aircraft avionics in order to one day integrate advanced radar, sensors, communication systems, and new helmets. The upgrade process will also include transfer of knowledge and skills for refurbishment to Sri Lankan Air Force personnel. The upgrades will be completed in cooperation with Sri Lanka's Air Force and in their local facilities.
The Kfir, when first developed, was a game-changer on the battlefield with its ability to carry heavy ammunition and reach enemy targets in a precise manner. The decision to upgrade the aircraft now, was based in part, on the successful completion of this process in the Columbian Air Force. In 2012 and 2018, the Columbian Air Force's Kfir fleet participated in the United States Red Flag exercise, alongside the U.S. Air Force and other air forces. The Kfir displayed exceptional capabilities throughout the exercise, unsurpassed by the F-15, F-16 and other participating aircraft.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
