The Sri Lanka Artillery (SLA) is the

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

arm of the

Sri Lanka Army The Sri Lanka Army (; ) is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. The army was officially established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, though the army traces its roots back in 1881 when Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers was created; ...

. It is made up of ten regular regiments and two

volunteer Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency ...

regiments. The SLA is headquartered at

Panagoda Cantonment Panagoda Cantonment is a cantonment located in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. It serves as the regimental headquarters of many regiments of the Sri Lanka Army and is an arsenal. It also houses one of the main Military Hospitals operated by the ...

, Panagoda. The emblem of the SLA is modeled after that used by the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

, but with the lion from both the flag and emblem instead of the crown, with the lion depicted holding the

Kastane A kastane or kasthane () is a short traditional ceremonial or decorative single-edged Sri Lankan sword. The sword is featured in the Flag of Sri Lanka. Design Kastanes often have elaborate hilts, especially shaped and described as having a rich ...

sabre. Unlike other artillery units in the Commonwealth the SLA is entitled to a strand of Colours.

History

Ceylon Artillery Volunteers

The roots of the Sri Lanka Artillery goes back to 1888, when on 12 April 1888 the Ceylon Artillery Volunteers was formed as a gun battery under the command of Captain C.E.H Symons of the

to man a gun battery equipped with BL 12-pounder 6 cwt guns. By 1901 it numbered a strength of 162. In 1910, its headquarters was moved to Galle Buck Road in Colombo Fort (which is now part of

SLNS Parakrama SLNS ''Parakrama'' is a Sri Lanka Navy shore establishment sited on Flagstaff Street in Colombo, in close proximity to the Colombo Lighthouse. It functions as the naval headquarters of the Navy. In this capacity it has the offices of the Commande ...

). During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

the Ceylon Artillery Volunteers were mobilised, along with the Town Guard Artillery of

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

, for the defence of Colombo against German commerce raiders.

Ceylon Garrison Artillery

In 1918, the Ceylon Garrison Artillery (CGA) was formed by amalgamating the Ceylon Artillery Volunteers and the Town Guard Artillery, coming under the Ceylon Defence Force. During the colonial period the main responsibility of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery was to assist the Royal Artillery manning the coastal defence of

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

, by operating

Coastal artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of ...

batteries in Colombo and

Trincomalee Trincomalee (; , ; , ), historically known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee District and major resort port city of Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. Located on the east coast o ...

. With the onset of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the CGA was mobilised and expanded. The expansion saw the 1st Coast Regiment raising one field and four coast batteries. Heavy coastal batteries around Colombo at Battenburg, Galle Face and

Mutwal Modara (; ), also known as Mutwal ''(anglicised version)'', is a municipal ward of Colombo, capital of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country ...

were manned by the 1st Coast Regiment equipped with BL 9.2-inch guns and BL 6 inch Mk VII naval guns. The 2nd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, was formed and headquartered in

equipped with QF 3.7-inch AA guns, followed by the 3rd Searchlight/Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment based in Colombo equipped with 40mm Bofors guns. These formations defended Colombo and Trincomalee during the air attacks that occurred as part of the Indian Ocean raid by the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...

. The CGA was also deployed overseas to support the Allied and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

forces in the Indian Ocean. A detachment of CGA was deployed in defence of the

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (; Seychellois Creole: ), is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands (as per the Constitution) in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, ...

and the

Cocos Islands The Cocos (Keeling) Islands (), officially the Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands (; ), are an Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean, comprising a small archipelago approximately midway between Australia and Sri Lanka and rel ...

manning 6 inch Coastal Guns. There on the night of 8 May 1942, 30 out of 56 personnel of the CGA detachment on Horsburgh Island mutinied in what was known as the Cocos Islands mutiny. Following the mutiny, no combat units from Ceylon were deployed overseas, support units were deployed with Commonwealth forces. With the end of the war CGA was demobilized.

Ceylon Artillery

In 1948, Ceylon gained self-rule and the

Ceylon Army The Sri Lanka Army (; ) is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. The army was officially established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, though the army traces its roots back in 1881 when Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers was created; t ...

was formed on 1 October 1949 under the Army Act of 1949 and the Ceylon Defence Force disbanded. The Ceylon Garrison Artillery became the Ceylon Artillery with some of its personal transferring to the regular force and others continuing as volunteers. That year the 1st Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment (HAA) of the Ceylon Artillery was formed under the command of Lt. Col. (later Colonel) F. C. de Saram,

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

equipped with 40 mm anti-aircraft guns and 3.7 inch heavy anti-aircraft guns at Rock House. The 2nd Volunteer Coastal Artillery / Anti-Aircraft Regiment was formed in 1949, under the command of Lt. Col. J.A.T. Perera, ED manning the BL 6 inch coastal guns, made up of officers and men of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery. In 1953 the 1st HAA was renamed the 1st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (LAA). In the same year the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment was formed equipped with ML 4.2-inch heavy mortars. In 1962, an attempted military coup by senior military and police officers took place, with many officers of the Ceylon Artillery, including Colonel De Saram being implicated. The government purged military of officers and other ranks found to be associated with the coup. The Ceylon Artillery suffered badly, with the all three of its regiments being disbanded. Remaining officers and other ranks of the 1st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment and the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment were amalgamated to form the 4th Regiment, Ceylon Artillery on 26 April 1963, thus reducing the Ceylon Artillery to a single regiment. The

coastal artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of ...

batteries were decommissioned. In April 1971, the Ceylon Army was mobilized to faced the

1971 JVP insurrection The 1971 Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) insurrection (also known as the 1971 Revolt) was the first of two unsuccessful armed revolts conducted by the communist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) against the socialist United Front Government of ...

. Lacking field artillery, the 4th Regiment deployed its troops as infantry for counter insurgency operations until it received 14 76 mm mountain guns from Yugoslav and 30 85 mm Type 60 anti-tank guns from China. These were used to bombard insurgent holdouts.

Sri Lanka Artillery

The CA was renamed in 1972 as the Sri Lanka Artillery when Ceylon became a republic. The 4th Regiment, Sri Lanka Artillery transitioned into a

field artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support army, armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the ear ...

role as it decommissioned its anti-aircraft guns. Several years later the

air defence Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (Submarine#Armament, submarine-lau ...

role of the Sri Lankan military was taken over by the Sri Lanka Air Force Regiment, which it carries out to this day. In 1980 a new volunteer regiment, the 5th (V) Artillery Regiment was formed from the 2nd Battalion of the Ceylon National Guard. With the onset of the Sri Lankan Civil War, SLA grew in size and added

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Ordnance QF 25 pounder Mark III field guns to its inventory. These were used in major military operations in the 1980s such as the Vadamarachchi Operation. 24 3.7-inch AA guns were in service till the early 1990s New regiments were formed with new sources of weaponry in the 1990s and 2000s from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. With the escalation of the Sri Lankan civil war 85 mm Type 56 field guns, 122 mm howitzers, 152 mm gun-howitzers, 130 mm field guns and 120 mm mortars, 82 mm mortars were introduced, and in 2000 RM-70 Multiple rocket launchers were added, increasing SLA's firepower.

Target acquisition Target acquisition is the detection and identification of the location of a target in sufficient detail to permit the effective employment of lethal and non-lethal means. The term is used for a broad area of applications. A "target" here is an e ...

was carried out to locate enemy guns using

AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder radar AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder weapon locating system is a transportable radar developed in the mid-late 1970s by Hughes Aircraft Company, manufactured by Northrop Grumman and ThalesRaytheonSystems. After testing the system achieved initial operational ca ...

s and SLC-2 Radar as

counter-battery radar A counter-battery radar or weapon tracking radar is a radar system that detects artillery projectiles fired by one or more guns, howitzers, Mortar (weapon), mortars or rocket launchers and, from their trajectories, locates the position on the g ...

s by its Independent Locating Battery. At present the Sri Lanka Artillery has nine regular regiments, two volunteer regiments and a regimental band. These units form the Artillery Brigade. During the civil war, SLA has provided fire support for almost all military operations carried out by the Sri Lanka Army. At times the SLA has deployed one regular ( RFT) and two volunteer regiments in an infantry role to meet the shortage of

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

. In 2020, the SLA raised the 15th Drone Regiment for surveillance and target acquisition, deploying

UAV An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft with no human pilot, crew, or passengers onboard, but rather is controlled remotely or is autonomous.De Gruyter Handbook of Drone ...

s to monitor isolated areas during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Units

Regular regiments

*4th Field Regiment SLA - equipped with 122 mm Type 60 howitzers and 130 mm Type 59 field guns *6th Field Regiment SLA - equipped with 122 mm Type 60 howitzers for operational duties ** Ceremonial Saluting Battery - equipped ordnance QF 25 pounder field guns for firing salutes *7th Light Regiment SLA - equipped with 120mm mortars *8th Medium Regiment SLA - equipped with 130 mm Type 59 field guns *9th Field Regiment SLA - equipped with 122 mm Type 54 howitzers *10th Medium Regiment SLA - equipped with 152 mm Type 66 gun-howitzers *11th Regiment SLA -

Reinforcement Regiment A Reinforcement Regiment (RTF) in the Sri Lanka Army is an operational regiment of armoured or infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was ...

(RFT) in infantry role *14th Rocket Regiment SLA - equipped with RM-70 multiple rocket launcher *15th UAV Regiment SLA - equipped with unmanned air vehicles *Independent Locating Battery - equipped with AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder radars and SLC-2 Radars

Volunteer regiments

*5th (Volunteer) Regiment SLA (Formed on 22 January 1980) - infantry role *12th (Volunteer) Regiment SLA (Formed on 9 September 1990) - infantry role (Converted from 8 Sri Lanka National Guard)

Disbanded regiments

*1st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment - 1963 *2nd Volunteer Coastal Artillery Regiment - 1963 *3rd Field Artillery Regiment - 1963 *16th Regiment SLA ( RFT) - 2019

School of Artillery

In 1957, an Instructor Gunnery (IG) section was formed under Chief Instructor Major B. I. Loyela for training on the use of anti-aircraft guns. On 16 September 1985, the IG section based at the

was reorganized as the School of Artillery to facilitate the expansion of the Regiment of Artillery. It was moved to the Minneriya Garrison in October 1990. Its programs include: ;Officers * Artillery Senior Command Course * Officers' Long Gunnery Staff Course * Gun Position Officer Course * Forward Observation Officer Course * Young Officers Course ;Other ranks * Long Gunnery and Staff Course * Basic Gun Course * Technical Assistants Course * Survey Course * Signal Course * Observation Post Assistant Course * Gun No 1 Course * Troop Leader Course * Locating Course * Assistant in Gunnery Long Course

Equipment

; Ceremonial * Ordnance QF 25 pounder field guns (ceremonial gun battery) * 76 mm mountain gun M48 mountain guns (colour gun) ;Light artillery (mortars) * Type 86 (W86) 120 mm mortars ;Field artillery * 122 mm Type 54 howitzers * 122 mm Type 60 howitzers * 122 mm Type 83 howitzers ;Medium artillery * 130 mm Type 59 field guns * 152 mm Type 66 gun-howitzers ;Rocket artillery * RM-70 Multiple rocket launcher * KRL 122 Multiple rocket launcher (retired) * PHL-81

Multiple rocket launcher A multiple rocket launcher (MRL) or multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) is a type of rocket artillery system that contains multiple rocket launcher, launchers which are fixed to a single weapons platform, platform, and shoots its rocket (weapon ...

(retired) ;Surveillance & target acquisition *

* SLC-2 Radar

Notable members

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Hamilton Wanasinghe General Hamilton Wanasinghe, VSV (18 August 1933 – 13 June 2025) was a Sri Lankan military officer and politician. He was full general in the Sri Lanka Army, serving as the 11th Commander of the Sri Lankan Army (1988–1991), third General ...

, VSV - former Commander of the Army *

L. P. Balagalle General Lionel Piyananda Balagalle, (15 June 1947 – 26 October 2023), was a senior Sri Lanka Army officer, who served as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army and the Chief of the Defence Staff. He is known for formalising military intelligen ...

, VSV, USP, ndc, IG - former Commander of the Army *

Srilal Weerasooriya, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP - former Commander of the Army. * Major General Gratian Silva, VSV - former Military Secretary * Major General Duleep Wickramanayake - former Director Operations and Training * Major General Jayantha de S. Jayaratne, VSV, ndc, IG - former Commander Security Forces Jaffna * Major General Sarath Munasinghe RWP, RSP, USP - former Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Commander Security Forces Headquarters, Jaffna * Major General Larry Wijeratne - former Brigade commander, 514 Brigade * Major General Ananda Hamangoda - former Brigade commander, 512 Brigade, Jaffna * Major General Larry Wijeratne - former Brigade commander, 514 Brigade *

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

B. K. V. J. E. Rodrigo Brigadier Bastian Koralalage Victor Justus Ethelred Rodrigo VSV was a Sri Lankan military leader, he served as the commandant of the Volunteer Force. Rodrigo was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 1st Anti Aircraft Regiment, Ceylon Art ...

- former

Commandant of the Volunteer Force Commandant Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force (SLAVF) has been the title of the head of the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force. The post is held by a regular officer of the rank of major general and is the fourth senior position in the army. Commandant is ...

Leonard Merlyn Wickremasooriya - former Commandant, Army Training Centre, Diyatalawa *

K.T.Sujeewa Gunawardhana, RSP, USP - first commanding officer, 14th Rocket Regiment SLA *

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Fredrick C. de Saram

, CA - former Commanding officer, 1st Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Ceylon Artillery & leader of the attempted military coup in 1962 * Lieutenant Colonel Wilmot "Willie" S. Abrahams, MC, MBE, CA - former Commanding Officer, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, Ceylon Artillery & accused conspirator in the 1962 coup d'état attempt *

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Victor Gunasekara Major Victor Joseph Harold Gunasekera, CCS (1921 — 1993) was a former Ceylonese civil servant. The former Controller of Imports Exports, Government Agent of Kegalle and Secretary to the Board of Control for Cricket. A reservist, he was a Maj ...

, CCS - former Controller of Imports Exports and government agent of

Kegalle Kegalle (; ) is a large town in Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. It is located on the Colombo–Kandy road, approximately from Colombo, from Kandy, from Kurunegala and from Avissavella. It is the main town in the Kegalle District, which i ...

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

Ajantha Mendis Balapuwaduge Ajantha Winslow Mendis (; born 11 March 1985) better known as Ajantha Mendis, is a Sri Lankan former international cricketer who played for the Sri Lankan national cricket team in all three formats. He is also known as the "myster ...

- international cricketer * Bombardier Gratien Fernando - leader of the Cocos Islands Mutiny

Alliances

* -

Royal Regiment of Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

Order of precedence

References

External links and sources

Sri Lanka Army

Sri Lanka Artillery

{{Sri Lanka Army Regiments *

Sri Lanka Artillery The Sri Lanka Artillery (SLA) is the artillery arm of the Sri Lanka Army. It is made up of ten regular regiments and two Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force, volunteer regiments. The SLA is headquartered at Panagoda Cantonment, Panagoda. The emblem o ...

Military units and formations established in 1888 Military units and formations of Ceylon in World War II