THE FUTURE ROLE OF THE SLAF

HAVING played a decisive and impressive role in decimating the LTTE, the SLAF seems to be searching for clues to its' future role. All indications from Sri Lanka are that the obviously unwise attempts to purchase a fleet of Mig-29s are now permanently put off. If the effeciveness of the F7G's given free of charge by the Chinese eliminated any pretexes to a need to counter the LTTE's airborne threat, the end of combat with the decimation of the terror group has completely ended any speculation in that direction.

As Sri Lanka moves towards reconcilliation and reconstruction, the defence needs will move from a purely operational perspective to strategic. The desperate need we had to acquire easy to maintain work horses such as the Mig27s no longer exist, while with time Sri Lanka will become more self sufficient in their ability to deal with ground threats purely with ground forces backed by armor. In the worst case scenario the support of air mobile units supported by helicopted gun ships could easily become an adequate security arrangement.

Of greater interest will be the need to establish a maritime border patrol such as the proposed coast guard with ample fire power. Quite obviously the govt will have to look to the SLN to develop such a force using its impressively combat proven resources. The changes to the SLN's heirarchy at the very top may lead to a re-vamping of an ambitious fleet air arm, which may be limited to helicopter and UAV operations from the larger bodied off shore patrol craft.

How these short and long term future needs will be interpreted by the defence establishment in the post-war scenario will remain to be seen. But for now, Sri Lanka will not see any Mig29s in its air force.

EXODUS| LARGEST EVER HUMAN SHIELD RESCUED

Sri Lankan Defence Forces faught their way into the enclave within which the LTTE leaders had a large number of tamil civillians closely in a human shield booby trapped with a large quantity of explosives including phosporous incendiaries.

Thousands of civillians set free by the SL Forces are seen moving towards government controlled areas and away from the combat zone still littered with a large number of dead bodies and possibly unexploded ordnance. Some of the top LTTE leaders' families have surrendered to the SLDF as well.

Though not yet officially confirmed, reliable sources report the SLDF capturing dead bodies of the LTTE leadership which are difficult to be identified. A formal announcement is awaited when Sri Lankan parliament meets on Tuesday.

OPERATIONS TO RID SL OF TERRORISM AMIDST INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE

THE pressure on Sri Lanka to let the tamil tigers off the hook is so great it could give some one a serious headache. But not the present government, whose tenacity is in itself a requisite lesson in dealing with not only modern day terrorism, but also its attendent support structure.

Though nations such as Britain pay lip service to anti-terrorism rhetoric, and occasionally its over zealous anti-terror police force shoot the wrong suspect repeatedly in the head, there has hardly been any discernible action when acts of terror have been committed by pro-LTTE elements against Sri Lanka and its citizens from British soil. In the meanwhile the British are busy making blatantly unrealistic demands from the soveriegn state of Sri Lanka to commit to a cease-fire which will only benefit the tamil terrorists who continue to hold thousands of tamil civillians hostage.

In the meanwhile Sri Lankan Defence Forces have concluded all mass scale combat operations and have decided to limit the use of heavy weaponry to avoid causing civillian casualties. This is now necessitated by the fact that LTTE thugs are hiding among tamil civillians and are difficult to identify. Nevertheless the SLAF is still involved in providing close air support for operations conducted in other areas of LTTE acitivity and logistical needs of special operations groups in the territory still under tamil tiger control. The SLAF also is available for the taking out of any clearly identified terrorist target within the hostage zone, should the need arise.

CLOSE AIR SUPPORT DEVASTATED LTTE POSITIONS

The SLAF also had a part to play in breaking the back of the LTTE last week end.

Initial indications of a massive LTTE presence in the area adjacent to the civillian zone along with a high concentration of heavy weapons came from a UAV sent over the terrain early last weekend.

Following ground force movements and induction of additional reinforcements, close air support elements of the air force were called in. Reports so far indicate the SLAF action devastated LTTE forces and also helped pin point their locations for the attacking ground units. At the same time, the close quarters fighting caused some friendly fire casualties to the SLA. Numbers killed are said to be minimal while a higher number has been injured.

In the meanwhile, the LTTE dead count has gone over 525, while informed sorces overseas state the correct number of tigers killed to be anywhere between 1,000 to 1,200. However, these numbers cannot be verified.

SLAF DESTROYS LTTE HEAVY WEAPON

Yesterday a roving UAV of the SLAF spotted a group of tamil tigers busily towing a big 130mm cannon on a lonely road, and called in a couple of Kfir jet fighters.





Update..
The remains of the gun targetted by the SLAF was later recovered by troops.


[Pic:yahoo]

THE WAR IN THE AIR IS ALMOST OVER

WITH the SL Defence Forces cornering the tamil tiger hyenas to a mere one kilometer plus the skirt width of the women and children they currently hold hostage in a massive human shield, the combat tasks of the SLAF have almost ground to a halt.

Currently the SLAF engages in med-evac and logistics operations conducted using helicopters and the heavy lifters only. Except for an unsuccessful incident involving a couple of shoulder launched missiles fired by the LTTE targetting two medevac choppers from among the civillians in the safe zone, the SLAF is in for a boring rest of the war it seems.

The missile firing came as a rude awakening for the SLAF, though without any losses. The LTTE goons are known to have acquired 10 shoulder launched missiles recently, but the ones that were fired on the SLAF choppers were easily deflected by the magnesium flares carried on board.

The LTTE were unable to acquire sophisticated anti-aircraft weaponry during the time of the Bush administration, but the playing field has since then appears to be changing gradually. How the LTTE managed to acquire these weapons would be interesting to know for the world's military intelligence, for it quite clearly shows a dangerous turn of events.

GIVE YOUR MANDATE TO THE SLG TO ERADICATE TERROR

DEMOCRACY is a meaningless term when the voice of the voter is not heard in government decisions. When citizens of a nation fail to impose their will upon the government by failing to adequately instruct the elected officials what their exact expectations are, such nations suffer from a lack of direction and become the victim of much social malaise. We have seen plenty of that in the past half century of democracy.

As Sri Lankans, we are not only guilty of failing to hold government officials accountable for their misdeeds, we have also for decades been silent spectators to the unending death and destruction in our country caused by the LTTE, conveniently blaming the outcome on politicians, our own karma and everyone else but our selves.

If as Sri Lankans, you are ready to do something about it, please visit the following link and sign the petition which directs the Sri Lankan government to continue with all necessary means to eradicate terrorism from our motherland, irrespective of anyone else' views.

http://www.lankapetitions.com/form.php

AIR TIGERS EAT GRASS

TWO tin can crop dusters of the LTTE packed to the gills with crude explosives attempted a 9/11 type attack in Colombo last night.

One Zlin aircraft was destroyed when hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed in the vicinity of the Colombo IRS building, injuring a number of civillians. The second aircraft which swung towards the Katunayeka Air Force base was shot down by an SLAF F7G aircraft in that area.

SAY NO TO THE MIG-29

SL govt's decision to put the Mig-29 deal on ice may prove to be a permanent move. At least that's the direction the decision makers should be moving in, now that the Mig-29 is proving to be full of nasty surprises.

The Russians built the graceful Mig-29 in response to the USAF's F-15. The jet fighter was a work of art not only in flight but even when sitting still. It's first plaudits came from the Indian AF who sported it against the Americans at the Top Gun range a few years ago. The news was that the IAF's Mig29s outperformed everything the US could throw at them. As usual the story behind the story looks more like the US hotshots didn't really contest the IAF because they wanted to scare Uncle Sam into buying them more expensive toys to play with. The USAF was gettiing kinda tired with their old F15s and F16s, and wanted the state of the art F22s in their inventory.

In later years, little bits of grim news started to float about the dependability of the fighter, which proved to be a very expensive asset to maintain. The Bangladeshis who bought a fleet of them gladly sold them to someone who offered ready cash, and somewhere in Africa someone else mothballed a couple of nice Mig29s due to maintenance nightmares. Now the Russians themselves are finding that the Mig29's tail tends to break off in mid-flight and have grounded everyone of their 260 or so aircraft.

Sri Lanka needs to re-think her air defence needs into the next few decades before investing in a new interceptor/bomber aircraft. The current fleet of Israeli built K'firs, F7Gs and Mig27s have done the job admirably, and are more than adequate for the immediate future needs.

Our next set of defence challenges cannot be expected to be at any higher tech level than it already has. After all, it is not as if SL could defend against a determined assault by the Indians in the air, if it ever came to that. There really isn't anyone else in our neck of the woods who has the ability or a big enough grudge, to pose a challenge either.

As for now, SLG should sit back and finish the job on hand, with the tools that have proven
adequate in every possible test. There'll be plenty of time to go buy shiny new toys once the pesky terrorists are all buried, and we've had a little time to think things through.

SLAF TARGETS SEA-TIGER SOOSAI

SLAF KFIR and F7G fighter-bombers targetted the house of the sea-tiger chief Soosai yesterday. At the time of the air strike, Soosai was known to have been at the location based on real time information.

Soosai's house is said to have its own underground bunker and a backhoe machine is seen rushing to the rescue following the air strike. A follow-on airstrike subsequently destroyed the earth moving machine also.

Unverified sources have indicated a relationship between a previous assasination attempt on Soosai in which his under-age son was killed, to growing animosity between him and Pottu Amman, another accomplished terrorist leader. Pottu is said to be either in the custody of the Sri Lankan forces, or cooperating with them. A successful targetting of Soosai could be the result of information provided by Pottu.

Information provided to the SLAF by Pottu's informants led to the elimination of Tamilselvan, another potential contender to the leadership of the LTTE.

While the second tier leadership is on an internecine struggle for power, the leader of the LTTE seems to have escaped from the area of conflict along with his family.

HIGH VALUE TARGET HIT

A lot of excitement seems to be around a 'high value' target hit by SLAF Kfir and F7G aircraft today, following which all LTTE communication seems to have been switched off.

FINAL ASSAULT IS ON

Jan 31, Colombo: Sri Lanka Air Force Kfir fighter jets attacked and destroyed two bulldozers being used in building a bund in Piramantanlkulam area of Mullaitivu this afternoon around 2:00 p.m., the military said.

In another attack around 4:00 p.m. Mig 27 fighter jets pounded terrorist reinforcement moving towards Chunnikulam South while MI 24 Helicopter gunships targeted another rebel reinforcement moving eastwards towards the Visuamadu Tank around 5:20 p.m.

Meanwhile, a counter-strike on 59 division by the LTTE killed 18 SLA soldiers and destroyed 2 main battle tanks, according to other news. The temporary cease-fire of 48 hours declared to allow evacuation of civillians passed away without the LTTE allowing the majority of the civillians held as a human shiled to move into safety.

SLAF TARGETS LTTE ARTILLERY GUNS IN TRANSIT

SLAF combat air craft successfully targetted two large artillery guns of the LTTE while in transit. In both cases the LTTE appears to spot the surveillance aircraft and engage in a futile attempt to hide from the attack craft closing in.

SLAF DESTROYS LTTE GUN BOATS

MERCIFULLY, it is coming to an end. A combination of vision, guts and commitment on the part of the Sri Lankan people is nailing the lid on tribal, racist tamil terrorism. As the LTTE gets gradually cornered into a death trap they've set for the Sri Lankan Defence Forces, the latter is proving that they are more than capable of fighting decisive battles on the enemy's own door step by their own rules. Not only the LTTE, but the whole world is watching and learning how to fight terrorism, and a new lesson is being established for the democracies far and wide to follow;

Terrorism can and must be defeated militarily. Ask us and we'll show you how.

A COLLECTION OF SLAF MISSIONS

The year 2008 is drawing to a close.

It was a year of many sacrifices, accomplishments and failures for all arms of the Sri Lankan Defence Forces. The SLAF was partner to the significant and milestone accomplishments achieved by the Sri Lankan state in its battle against virulent terrorism.

The SLAF's contributions caused unquantifiable and massive damage to the world's most ruthless terror organization. During this period, its warriors proved repeatedly that they are more skilled than most of their compatriots abroad, who fly more sophisticated equipment, yet accomplish less.

Here's a brief salute to our brave men and women who safe-guard Sri Lankan skies from those who would harm us.

EAGLES HUNT - by Patriot

Click on image to enlarge

SLAF air strikes have resumed following the tincan airforce bombings in Colombo a few weeks ago. This is the absolutely correct decision by the SLG to continue to use all assets the nation possesses in order to eradicate the cancer of terrorism from Sri Lanka.

We have heard many organizations condemn and attempt to redifine how Sri Lanka should use its military assets. A few instant pundits with loud mouths have emerged baselessly declaring that no other nation has used air power within thier own territory. This is false, as history shows plenty of instances in which air power has been used against terrorists and anti-governmental forces by various countries.

The bigger question is, so what? Even if no one else did, ours is a unique case and we need no excuses to defend ourselves to the best of our ability. Sri Lanka has the prerogative to utilize every asset in its military inventory to defend its territorial integrity and must continue to do so.

Those who attempt to prevent us from defending ourselves are not our friends. In fact they are part of a bigger threat to our existance and need to be treated as such.

URGENT APPEAL

The following urgent request has been released by the MOD seeking help from overseas based Sri Lankans on behalf of our Armed Services.

The Ministry of Defence of Sri Lanka has made a request through the Foreign Ministry, to all Missions abroad, to supply a medicine required to control foot infections caused by fungi and bacteria to overcome foot infections. The product should ideally contain a potent anti-fungal/anti-bacterial compound, the main ingredient of which contains 1% Triclosan. The Defence Ministry has indicated that the current product used by them is under the trade name Irgasan DP - 300. The trade name is indicated here for purpose of information only and these products by any other trade name is also in order. If you are unable to find the above product in USA, please try Clotrimazole 1% under the brand name LOTRINAN. We are kindly requesting you to contact all concerned Sri Lankans to assist our forces in their time of need.

All donations could either be delivered to the Consulate Office or to the nearest temple in your locality. If you wish to contribute money all cheques should be drawn in favour of the ' Consulate General of Sri Lanka ' for which a receipt will be issued by the Consulate. Your generous contributions towards this noble task is greatly appreciated.

With kind regards

Ananda Wickramasinghe Consul General Consulate General for Sri Lanka - Los Angeles Suite 1405, #3250 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA. USA 90010

Phone: 213 387 0213 Fax: 213 387 0216

RED FLAG

FOR the Air Force buffs and those who love movies with plenty of real life action, here's a movie on how the USAF trains its pilots;

http://www.hulu.com/watch/24197/fighter-pilot-operation-red-flag?c=Action-and-Adventure/Military-and-War

EMB-314 SUPER TUCANO - by Foxtrot

I am pretty disappointed at the moment with the SLAF for the very mediocure performance they dished out on Tuesday night. I believe the F7Gs were a good choice for the interceptor role but the Tucano would have been a better choice to counter the slow Zlins, provided we can get export clearance from the US.

This aircraft ( the predecessor EMB-312 came to Ratmalana in the Mid 80s for a demonstration just after we bought the Siaimarchettis in 1985. Infact the engines are the same as what they use on the Y-12s and the Bell 212/412 (Pratt & Whitteney PT-6)

This aircraft provides the agility and the endurance to easily counter the Zlins.




Air Craft Dimensions

Wingspan - 11.14m
Length - 11.42m
Height - 3.90m
Empty Weight - 2,420kg
Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A-68A turboprop, 969 kWALX
Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A-68/3 turboprop, 1,600shp
Propeller - Hartzell five blade, constant speed, reversible pitch propeller.

The EMB-314 Super Tucano is an enhanced version, with faster speed and higher altitude, of the EMB-312 Tucano trainer aircraft which is operational in the Air Forces of 17 countries. The prototype of the Super Tucano first flew in 1992. Both Tucano and Super Tucano have been developed and built by Embraer of Brazil.

In 1995, Embraer was awarded a contract to develop a variant of the Super Tucano, known as the ALX or light attack aircraft, for the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), optimised for the environmental conditions of the Brazilian Amazon. The ALX is capable of operating day and night missions from remote bases and unpaved runways with minimal ground support. The first production aircraft was completed in 1999.

The main missions of the aircraft, in addition to basic and advanced pilot training, are border patrol and counter-insurgency operations."In August 2001, the Brazilian Air Force awarded Embraer a contract for 76 Super Tucano / ALX aircraft with options for a further 23. 51 of these aircraft are two seater versions, designated AT-29, which are stationed at the Natal Air Force Base and replace the AT-26 Xavante advanced jet trainers which are approaching the end of their operational lives. The remaining 25 aircraft are the single seat A-29 ALX version.One of the main missions of the aircraft is border patrol under the Sistema de Vigilancia da Amazonia (SIVAM) programme. The first aircraft was delivered in December 2003. By September 2007, 50 aircraft had entered service. Final delivery of the aircraft is scheduled for 2008.The main missions of the aircraft, in addition to basic and advanced pilot training, are border patrol and counter-insurgency operations.The flight envelope of the aircraft is +7G and -3.5G. The aircraft's small size, small visual and radar signatures, together with high speed and agility give the aircraft high survivability. Additional survivability features include armour protection and critical systems redundancy.

In August 2001, the Dominican Republic signed a contract for the supply of ten Super Tucano aircraft, to be used for pilot training, internal security, border patrol and counter-narcotics trafficking missions.In February 2005, Venezuela selected the EMB-314 Super Tucano. 12 aircraft were to be ordered, with a further 12 planned. The sale fell through because it was thought the USA would block the transfer of US-built components.In December 2005, the Columbian Air Force placed a contract for 25 Super Tucano aircraft. The aircraft will be used for border patrol and internal security. The first five were delivered in December 2006. Elbit Systems has been contracted to supply the avionics suite.In April 2008, the Chilean Air Force selected the EMB-314 Super Tucano, with a requirement for 12 aircraft.CockpitThe all-glass cockpit is fully night vision goggle compatible. Brazilian AF ALX aircraft are equipped with avionics systems from Elbit Systems Ltd of Haifa, Israel, including a Head-Up Display (HUD), advanced mission computer, navigation system and two 6in x 8in colour liquid crystal multi-function displays.

The pilot is protected with Kevlar armour."The head-up display with 24° field of view and the advanced weapon delivery system are integrated through a MIL-STD-1553B data bus. The pilot is provided with a Hands On Throttle And Stick (HOTAS) control.

The pilot is protected with Kevlar armour and provided with a zero/zero ejection seat. The clamshell canopy, hinged at the front and rear and electrically activated, is fitted with a de-icing system and features a windshield capable of withstanding, at 300kt, the impact of a 4lb bird. A Northrop Grumman On-Board Oxygen Generation System (OBOGS) is installed.WeaponsThe aircraft is fitted with two central mission computers. The integrated weapon system includes software for weapon aiming, weapon management, mission planning and mission rehearsal. On-board recording is used for post mission analysis.The aircraft has five hardpoints for carrying weapons, and is capable of carrying a maximum external load of 1,500kg. The aircraft is armed with two wing-mounted 12.7mm machine guns with a rate of fire of 1,100 rounds a minute and is capable of carrying general-purpose bombs and guided air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles. Brazilian AF aircraft will be armed with the MAA-1 Piranha short-range infrared guided air-to-air missile from Orbita.The two seat AT-29 is fitted with a forward-looking infrared AN/AAQ-22 SAFIRE turret on the underside of the fuselage. The SAFIRE thermal imaging system supplied by FLIR Systems is for targeting, navigation and target tracking. The system allows the aircraft to carry out night surveillance and attack missions.NavigationThe aircraft is equipped with an advanced laser inertial navigation and attack system, a Global Positioning System (GPS) and a Traffic alerting and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS).

"The Super Tucano has five hardpoints for carrying weapons."EngineThe EMB-314 Super Tucano is powered by a PT6A-68A turboprop engine, developing 969kW. The power plant is fitted with automatic engine monitoring and control. The ALX aircraft has a more powerful engine than the EMB-314. The ALX's Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A-68/3 turboprop engine, rated at 1,600shp, drives a Hartzell five-bladed constant speed fully feathering reversible pitch propeller.The fuel capacity is 695l, which gives a range of over 1,500km and endurance of 6hrs 30mins. The aircraft has a cruising speed up to 530km/h with a maximum speed of 560km/h






[Source: http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/super_tucano/#super_tucano_16788]

LACK OF IMAGINATION - SLAF'S BUGBEAR

[Click on picture to enlarge - Source: www.dailymirror.lk]

THE anger in the media is quite understandable. The Sri Lankan tax payer has spent billions of their hard earned money to give the state of the art toys the defense establishment has asked for, and yet they fail to do their job. Repeatedly and miserably.

Some media speculate the real target of the aircraft which bombed the Kelanitissa power plant was the President's House. Had that been the target of yesterday's bombing, today could be a day of historic consequences for the average Sri Lankan. For the average LTTEr, it would be a day of reckoning and the day they truly reap the whirlwind.

More importantly, quite possibly it could also have been a day when history repeated itself; 1983 Black July style. Sri Lanka could have been standing on square one, with it's tail between legs and wondering what the hell happened. Far away in his jungle hideout, Velupillai could have been laughing his ass off. Fortunately none of it happened this time. Next time they will be better prepared, more determined and try much harder.

We do understand that the SLAF has done its part in the counter-terrorism efforts. That is what they are paid to do. The defence services leadership also needs to understand their inability to deal with the airborne terrorist threat is one which is bigger than the bombs dropped. It needs to be evaluated in terms of potential consequences, in a worst case scenario; like the killing of the President. At the present failure rate, it looks a real enough threat.

Sri Lanka needs to make better preparations to deal with all these potential outcomes, including back up systems to prevent adverse consequences such as rioting and attacks against any community, in the event of such a worst case scenario.

The LTTE now knows that they possess the capability and could potentially reverse all its battle field losses so far by one decisive strike against the Presidential house. While the sufferings of the Tamils has always been an acceptable price to pay for the LTTE leaders' pipe dream, knowing that such an outcome would provide their organization more than a lifeline would make the terrorists determined to use this opportunity. Sri Lanka and its leadership stand in imminent danger, and need to be prepared for any and all possibilities.