• US and Pakistan provide in us helicopters and trainers

The Sri Lanka Air Force will continue to improve its operational capacity this year, with the long felt need to sustain the segments of the training fleet being addressed, it is leant.

The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) was struggling to sustain helicopter pilot basic training, with its aging fleet of Bell-206 Jet Rangers of No.07 Squadron, gradually depleting. However, following a discussion between Sri Lanka and the United States, the US Government will provide eight surplus TH-57 (US Navy designation for Bell-206) airframes to the SLAF within the first quarter of 2025, the SLAF spokesperson Group Captain Eranda Geeganage said.

It is learnt that the United States has offered the eight TH-57 helicopters on gratis basis with two additional airframes offered to Sri Lanka for use as spare parts for the operational helicopters.  

Meanwhile, the urgent need of the SLAF to induct an airworthy FT-7 jet trainer to sustain pilot training and conversions for the F-7BS/GS fleet of No.05 Squadron, has been remedied following, discussion between the Commander of the Air Force Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa and senior officials of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in October last year, with the PAF agreeing to donate an overhauled FT-7 Jet trainer to the SLAF free of charge. The Jet trainer is expected to arrive in Sri Lanka by the end January.

The SLAF is also planning to update its antiquated air defence system and acquire Counter–Unmanned Systems (drones) CUAS in the near future, SLAF Commander Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa said yesterday (1).