Dick Perera

Last updated

Air Chief Marshal

Dick Perera

VSV
Allegiance Sri Lanka
Service/branch Sri Lanka Air Force
Years of service1951-1986
Rank Air Chief Marshal
Unit No. 2 Squadron SLAF
Commands held Commander of the Sri Lankan Air Force
Awards Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya

Air Chief Marshal Dick Cuthbert Perera VSV was the 6th Commander of the Sri Lankan Air Force.

Educated at St. Benedict's College, Colombo Perera joined the newly formed Royal Ceylon Air Force on 21 September 1951 in the first batch of locally trained officer cadets. Completing his flying training on de Havilland DHC-1 Chipmunks and Boulton Paul Balliols, he gained gaining his wings from Prime Minister D. S. Senanayake. Attached to No. 2 Squadron as a pilot, he served as its commanding officer from 1964 to 1968. He served as officer commanding, Administrative Wing and Station Commander of SLAF Katunayake. Perera attended Air Command and Staff College and National Defence College, New Delhi. He became the first general duties (pilot) branch officer to be appointed Director Administration. Later he served as Director Operations and Chief of Staff. He was appointed Commander of the Air Force on 1 May 1981, having been promoted to the rank of Air Vice Marshal. 1983, saw a surge in flight operations in the SLAF with the escalation of the Sri Lankan Civil War. In his tenure, the air fore acquired Bell 212 and Bell 412 helicopters that were used as transports and gunships and the SLAF introduced SIAI Marchetti SF.260TP in light attack role having retired its jet fighters in the late 1970s. He retired on 30 April 1986 and was promoted to the rank of Air Marshal. He was succeeded by Andibuduge Fernando. In 1982, he became the first SLAF commander to be awarded the Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya and on 1 October 2007, he was promoted to the rank of Air Chief Marshal. He died on 23 November 2014. [1] [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lanka Air Force</span> Air warfare branch of Sri Lankas military forces

The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) 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 and has a projected trained strength of 30,000 airmen and 2000 officers, who are from both regular and reserve service.

Marshal of the Sri Lanka Air Force W. D. M. J. Roshan Goonetileke, RWP and bar, VSV, USP, PhD (Hon), FIM (SL), ndc, psc is a senior officer of the Sri Lanka Air Force. The current Governor of the Western Province, Goonetileke had served as the Chief of the Defence Staff and Commander of the Sri Lankan Air Force.

Air Chief Marshal W.D. Harry Goonetileke USP, ndc, psc, SLAF was the fifth Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force from November 1, 1976 to April 30, 1981.

Air Chief Marshal G Donald Perera VSV, USP is a Sri Lanka air officer who served as commander of the Air Force from 2002 to 2006 and Chief of the Defence Staff from 2006 to 2009. He served as Sri Lankan Ambassador to Israel.

Air Chief Marshal Jayalath Weerakkody, RWP, VSV, USP is a Sri Lanka air officer who served as commander of the Air Force from 1999 to 2002. He served as Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denis Perera</span> Sri Lankan army officer and diplomat (1930–2013)

General Deshamanya Joseph Everard Denis Perera, VSV, FCMI was a senior Sri Lanka Army officer who served as Commander of the Sri Lankan Army from 1977 to 1981. He was also the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Australia, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Ceylon Tobacco Company and Chancellor of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University. He envisioned for a women's corps in the army which resulted in the creation of the Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps in 1979.

Air Chief Marshal Deshamanya Pathman Hariprasadha Mendis, FBIM was a Sri Lankan aviator. He was the fourth Commander of the Royal Ceylon Air Force from 1971 to 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tissa Weeratunga</span> Sri Lanka Armys senior officer and diplomat (1930–2003)

General Tissa Indraka Weeratunga, VSV was a Sri Lankan senior army officer. He was a former Commander of the Sri Lankan Army and first general officer commanding (GOC) of the Joint Operations Headquarters (JOH), he was later Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 2 Squadron SLAF</span> Military unit

No. 2 "Heavy Transport" Squadron is a squadron of the Sri Lanka Air Force. It currently operates the C-130 Hercules and Antonov 32 from SLAF Katunayake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nalin Seneviratne</span> Sri Lankan senior army officer

General Ganegoda Appuhamelage Don Granville Nalin Seneviratne, VSV was a Sri Lankan Army officer. He was the Commander of the Sri Lankan Army from 1985 to 1988 and first Governor of the North East Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harsha Abeywickrama</span>

Air Chief Marshal Harsha Abeywickrema, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, rcds, psc, qfi is a senior Sri Lankan air force officer and fighter pilot, who served as the Commander of the Sri Lankan Air Force from 2012 to 2014 and later went on to serve as the Chairman of the Bank of Ceylon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kolitha Gunathilake</span>

Air Chief Marshal Kolitha Gunathilake, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, ndc, psc, qfi is a Sri Lankan fighter pilot and a former Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Sri Lankan Air Force.

Air Chief Marshal Gagan Bulathsinghala RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, MPhil, MSc 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.

Air Chief Marshal Andibuduge Walter Fernando, VSV, ndc, psc was a senior Sri Lanka Air Force officer, who served as the 7th Commander of the Sri Lankan Air Force and thereafter Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Defence.

Air Chief Marshal Makalandage Johnny Terrence "Terry" De Silva Gunawardena, VSV (-2014) was the 8th Commander of the Sri Lankan Air Force.

Air Chief Marshal Oliver Matthew Ranasinghe, RWP, VSV, USP, ndc, psc was the 9th Commander of the Sri Lankan Air Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sumangala Dias</span> Sri Lankan aviator

Air Chief Marshal Dambure Liyanage Sumangala Dias, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP is a senior Sri Lankan Air Force Officer who served as Commander of the Air Force from 2019 to 2020. He retired from his position as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force on 2 November 2020 and was replaced by Air Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kapila Jayampathy</span>

Air Chief Marshal Kapila Veedhiya Bandara Jayampathy WWV, RWP, RSP MSc, MSc 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sudarshana Pathirana</span> Sri Lankan aviator and current Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force

Air Marshal Sudarshana Karagoda Pathirana psc, is a senior Sri Lankan Air Force Officer. He is the current Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force. Born on 30 December 1965, Air Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana is an alumnus of Dharmaraja College, Kandy.

Air Vice-Marshal M. D. A. Prasanna Payoe is a retired Air officer of the Sri Lanka Air Force who served as Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Air Force. Prior to this appointment, he served as Director Training and the Director Air Operations. He also served as Base Commander of Sri Lanka’s largest air force base, Katunayake.

References

  1. ↑ "Air Chief Marshal D C Perera VSV, ndc, psc". airforce.lk.
  2. ↑ "Air Chief Marshal D C Perera passes away". Island. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
Military offices
Preceded by Commander of the Sri Lankan Air Force
1981-1986		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.