SLAF Colombo

Last updated
SLAF Colombo
Colombo, Western Province
UG-LK Photowalk - Airforce HQ - 2017-03-12 (2).jpg
Location map of central Colombo.png
Red pog.svg
SLAF Colombo
Coordinates 6°55′41″N79°51′04″E / 6.9281°N 79.8510°E / 6.9281; 79.8510 Coordinates: 6°55′41″N79°51′04″E / 6.9281°N 79.8510°E / 6.9281; 79.8510
Type Air Force Headquarters
Site information
Controlled by Sri Lanka Air Force
Site history
In use 1952 – present

SLAF Colombo is the Sri Lanka Air Force headquarters in Colombo. In this capacity it has the offices of the Commander of the Air Force, Chief of Staff, the Board of Management (BOM) and Board of Directors (BOD) of the Sri Lanka Air Force. All air and ground operations are directed from SLAF Colombo.

Sri Lanka Air Force 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 27,400 airmen and 1,300 officers, who are from both regular and reserve service. The Sri Lanka Air Force has expanded to specialize mainly in providing air-support to ground forces, troop landing, and carrying out air strikes on rebel-held areas in the Northern and Eastern theaters, but is also capable of high- and low-level air defence.

Colombo Commercial Capital in Western Province, Sri Lanka

Colombo is the commercial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo metropolitan area has a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 in the city proper. It is the financial centre of the island and a popular tourist destination. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to the Greater Colombo area which includes Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, the legislative capital of Sri Lanka and Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. Colombo is often referred to as the capital since Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is within the urban area of, and a suburb of, Colombo. It is also the administrative capital of the Western Province and the district capital of Colombo District. Colombo is a busy and vibrant place with a mixture of modern life and colonial buildings and ruins. It was the legislative capital of Sri Lanka until 1982.

Commander of the Air Force (Sri Lanka)

The Commander of the Air Force is the professional head of the Sri Lanka Air Force. The current Commander of the Air Force is Air Marshal Kapila Jayampathy. It is a position comparable to that of Chief of the Air Staff of the Royal Air Force. The Chief of Staff of the Air Force acts as a deputy commander within the command structure.

Apart from functioning as a headquarters, it is a limited air base for helicopter operations. Established soon after the formation of Royal Ceylon Air Forces was formed in 1951 at the former officers mess of the former Ceylon Rifle Regiment at Rifle green. The officer's mess was moved in the 1970s when the Trans Asia Hotel was made in its location. The mess is currently housed in the Cinnamon gardens area of Colombo. It is the only Officers' Mess to be located outside a SLAF Station premises.

The Ceylon Rifle Regiment (CRR) was a regular native regiment formed by the British in Ceylon. Its history goes back to 1795.

Related Research Articles

Ceylon Defence Force (CDF) was established in 1910 by the Ceylonese legislation Ceylon Defence Force Ordinance, which reformed the Ceylon Volunteer Force (CVF) that existed previously as the military reserve in the British Crown colony of Ceylon. At the time of forming it was only a reserve force but soon developed into a regular force responsible for the defence of Ceylon. The CDF was under the command of the General Officer Commanding, Ceylon of the British Army in Ceylon if mobilized. However mobilization could be carried out only under orders from the Governor.

Sri Lanka Army

The Sri Lankan Army is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and is the nation's army. Established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, it was renamed when Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972. In 2010, the Army had approximately 200,000 regular personnel, between 20,000–40,000 reserve personnel and 18,000 National Guardsmen and comprises 13 operational divisions, one air-mobile brigade, one commando brigade, one special forces brigade, one independent armored brigade, three mechanized infantry brigades and over 40 infantry brigades. From the 1980s to 2009 the army was engaged in the Sri Lankan Civil War.

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.

Sri Lanka Air Force Regiment

The Sri Lanka Air Force Regiment is a specialized ground combat corps within the Sri Lanka Air Force, responsible for capturing and defending airfields and associated installations. Its members are the SLAF Regiment Officers and the airmen of operations ground specialization. The SLAF Regiment is fully capable of protecting all its air bases, installations by itself using infantry and light armored units as well as launch air assaults with Airborne Infantry elements (paratroopers). Ground-based air defense of vital military and civil installations around the country is carried out by the SLAF Regiment along with combat search and rescue missions (CSAR). The corps itself is simply known as the 'regiment'.

China Bay Airport

China Bay Airport (Tamil: சீனக்குடா விமான நிலையம், translit. Cīṉakkuṭā Vimāṉa Nilaiyam; Sinhalese: චීන වරාය ගුවන්තොටුපළ, translit. Cīna Varāya Guvantoṭupaḷa; is an air force base and domestic airport in China Bay in eastern Sri Lanka. Located approximately 7 km south west of the city of Trincomalee, the airport is also known as Trincomalee Airport and SLAF China Bay.

Air Chief Marshal Deshamanya Paddy Mendis MBIM, idc, psc, SLAF was the fourth Commander of the Royal Ceylon Air Force from 1971 to 1976.

No. 1 Flying Training Wing currently based at SLAF China Bay, carries out basic pilot training of the Sri Lanka Air Force. It is the oldest flying formation in the SLAF.

Air Vice Marshal P.B. Premachandra RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, ndc, psc, qfi, SLAF is the former Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Air Force.

Sri Lanka Air Force Museum

The Sri Lanka Air Force Museum is the museum of the Sri Lanka Air Force, and its predecessor, the Royal Ceylon Air Force. Open to the public, the museum is at the SLAF Ratmalana and is maintained by the Sri Lanka Air Force.

Sri Lanka Armed Forces Combined military forces of Sri Lanka

The Sri Lanka Armed Forces is the overall unified military of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka encompassing the Sri Lanka Army, the Sri Lanka Navy, and the Sri Lanka Air Force; they are governed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The three services have around 276,700 active personnel; conscription has never been imposed in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lanka Coast Guard is also under the purview of the Ministry of Defence but is staffed by civilian personal.

Harsha Abeywickrama Sri Lankan air force commander

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 2011 to 2014 and later went on to serve as a Chairman of the Bank of Ceylon.

Kolitha Gunathilake Sri Lankan air marshal

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 Vice Marshal Ravi Arunthavanathan, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, psc, SLAF was the former Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Air Force and current Additional Secretary, Ministry of Defence.

Air Chief Marshal Gagan Bulathsinghala RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, MPhil, MSc in Mgt, FIM(SL) ndc, 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.

Colombo Racecourse sports venue in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Colombo Racecourse was a harness racing course in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. During the Second World War, it was used as a temporary airfield. In 2012 it was redeveloped as the Colombo Racecourse Sports Complex to become the first International Rugby Union ground in Sri Lanka to host all the national rugby union sides home matches.

Ekala, Sri Lanka Suburb in Sri Lanka

Ekala, Sri Lanka is a suburb of Ja-Ela situated within a radius of 3 km from Ja-Ela. Ekala is notable as an industrial location. It belongs to the Ja-Ela Pradeshiya Sabha.

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.