Conflict between Russia and Ukraine directly affecting our aircraft serviceability- SL Air Force

The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has a significant impact on the serviceability of aircraft, Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force Air Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana said.

In an interview with the Daily Mirror the Air Force Commander said Sri Lanka is heavily dependent on the two countries of military hardware requirements, as a number of aircraft within the fleet were manufactured by Soviet nations. 

"It is indeed a problem to us, as we have a lot of Soviet Union made aircraft and helicopters in our fleet. We are depending a lot on Russia, Ukraine and their neighbouring countries. So the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is directly affecting our aircraft serviceability and spares back up," the Commander said.

"However, we are now attempting to discuss with the neighbouring countries around Russia, to see how they can help us with the spares. We are also very mindful of how we would be using these spares," he added.

The Air Force Commander said that they have already identified several other suppliers in the region. "We mainly go with Russian or Ukrainian suppliers as they are the manufacturers or the main suppliers in the system. If we fail to negotiate with Russia and Ukraine, we might go into looking for other suppliers around the region," he said.(Kalani Kumarasinghe)