By Skandha Gunasekara The Sri Lanka Army is manufacturing what are known as “blue guns” for training purposes, The Morning learnt. Army Media Spokesman Brigadier Chandana Wickremesinghe told The Morning that blue guns are meant to be used only during training. "These guns are to be used for training by the special forces. They are durable but are not the same as the genuine weapon, so any damage to it would not be costly," he said. Meanwhile, Army Research and Development Centre Director General Maj. Gen. Renuka Rowel said that these guns were merely props and could not be fired. "They are made of cheap fibre and cannot be fired with live rounds. They are being manufactured for the special forces to use during training and skills development. They are useful because they are the same size and weight as an actual weapon but are cheap and durable," he explained. He noted that these guns are internationally known as blue guns. "They are painted blue so that anyone knows that these are training guns and not actual weapons," he said, noting that the manufacturing of these guns had commenced two months ago.