The LTTE were set to get 10 new aircraft through an Eritrea-based arms smuggling network as the war against the Sri Lankan army was reaching its climax.

The aircraft had been dismantled and were to be shipped to the north-eastern coast of Sri Lanka when the war reached a decisive stage, the Indian media reported.

"The LTTE calculated that the war would stretch but it didn’t happen; the aircraft could not be delivered,’’ said a senior army officer.

The army officer said while waiting for the aircraft to arrive, LTTE had got pilots trained from training schools in Malaysia and Indonesia. ``Trained instructors were also present here. We recovered a pilot training simulator from the jungles of Mullaitivu. At least a dozen pilots had been trained. Two among them have been arrested.

Hundreds of satellite phones have been recovered in the continuing search operations by the SLA. "Besides satellite phones and advanced communication systems, we have recovered scores of radars, at least 10 152 mm guns and a dozen 130 mm guns," he said.