The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF; Sinhala: ශ්රි ලංකා ගුවන් හමුදාව, romanized: Śrī Laṃkā guwan hamudāva; Tamil: இலங்கை விமானப்படை, romanized: Ilaṅkai vimāṉappaṭai) is the air arm and the youngest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. It was founded in 1951 as the Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCyAF) with the assistance of the Royal Air Force (RAF). The SLAF played a major role throughout the Sri Lankan Civil War. The SLAF operates more than 160 aircraft.
Quick Facts Founded, Country ...
Sri Lanka Air Force |
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Founded | 2 March 1951; 73 years ago (1951-03-02) |
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Country | Sri Lanka |
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Type | Air force |
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Role | Aerial warfare |
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Size | 27,000 personnel[1] |
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Part of | Sri Lanka Armed Forces |
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Headquarters | SLAF Colombo, Colombo |
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Motto(s) | - සුරකිමු ලකඹර
- Surakimu Lakambara
- "Guardian Of The Skies"
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Colours | |
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March | - Guwana Ara Lak Deraņa Purā
- "Over the skies of Sri Lanka"
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Anniversaries | 2 March: Air Force Day |
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Engagements |
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Decorations | Military awards and decorations of Sri Lanka |
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Website | www.airforce.lk |
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Commander-in-Chief | President Ranil Wickremesinghe |
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Commander of the Air Force | Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa |
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Chief of staff | Air Vice Marshal RS Wickremeratne |
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Deputy Chief of the Air Staff | Air Vice Marshal Ranjith Senanayake |
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Roundel | |
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Fin flash | |
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Ensign | |
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Fighter | IAI Kfir |
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Attack helicopter | Mil Mi-24 |
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Multirole helicopter | Bell 212, Bell 412 |
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Trainer helicopter | Bell 206 |
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Utility helicopter | Mil Mi-17 |
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Interceptor | Chengdu F-7 |
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Patrol | Beechcraft Super King Air, Dornier 228 |
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Reconnaissance | IAI Searcher, EMIT Blue Horizon 2, Lihiniya MK I, AAI RQ-2 Pioneer, IAI Scout |
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Trainer | K-8 Karakorum, Nanchang CJ-6 (PT-6), Cessna 150 |
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Transport | C-130 Hercules, Antonov An-32, Harbin Y-12, Xian MA60 |
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Close
The Commander of the Air Force is the professional head of the Sri Lanka Air Force who holds the rank Air Marshal.