Indian, Sri Lankan air forces to conduct joint air drill

India and Sri Lanka will conduct a joint air drill soon, State Minister of Defence Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon said.

He told the Daily Mirror that basics for such a joint exercise was discussed with Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari who is in Sri Lanka.

Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari arrived in Sri Lanka on 01 May 2023 on a four-day official visit.

During his visit, he called on the tri-forces commanders, President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, the State Defence Minister and Defence Secretary.

During these discussions it was revealed that the two Air Forces would conduct a joint exercise on disaster management in the last quarter of this year on Sri Lanka waters. 

Air Marshal Choudhury said India would build a ‘Friendship Auditorium’ at the Sri Lanka Airforce Base in Trincomalee as a symbol of the close cooperation between the two Air Forces. 

He also said India would increase collaboration to further strengthen the National Defence College in Sri Lanka.(Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya)