"LTTE can be defeated"- Air Force Chief
[28 Feb 2001]

"The LTTE can be defeated as demonstrated by recent successes. All these years we have been trying to match the LTTE's firepower but a change in strategy to acquiring superior arms and equipment has resulted in us being able to both attack and defend when the situation demands" said Sri Lanka Air Force Commander.

He further insisted that they were not fighting an unwinnable war in the North and the East. “Acquiring superior firepower has been the cause of the recent victories in the battlefront,” the Air Force Chief said. 

Today, the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) is equipped with the necessary aircraft and modern war equipment to defeat the LTTE.

The SLAF has undergone major changes during the last fifty years including the formation of combat squadrons and the strength of the force increasing almost ten fold.

The Air Force Commander also said that the Air Force has performed well in the field of engineering. “The Engineering division stepped into rebuilding Bell helicopters almost from scratch, thereby saving a large amount of foreign exchange. This is a giant step towards eventually making our own helicopters,” he said.

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