The United States Department of Defence (DOD) yesterday (12) commenced a two-day specialised training programme to up-skill Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF), and stakeholder personnel in Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) related Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) system competency. The training comes in preparation for the impending delivery of the Beach King Air 360ER Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA), which the United States has pledged to donate to the Indian Ocean island nation.
The Daily Morning reliably learns that the aircraft which the United States will donate to Sri Lanka, is expected to arrive on the island later this year.
It is also learnt that a US-based private defence contractor specialised in training and MDA, will carry out the two-day training, using sensors and systems which are fitted to a US-registered business jet (a US-registered Bombardier CL-600). Many countries operate specialised versions of business jets in the MPA role due to their speed, endurance, and ease of operation. According to sources at Ratmalana airport, a short demonstration flight to showcase the efficiency of the systems and sensors, included the US ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung, National Security Advisor Sagala Ratnayaka, and the Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa.
Responding to a query from The Daily Morning, SLAF Spokesperson Group Captain Dushan Wijesinghe acknowledged that the training opportunity which the US DOD has provided in collaboration with U.S. Embassy in Colombo, was aimed at providing local aircrew and mission crew ‘hands-on experience’ with sensors and systems similar to the ones which are expected to equip the King Air 360ER MPA.
“The initiative aims to enhance Sri Lanka’s maritime domain awareness capabilities, provide training to SLAF pilots and Sri Lanka’s Tri-Services involved in maritime surveillance in preparation for future engagement opportunities with the United States and strengthen interoperability and relations between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Government of the United States to promote a more safe and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. Over time, this new capability will help Sri Lankan Tri-Services to better protect Sri Lanka’s marine resources, deter illicit trafficking, monitor its exclusive economic zone, and ensure the security of its seas,” the SLAF said.
The SLAF further stated that the ISR demonstration will help to establish the requisite infrastructure and support for future MDA, training and cooperation with the SLAF, including joint security exercises and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.
In 2022, the US Government awarded an approximately $ 11 million contract to BeechKing Air manufacturer, Textron Aviation to deliver a new production King Air 360 Extended Range (ER) model for Sri Lanka. The aircraft, built for special mission/maritime patrol duties, is expected to be equipped with an array of sensors which will improve Sri Lanka maritime domain awareness capacity. Australia has also pledged to supply Sri Lanka with a BeechCraft 350 aircraft for MPA duties. It remains unclear if both Australian and US aircraft will be equipped with compatible sensors and systems. In August 2022, the Indian Government, after a lengthy negotiation process, donated Sri Lanka a HAL Dornier-228 MPA aircraft, which is now in service with No.03 Squadron, based in China Bay, Trincomalee.
Source: the morning