Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

Umm someone correct me if I'm wrong but the Shaldags and Dvoras in SLN should already come with fairly substantial fire control, either in the form of the Typhoon's own CMS suite or slaved to external FC from the Dvora/Shaldag itself, unless the SLN opted for inferior electronics on purchase?

Regarding the Colombo harbour incident apparently the LTTE targetted an OPV which had just arrived from a foreign country after a refit?

The Mi-24 is generally not considered to be the Russian equivalent of the UH-60. The troop carrying capability of the Mi-24 is an additional feature of a design otherwise optimised for the attack role - this capability was never in the initial statement of design. The broadest Russian equivalent to the UH-60 BLACKHAWK is the Mi-8/Mi-17 HIP multi-purpose helicopter.

Although the Mi-24 can carry a small contingent of Special Forces personnel, it is unlikely the SLAF will deploy the Mi-24/35 Hind in such a role. The point I believe here is not about capability, but more about tactics. The most overriding factor in this scenario is the availability of combat ready aircraft. The current SLAF policy is to base 2-3 aircraft at PALALAI in JAFFNA, 2-3 aircraft at CHINA BAY in TRINCOMALEE and 2-3 aircraft at KATUNAYAKE near COLOMBO. The remaining airframes are based at the main Mi-24/35 base in Sri Lanka - HINGARUKGODA Air Base in MINNERIYA.

With the current distribution of these assets, the SLAF cannot afford to use the Mi-24/35 in a troop insertion role given the threat environment; even though the aircraft now have a comprehensive anti-missile defensive suite. A far more likely option, and more suited for the role would be to use a Mi-17 HIP with the Mi-24 providing escort and air support.

The recent conflict in the East of Sri Lanka saw the extensive deployment of 6 to 8 man Special Forces units in the battlefield. The option of using 2 or 3 Mi-17's with one Mi-24 providing air cover to insert friendly troops deep inside thamil tiger controlled territory in the North is a strong possibility.

The SLAF and SLA are still quite conservative, in certain scenarios, when it comes to the combined operational use of its Mi-24/35 assets.



During the times the Mi-24V involved in the confrontation was equipped with the CoMPASS IV sensor - then yes once the target was selected by the weapons-system operator, the gun tracked and fired upon it automatically.

However on all other occasions, engagements were manual. Either using the KPS-53AV optical sight/12.7mm YakB gun combination on the Mi-24V or Gun-Camera/GSh-2-30K two-barrel 30mm gun on the Mi-35P.



The current Mi-24V and 35P helicopters with the SLAF are capable of carrying and firing the AT-9 anti-tank missile - commonly referred to as the ATAKA anti-tank missile system - using the current aircrafts RADUGA-Sh fire-control system. The aircraft does not need any additional upgrades to its offensive avionic systems to do this. However, the standard missile armament on the Mi-24V and 35P is the AT-6 SPIRAL anti-tank missile; also know as the SHTURM-V missile system. Both missile systems use semi-automatic radio command guidance given to it from the RADUGA-Sh fire-control system.



The SLAF at present already has a small consignment of AT-6A 9M114 missiles that it received in 2000. However, my sources appear to suggest that these missiles have been in storage at a SLAF warehouse facility since deliver.

I will talk about the possibility of the SLAF using variants of the AT-6A in the future a little later in this post.



The issue you have highlighted is part of a set of standard procedures when using the FIREFINDER radar system.

However in the Sri Lankan warfront there are several factors that could affect the accuracy of counter battery artillery and MBRL fire directed by the FIREFINDER radar system.

Although the SLA is know to have 4 x FIREFINDER radar systems, only 1 is currently operational. The 3 remaining units are in storage pending critical repairs for the last 5-6 months, and will not see any action any time soon. This single operational unit is constantly transported between operational theatres. This relocation seriously undermines the Radar siting procedures required when using the FIREFINDER radar system. Radar siting in a nutshell is a set of procedures adopted to position the radar unit in the most optimum detection location on any given terrain.

FIREFINDER personnel refer to the elevation profile of the local terrain as the screening crest and to the electronically controlled elevation angle versus azimuth scan angle dynamics of the radar beam as the search fence. FIREFINDER siting and preliminary determination of the screening crest is currently performed manually by the SLA using topographic maps and reconnoitering the forward area. Once the radar is sited, an aiming circle is employed to determine the actual screening crest during the day.

Determining the coverage at a particular location, based on the optimal mechanical antenna tilt angle and search fence, and by assessing FIREFINDER's ability to locate enemy weapons firing from specific locations can take hours - even days - when done manually. It would appear because this unit is constantly being relocated, some of these siting procedures are not adhered to. This will seriously undermine the FIREFINDER's ability to accurately locate enemy artillery and mortar fire. The result is CEP's of around 35m in counter battery fire.

So in conclusion - measuring the accuracy of counterbattery fire using FIREFINDER is irrelevant if these siting procedures are compromised.

Im sure wikipedia will give you a pretty comprehensive explanation about how rangefinders work :o)



The addition of an air-to-air capability on to the current mission profile of the Mi-24/35 is no longer on the cards. My revelation at the time was pertaining to a air to ground capability using S-8 80mm rockets and AT-6A missiles..

Not too good - The SLAF currently has only one operational C-130K (CR880).

CR881 is currently grounded indefinitely and has been used as a source of spare parts for CR880.

However...

Good news - The US will be providing the SLAF with spares and support to bring CR881 back to active service in the near future.

CR880 will soon be reaching the time it will have to come in for a scheduled airframe and engine overhaul. This will mean that the aircraft will be grounded for a couple of months till this is done.



Most of the equipment and spares required for this capability are sourced from Canada - Bell Helicopter Textron Canada. The SLAF also gets some technical expertise and support from Heli Orient in Singapore.

Apart from a capability to replace and repair external structural components damaged while operating the aircraft, the SLAF now is able to completely dissemble the aircraft, overhaul its components at the workshop and reassemble the aircraft back into a flyable state. The SLAF also overhauls and reintroduces some the aircrafts avionics components.



When I revealed this to the forum in September last year, my sources in that part of the world told me that this air-to-air refit was a recommendation made to the SLAF by PAF advisors in Sri Lanka at the time. This was offered as a credible option to counter a possible LTTE air threat. As a result of these recommendations the Sri Lankan government informed its counterpart in Pakistan for a provisional order amounting to the following:

* 12 x AIM-9P air-to-air missiles for SLAF KFIR-C2/C7 fighters;
* 8 x R-550 MkII air-to-air missiles for SLAF Mi-35P Hind helicopters;

A more recent assessment of this situation is that the Mi-35P air-to-air refit has been shelved. The SLAF is instead going for the 10-12 x AIM-9P air-to-air missiles for its KFIR C.2/C.7 aircraft.

However in reply to your question - since the idea was a PAF suggestion and not a SLAF request, your airforce most likely just went with what was easily and readily available at the time and most suited for this role - PAF R-550 MkII missiles. The R-550 MkII was the easiest missile to mate on the Mi-24.

As you have highlighted the Igla-1V (SA-16 Gimlet) would have been a more effective choice, and a far easier addition to the aircraft compared to the modifications required to introduce the R-550 Mk11. However one advantage the R-550 MkII offered was its interoperability with the CoMPASS V FLIR sensor on some SLAF Mi-24V and 35P HINDS.

But since the R-550 MkII's were offered quite cheaply I don't think the SLAF bothered to look elsewhere.

Incidentally while we're still on this discussion the standard Mi-24V can also fire the R-60 APHID and R-73 ARCHER air-to-air missiles in addition to the Igla-1V. All that's required in terms of a refit for the R-60 and R-73 is a modified launch rail on the outer wing pylon and the necessary electronic components to inform the pilot of a target lock. The Igla-1V is fired from a tube and is a similar configuration to the SHTURM-V missile system.



As explained above - the ability of the K-8 to carry the R-550 Mk11 was not the reason the R550 was selected as an option for the Mi-24/35.

However.. the K-8 can indeed carry the R-550 MkI and MkII.

The K-8 variant with the SLAF has western avionics: 1553B databus, Collins EFIS-86 system flight instrumentation, Bendix/King - Magnavox VHF/UHF radio, Bendix/King VHF landing/navigation, TACAN system, and air data computer.

This configuration easily allows the aircraft to incorporate western missiles like the R-550.

Incidentally, the K-8 came with a consignment of PL-3 and PL-5 missiles.



The SLAF has expressed interest in acquiring a FT-7PG.

Although the airframe is of vintage design, the FT-7PG is a capable platform. The aircraft has a new pulse-Doppler radar/avionics/offensive and defensive systems. The price agreed at the time was around $3.2million for this aircraft.

The aircraft will not be used for air-defence .. I will talk about this a little later.

I wouldn't criticise Chinese technology so quickly .. their recent star wars missile that destroyed one of their weather satellites demonstrates how quickly china has advanced its aerospace know how. Just to point out a successful intercept of a satellite from a missile guided from the ground has never been down before .. even we have failed in this attempt, our strikes have all been air-launched satellite killers .. this gives you an indication of how far Chinese technology has matured .. this event has sparked a mini crisis in our circles of late..

The casualties were civilians ..

This village was a civilian fishing settlement and was not a Thamil Tiger base. However, this village had been used by the Sea Tigers as a staging point to launch its MURAJ FAC on at least one occasion late last year.

As a result of successful air strikes on identified Sea Tiger installations in the early part of last year, the Sea Tigers began to disperse their naval assets throughout the coastline under their control. Their strategy has been to break up their fleet into small groups of 2-3 boats and hide them along the coastline, and only gather their FAC's - hidden at different locations - together to form a swarm when about to attack a target.

The village in question was concealing 2 x Sea Tiger MURAJ FAC's on the day of the air strike. The presence of these boats was revealed to the Sri Lankan military establishment when a SLAF SEARCHER UAV on a reconnaissance run caught the boats on camera a couple of days before the air strike.

Whether this makes the settlement a legitimate target is open to debate. In my opinion however it was a poorly identified threat - this target did not constitute a high priority threat of any real significant value. This settlement should not have been targeted.

The air strike did destroy its target however.



See a previous post (http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2006/9/8415_5.html)

At the time, the report based its selection of the IAI KFIR C.2 on the following merits:

*superior payload;
*day night flying capability;
*computerised weapons delivery system;

However, in hindsight it would appear the selection was based more on politics than the actual capabilities of the aircraft.

At the present time - although the Su-25 is an excellent close air support aircraft, taking into account crew and technical personnel training, availability of spares and the necessary support infrastructure, and the fact that the Su-25 is a bit more expensive than the MiG-27D - the MiG is a better option for the SLAF

1.-- 1 x FT-7PG fighter from Pakistan.
2.-- 1 x ATLIS II Laser/Electro-Optical Targeting Pod from Pakistan.
3.-- 2 x VECTOR MkII UAV's from Pakistan.
4.-- 2 x YCL-6 2D Low Altitude Surveillance Radars from China.
5.-- 1 x CLC-3 Highly Mobile Low Altitude Air Defence Radar from China.
6.-- Undisclosed number of S-8D FAE 80mm Rockets from Pakistan.
7.-- Undisclosed number of AT-6A Shtrum-9210 FAE Anti-Tank Missiles from Pakistan.

LTTE TO EMULATE BAATHIST TACTICS IN THE EAST

How ever much you push hard militarily, unless you win over the Northern Brethren with a political package acceptable to the majority of Tamils, it a never ending conflict with no winners!