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Sri Lanka The Air Force
The Sri Lankan Air Force is the youngest of the three armed
services. Founded in 1951 as the Royal Ceylon Air Force, it
relied totally on the British Royal Air Force for its earliest
equipment, training, and leadership. The service was led by a
force commander and its operational headquarters were located in
Ratmalana, south of Colombo. The air force operates major air
bases at Katunayaka in Colombo District and China Bay
(Trincomalee), with a secondary base in Jaffna.
In 1988 the air force was divided into four functionally
defined squadrons, with a variety of support units: Number One
(Flight Training School) Squadron, China Bay Air Base; Number Two
(Transport) Squadron, Katunayaka Air Base; Number Three
(Navigation) Squadron, China Bay Air Base; and Number Four
(Helicopter) Squadron, Katunayaka Air Base. Support units
included an electronic engineering division, an aeronautical
division, and administrative, operations, medical, logistics, and
procurement units. In addition, the force operated two
antiaircraft gun battery sections and a small Air Force Security
Force.
In its early years, the air force was engaged primarily in
immigration patrol, with occasional assistance in emergency
relief. During the insurgency of 1971, the air force played a
major role in restoring internal order; in addition to providing
transport of ammunition, food, and troops, it participated in
assaults against insurgent strongholds. Following the ethnic
rioting of 1983, the air force was placed on permanent active
status and participated in counterinsurgent activities in
Northern Province. 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.
Under the auspices of the British Royal Air Force, flight
training was first offered to Ceylon Air Force pilots at
Katunayaka Air Base in 1952. In addition, a number of recruits
received flight training at the Royal Air Force college in
Cranwell, England. After the British withdrew from Sri Lankan
military facilities in 1967, the Number One (Flight Training
School) Squadron was established at the China Bay Air Base in
Trincomalee. With the increase in insurgent activities in the
mid-1980s, the air force stepped up its training activities,
bringing in foreign pilots to assist in the helicopter training
program.
Officer training is provided at the Air Force Academy at the
China Bay Air Base. The academy offers a two-year program of
basic flight training and a variety of specialized courses. Air
traffic controllers receive schooling at special facilities in
Colombo, and weapons familiarity training is conducted in
conjunction with the other services at the Army Training Centre
in Diyatalawa. In addition, approximately twenty-five officers a
year receive advanced training abroad, most commonly in Britain
and India.
Data as of October 1988
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