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No. 4 Squadron SLAF
No. 4 (VVIP/VIP) Helicopter Squadron is a squadron of the Sri Lanka Air Force. It currently operates Bell 412/412EP/212/206JR from SLAF Ratmalana for VVIP/VIP Air transport. History The No. 4 Helicopter Flight was formed in 1965 under the command of Squadron Leader M. A. De Soysa, flying Westland Sikorsky S 51 Dragonflys. No. 4 Helicopter Squadron was established on January 15, 1971, with Bell 206 Jet Ranger helicopters. With role of VIP transport, reconnaissance, cargo transport, air/sea and jungle rescue. In 1983 the squadron permanently positioned several Bell 212 and Bell Jet Ranger helicopters at SLAF Palaly, in support of the Army in Jaffna. These were used both for troop transport and ground attack. In 1987 the Squadron was upgraded to an Air Wing as the No. 4 Helicopter Wing. They played a major role during the Vadamarachchi Operation in 1987, deploying Commandos behind enemy lines. In 1990 a helicopter of the squadron took part in the daring Operation Eagle, in which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SLAF Ratmalana
Ratmalana International Airport (; ) (officially known as Colombo International Airport, Ratmalana and locally as Ratmalana Airport) , is the secondary international airport serving the city of Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. It was the country's first international airport and was the only international airport in Sri Lanka until the inauguration of Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake, in 1967. The airport currently serves several domestic services and is home to several aviation training organisations. A relaxation of rules has recently seen the airport open for international corporate jet operations and charter flights. The airport is located 15 km south of Colombo City. The strategic significance of Ratmalana International Airport has been identified along with the emerging Colombo Financial City, High End Tourism and business travel needs of High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs). The long-term strategic goal of RMA is to bring the airport to the optimum o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
LTTE
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; , ; also known as the Tamil Tigers) was a Tamil militant organization, that was based in the northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam in the northeast of the island in response to violent persecution and discriminatory policies against Sri Lankan Tamils by the Sinhalese-dominated Sri Lankan Government. The leader of the LTTE, Velupillai Prabhakaran, cited the 1958 anti-Tamil pogrom as one of the factors that led him to militancy. In 1975, he assassinated the Mayor of Jaffna, Alfred Duraiappah, in revenge for the 1974 Tamil conference incident. The LTTE was subsequently founded in 1976 as a reaction to the Sri Lankan Constitution of 1972 which prescribed Buddhism as the primary religion of the country, and Sinhala as its national language. The LTTE was involved in attacks on government targets, policemen and local politicians and moved on to armed clashes against ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gagan Bulathsinghala
Air Chief Marshal Gagan Bulathsinghala (also known as Gagan Pulasthi Bulathsinghala) RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, MPhil (Def & Strat), MSc (Def Stud) in Mgt, FIM(SL) National Defence College, India, psc is a retired air officer and a former commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force. He has also held the position of Chief of the Air Staff and after his retirement on 12 September 2016, was appointed the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Afghanistan, a position he holds currently. Early life and education Gagan was born in Colombo on 12 September 1961. His father was Bulathsinghalage Percy Marcus Perera, who was a lawyer and a former flight lieutenant in the Royal Ceylon Air Force. His mother was Dona Beatrice Perera. He received his entire education from Nalanda College, Colombo. While at school he did many extracurricular activities such as cadeting, ruby and being a member of many school societies. He was involved in publishing the college's monthly newspaper, ''Nalanda''. Some of his contempo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rana Sura Padakkama
Rana Sura Padakkama (RSP, Combat Excellence Medal) ( Sinhala: රණ ශූර පදක්කම ''rana śūra padakkama'') is awarded to servicepersons of all ranks of the regular and volunteer forces of the Military of Sri Lanka for individual acts of bravery and otherwise distinguished conduct in the face of the enemy during active deployment. Bars could be awarded for further acts of gallantry meriting the award for a second and third time, denoted by a star in the ribbon bar for each additional award. Award process The decoration is awarded at the National Day parade by the President after a recommendation and review process initiated by service commanders. Recipients can use the post-nominal letters " RSP". Notable decorated personnel *Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka *Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe *Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda *Admiral Jayanath Colombage *Lieutenant General Denzil Kobbekaduwa *Lieutenant General Parami Kulatunga *Air Vice Marshal P.B. Premachandra *Ai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rana Wickrama Padakkama
The Rana Wickrama Padakkama (RWP, Combat Gallantry Medal) (Sinhala language, Sinhala: රණ වික්රම පදක්කම) is awarded to Sri Lankan military service personnel serving in both the regular- and volunteer forces as a reward for: Medal bar, Bars could be awarded for further acts of gallantry meriting the award for a second and third time, denoted by a star in the medal ribbon, ribbon bar for each additional award. The award is the only one to have been awarded to a military animal in Sri Lanka. Award process A formal recommendation is made by service commanders, and the decoration is awarded by the President of Sri Lanka, President following a review process. Recipients are eligible to the use of the List of post-nominal letters#Sri Lanka, post-nominal letters "RWP". Notable decorated personnel *Field marshal (Sri Lanka), Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka *Air Chief Marshal Roshan Goonatilake *Air Chief Marshal Jayalath Weerakkody *Lieutenant-general (Sri L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kapila Jayampathy
Air Chief Marshal Kapila Veedhiya Bandara Jayampathy WWV, RWP, RSP MSc (Intl Rel), MSc (Def & Strat) is the 16th Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force. After his retirement he is now appointed as Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to Malaysia. Early life and education Kapila received his education at Nalanda College Colombo and is a graduate of PLA National Defense University in Defence Studies. He is the first SLAF officer to be nominated and appointed to the National Defense University of China, where he graduated with distinction and a fellowship. He was presented with Nalanda Keerthi Sri award by Nalanda College in 2016. Military career Kapila joined Sri Lanka Air Force on 5 March 1982 as an Officer cadet and was commissioned as a Pilot officer in General Duties branch of No. 4 Squadron SLAF in 1985. Kapila is a Qualified Helicopter Instructor (QHI) with an exceptional A-2 Instructor grading to his credit and a VVIP Pilot. He was the Commanding Officer of the No. 7 Squadr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Westland WS-51 Dragonfly
The Westland WS-51 Dragonfly helicopter was built by Westland Aircraft and was an Anglicised licence-built version of the American Sikorsky H-5, Sikorsky S-51. Design and development On 19 January 1947 an agreement was signed between Westland Aircraft and Sikorsky Aircraft, Sikorsky to allow a British version of the S-51 to be manufactured under licence in the United Kingdom. These would be powered by the 500 hp Alvis Leonides radial engine. A modified version was also developed by Westland as the Westland Widgeon (helicopter), Westland Widgeon, but it was commercially unsuccessful. After delays caused by the need to modify and convert American-drawings to reflect British-sourced items and to replace the engine with a British-built Alvis Leonides 50, the prototype was first flown from Yeovil on 5 October 1948 piloted by Alan Bristow. Only 16 months had elapsed since work had begun on building the prototype registered G-AKTW. After evaluation initial orders for the Briti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eurocopter Dauphin
The Eurocopter, later Airbus Helicopters AS365 Dauphin, originally known as the Aérospatiale SA 365 Dauphin 2, is a medium-weight multipurpose twin-engine helicopter produced by Airbus Helicopters. It was originally developed and manufactured by French firm Aérospatiale, which was merged into the multinational Eurocopter company during the 1990s, and since 2014 Eurocopter was renamed Airbus Helicopters. Since entering production in 1975, the type has been in continuous production for more than 40 years, with the last delivery in 2021. The intended successor to the Dauphin is the Airbus Helicopters H160, which entered operational service in 2021. The Dauphin 2 shares many similarities with the Aérospatiale SA 360, a commercially unsuccessful single-engine helicopter; however the twin-engine Dauphin 2 did meet with customer demand and has been operated by a wide variety of civil and military operators. Since the type's introduction in the 1970s, several major variations and s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bell 412EP
The Bell 412 is a utility helicopter of the Huey family manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It is a development of the Bell 212, with the major difference being the composite four-blade main rotor. It is a twin-turbine helicopter that has been popular on the civilian and military markets, and major users include Canada, Italy, and Japan. Several hundred have been produced since its introduction in 1979, and several iterations of upgrades and variations have been produced, such as with upgraded cockpit electronics. It has been manufactured under license in Italy as the Agusta-Bell AB412, in Indonesia by Indonesian Aerospace, and in Japan by Subaru. The Canadian Bell 412 was produced in Canada, but it was already the location of the main Bell Textron factory. Design and development Development began in the late 1970s, with two Bell 212s being converted into 412 prototypes. An advanced four-blade main rotor with a smaller diameter replaced the 212's two-blade rotor. A Bell 412 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bell 212
The Bell 212 (also known as the ''Bell Two-Twelve'') is a two-blade, twin-engine, medium helicopter that first flew in 1968. Originally manufactured by Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, production was moved to Mirabel, Quebec, Canada in 1988, along with all Bell commercial helicopter production after that plant opened in 1986. The 212 was marketed to civilian operators and has up to a 15-seat capacity, with one pilot and fourteen passengers. In cargo-carrying configuration, the 212 has an internal capacity of 220 ft3 (6.23 m3). An external load of up to 5,000 lb (2,268 kg) can be carried. Development Based on the stretched fuselage Bell 204/205, Bell 205, the Bell 212 was originally developed for the Canadian Forces as the ''CUH-1N'' and later redesignated as the ''Bell UH-1N Twin Huey, CH-135''. The Canadian Forces took delivery of 50 starting in May 1971. At the same time the Military of the United States, United States military services o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colours, Standards And Guidons
In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours, standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 years ago. The Roman Empire also made battle Vexillum, standards reading SPQR a part of their vast armies. It was formalized in the armies of Europe in the High Middle Ages, with standards being emblazoned with the commander's coat of arms. General use Military colours originally had a practical use in battle. As armies became trained and adopted set formations, each regiment's ability to keep its formation was potentially critical to its success, and therefore its entire army's success. In the chaos of battle, due to the amount of dust and smoke on a battlefield, soldiers needed to be able to determine where their regiment was. Regimental flags are generally awarded to a regiment by a head of state during a ceremony. They were therefore t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2004 Tsunami
On 26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7), a major earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2–9.3 struck with an epicentre off the west coast of Aceh in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The undersea megathrust earthquake, known in the scientific community as the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, was caused by a rupture along the fault between the Burma plate and the Indian plate, and reached a Mercalli intensity of IX in some areas. A massive tsunami with waves up to high, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami after the Boxing Day holiday, or as the Asian Tsunami, devastated communities along the surrounding coasts of the Indian Ocean, killing an estimated 227,898 people in 14 countries, violently in Aceh (Indonesia), and severely in Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu (India), and Khao Lak (Thailand). The direct result was major disruption to living conditions and commerce in coastal provinces of surrounding countries. It is the deadliest natural disaster of the 21st century, one of the deadli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
