• SLAF’ KingAir 350 has flown over 100 missions and clocked over 400 hours in the line of duty
• Australian Defence Forces – IPE 2025 partnership was in Sri Lanka this month to further corporation and collaboration
• Sri Lanka Air Force – No. 03 Squadron is using the Aussie donated King Air 350 maritime patrol aircraft effectively: Sqdn. Ldr. Canfield, RAAF

September was a key month in the regional security calendar this year, with Sri Lanka hosting both the Australian Indo-Pacific Endeavour (IPE) 2025 and the US-led – Exercise Pacific Angel 2025 multinational engagements held in the island. 

Such bilateral and multilateral defence engagements are important for small coastal states like Sri Lanka to capacity build, test competencies and to collaborate with regional and extra-regional friends to respond to the many challenges all nations face in dealing with evolving security challenges and humanitarian needs. 

Commander IPE 2025, Brigadier Jennifer Harris, CSC said: “Australia and Sri Lanka have a common interest in an open, stable and prosperous Indian Ocean region (IOR),” adding that: “Since its establishment in 2017, IPE has evolved into a programme that is flexible, tailored, and nuanced in how we engage our regional partners. IPE25 is not just about military cooperation – it’s about building lasting connections through training, cultural exchange, and shared experiences.” Australian personnel also engaged with Sri Lanka Army and Navy elements during IPE2025. 

The Daily Morning caught up with Squadron Leader Glenn Canfield of No. 32 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) based in the Gippsland region in Victoria, who was in Sri Lanka as part of the IPE2025 team. Canfield, a veteran pilot and instructor was tasked with ferrying a BeechCraft KingAir 350 maritime patrol aircraft from Australia to Sri Lanka last year. 

The aircraft was donated to Sri Lanka by the Australian Government and is now an important asset assigned to the Sri Lanka Air Force’s No.03 Maritime Squadron in China Bay, Trincomalee. The aircraft, along with other platforms and naval assets form a key pillar for Sri Lanka’s maritime security architecture, and helps the government to be better aware of what's happening in our oceans, and to respond to emergencies or carry out enforcement of our laws.

Following are excerpts from the interview:

How long have you been in the Royal Australian Air Force? Tell us a bit about yourself.

It is coming on 32 years. I joined back in 1994, and did the pilots course in 1997. I’ve been flying since then. I am a qualified flying instructor (QFI) with No.32 Squadron, RAAF. I teach student pilots how to fly the BeechCraft King Air aircraft. I have been with 32 Squadron now just over 10 years, that’s just over 3500 hours (flying) on the King Air. I have just over 9000 hours flying in total with most of that being in a training role. I actually started my career in the Royal Australian Navy, flying helicopters for about 12 years, and later transferred to the RAAF. In Australia, you can transfer between services depending on the needs of the Australian Defence Forces (ADF). We get to request a change. This also helps with flow of knowledge and expertise, which helps all branches benefit from each other’s experience. At No 32 Squadron, we also have student pilots from Papua New Guinea and the Irish Air Corp training with us. We have had many nations join us for their training requirements.  

How does it feel to be back in Colombo and witness the aircraft you delivered last year in action?

It is an amazing feeling. I had the privilege of being tasked to ferry the King Air 350 to Sri Lanka from Australia in October 2024. It is good to meet the crew that is flying the aircraft and to be part of the IPE 2025.

Can you describe the route taken to fly the aircraft from Australia to Sri Lanka, it may have taken days?

Our journey took us up through Broome – far northwest of Australia, up through Bali to Penang – to Butterworth in Malaysia, and back through Banda Ache and across the Indian Ocean to Sri Lanka. The ferry mission took us more than five days to deliver the aircraft to Sri Lanka. My crew consisted of three, another pilot, an engineer and myself. The engineer is part of the team that returns to Sri Lanka to help service the aircraft.

It was an exciting journey. For me it was the first time transiting the Indian Ocean on the platform. It was also the first time for me to fly into Banda Ache, a lovely place. Then we made the jump across the Indian Ocean, which took about four hours and arrived in Sri Lanka to a warm welcome. We were lucky with the weather; we had good weather throughout the ferry.

Once the ferry flight was complete, did you engage with the SLAF crew who would be entrusted with the aircraft?

When we arrived, we got to hand over the aircraft the next day. We flew to the west coast of the island with a team from the SLAF and demonstrated some of the features of the aircraft and system, we got to brief them on some of the operational procedure and maintenance requirements. We also demonstrated the use of the sensor systems to our Sri Lanka counterparts.

After the handover, we began the transfer process. Which was an awesome opportunity to meet some of the guys from the SLAF. I got to meet a few of the pilots and maintenance technicians, some of whom I’ve got to meet again now, during IPE 2025, which was great.

In your opinion, what makes the King Air 350 which Australia donated to Sri Lanka, a good platform for the Maritime Surveillance and Patrol role?

The King Air is a cheap aircraft to run. It also has good endurance for the role. We do maritime patrols for about four and a half hours, to five hours. A lot of the work we do is to look for and track vessels of interest in a large area. We can cover a large sea area in a single mission. Today, part of what we are doing in Sri Lanka is passing on our experience to our Sri Lankan counterparts at No. 03 Squadron. We also get to learn from our Sri Lankan partners about the techniques and procedures they use to operate the King Air. The sensor suite onboard the King Air 350 is quite capable, and we are happy to see No. 03 Squadron SLAF put them to good use in maritime surveillance.

How does the Transfer of the King Air 350 help Sri Lanka and the region?

It helps build up the maritime domain awareness capabilities of Sri Lanka, and through it contributes to help keep the stability and security of the region.

What are your views of your Sri Lankan counterparts, and their use of the King Air 350?

They operate in a really professional manner. I am quite impressed with the way they use KingAir aircraft over the past 12 months. They racked up nearly 400 hours flying the aircraft on over 100 missions and performed well. This week we had an opportunity to help them further advance their knowledge of aircraft. We’ve been able to discuss with the No.03 Squadron and make a few recommendations about use and maintenance. We continue to keep in touch with our Sri Lankan friends and continue to support them. What we are doing now is part of the knowledge exchange. We’ve been observing how the Sri Lankans do maritime surveillance, and while we learn from that, we also offer advice based on our experience.  

With initiatives like the IPE increasing engagement in the Indo-Pacific region, how important is it for the region to come together to face common challenges?

We share a common interest in having an open, stable and prosperous Indian Ocean. Defence corporations include training and education on maritime surveillance. The region is working together on facing many challenges. The IPE programme supports the Australian Government’s focus on deepening our diplomatic and defence partnerships across Southeast Asia and the Northeast Indian Ocean and reinforces Australia’s commitment to the safety and stability of the region.

What activities did you engage in during this iteration of IPE?

Throughout the week, we engaged in discussions and lectures on search and rescue, rescue communication, calculating drift of floating objects, etc. The finer details of planning search and rescue require a lot of preparation and understanding. On the last day, we moved on to the aircraft, and we planned how to carry out search and rescue flight patterns and surveillance.

What are your key takeaways from IPE this year?

I think flying brings us together. But it’s the shared meals, camaraderie, shared conversations, and the laughter which builds real partnerships here. It has been a privilege to share experiences and also learn from the Sri Lankan Air Force. We gained an appreciation for Sri Lanka’s culture, people and environment as well.

Will you be back?

That’s a great question. Soon, I hope. Working and building a relationship with No. 03 Squadron has been a highlight, and coming back and seeing their hospitality and growth has been awesome. I think with friendships and partnering that’s ongoing, hopefully we will be back soon, be able to share more, and collaborate more on maritime domain awareness. We can also learn more from the Sri Lankans. So, I do look forward to it.

US-led training exercise Pacific Angel 2025 – was the largest multinational exercise hosted in Sri Lanka this year. It brought Indo-Pacific partners together to strengthen disaster response and humanitarian cooperation.

The exercise united participants from across the region to improve interoperability and share expertise. US Pacific Forces trained alongside the Royal Australian Air Force, Japan Air Self-Defence Force, Maldivian National Defence Force, and the Bangladesh Air Force, with the Sri Lanka Navy and Army playing key roles as hosts. 

Their leadership underscored Sri Lanka’s growing role in advancing regional disaster preparedness. The programme featured eight Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEEs) covering aircraft maintenance, search and rescue, jungle survival, aeromedical patient movement, mass casualty response, and airlift operations. Training at SLAF Katunayake, China Bay, and Ampara gave participants hands-on skills to enhance regional readiness and coordination.

US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung, highlighted the significance of the exercise saying: “Pacific Angel 25 is the largest multilateral exercise hosted in Sri Lanka this year, and we are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Indo-Pacific partners. This exercise demonstrates how we prepare together for real-world challenges – from disaster response to humanitarian crises – and how cooperation strengthens our collective ability to safeguard peace, stability, and prosperity across the region. What we build together today is a foundation for tomorrow’s shared security.”

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 -PHOTO Lalith Perera