Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

All I can tell you at this moment is that my Chinese sources have confirmed that your president discussed the finalisation of the agreement to purchase the following radars:

2 x YCL-6 2D Low Altitude Surveillance Radars
1 x CLC-3 Highly Mobile Low Altitude Air Defence Radar

I highlighted this acquisition on an earlier occasion. These units are manufactured by the NRIET (Nanjing Research Institute of Electronic Technology) organisation.

My link also highlighted ''rumours'' of other agreements .. however until I'm sure I would rather not say anything.

The SLAF do not have any more Y-8's in their fleet.

Somalia was quite different - Perhaps the best publicised case was when we lost 2 x Army Special Operations MH-60s in Mogadishu, both taken down by RPG's while operating at low speed and altitude over a complex urban terrain. This incident has been largely attributed to poor tactical flying rather than flaws in the tactics, procedures or defensive equipment in place at the time. Plus we never had the same volume of threats to deal with, and our losses were extremely small by comparison.

In IRAQ, apart from the Special Operations and SAR helicopters, most of the others with our armed forces still rely on what we call First generation defensive suites - basic radar warning receiver, undirected IR jammers and chaff/flare dispensers. A second generation suite - like the suites equipping our Special Operations and SAR helicopters - have radar and laser warning receivers, missile approach warning systems, directed IR jammers, and both radio-frequency and IR expendables.

This suite was put to the test recently; in January 2006, a delegation of the US House Armed Services Committee were targeted by the most sophisticated MANPAD available on the market, a Russian-made SA-18. This attack occurred while travelling from Baghdad to Kuwait in a military C-130 transport aircraft in a 'lights out' (minimal emissions) configuration. Fortunately the C-130's onboard countermeasures system defeated the threat. This event is significant for several reasons.

First, it involved a high profile target; second, it validated that SA-18's are available to Iraqi insurgents; and third, it showed that an existing onboard countermeasures system prevailed over a formidable weapon.

The C-130 used on that flight was equipped with what I referred to earlier - second generation defensive suite. We refer to it as SIIRCM (Suite of Infrared Countermeasures). It has the following components:


AN/ALQ-212 Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasures (ATIRCM)

AN/AAR-57 Common Missile Warning System (CMWS)

The SIIRCM suite represents our next generation of lamp/laser jammer, missile warner (CMWS), advanced flare dispenser, and advanced flare munitions.

Again the reason our helicopters have suddenly become susceptible to unguided weapons is because we now fly low to avoid missiles like the SA-16 and SA-18 - our pilots have lost faith in the AN/ALQ-144(V) omni-directional IR jamming system to offer protection against these threats. As a result we enter a region of airspace susceptible to unguided threats.

However once these aircraft get a comprehensive second generation defensive suite, our AH-64D attack helicopters and UH-60/AH-64 troop transports will be able to fly above the RPG/gun corridor without fearing a missile threat.

Like I said earlier, at distances of tens to hundreds of yards an RPG-7 can be a much more dangerous threat than a MANPAD. The reality is; helicopters exposed to urban combat, combat SAR, special operations and other situations must operate the aircraft in close proximity to an opponent. At close quarters a sword is just as lethal as an assault rifle, and this argument remains as true as ever - low tech weapons can kill just as effectively as high tech weapons.

The following methods can be used to counter these threats. In environments where close quarters automatic weapon fire is a high risk, the armour on the aircraft can be incrementally improved by the application of Kevlar or metal alloy armour panels - one can never have enough armour.

Tolerance to RPG damage is problematic given the killing power of such weapons. While additional armour may help, no helicopter can ever carry enough armour to defeat an anti-tank weapon built to kill or cripple heavy armoured vehicles.

One technique which could be viable is the use of a visible band dazzling laser, designed to sweep the lower hemisphere of the helicopter.

Another emerging technology is the millimetric band 'pain beam' microwave riot control device, which is a non-lethal weapon producing an intolerable but temporary burning sensation on the skin of a person illuminated with the beam.

Early warning of an inbound RPG shot may prove viable by permitting a pilot to effect an evasive manoeuvre to spoil the shot. Existing radar based MAWS technology could be adapted for this purpose, as well as to detect the source of incoming small arms or machine gun fire. As RPGs are unguided, a violent and rapid manoeuvre could ruin even a well aimed shot during the flight of the weapon. Achieving good enough reaction times will be the principal obstacle - in MAWS applications the weapon may be detected miles away affording time for a measured reaction. The same is not true for a close quarters RPG shot.



I think Mr.SenaM gave a good account of the possible methods used.

I don't know more than that at this moment. However I've been told that their biggest trawlers have a limit of 6 tonnes.

Nice to see you again Mr.Tamilcanuck..

I see that your still talking about me in other threads :o) .. still keeping a tab, lurking in the background reading my comments in this thread as well I see :o)

Well its been awhile since we last spoke .. It appears since then your organisation has suffered quite a few well publicised reversals.. how is your organisation fairing these days according to your personal assessment??

It appears your group has now lost roughly 70% of the territory it once controlled in the EAST of your little island. I guess the proposed mythical Thamil EELAM state is getting smaller by the day. Not a very promising statistic.

We are indeed in a situation in IRAQ.. suffice to say we're taking care of it .. What can I say - our commander-in-chief sent us to fight a war that was illegal, and on the long run counter productive in our efforts to stabilise the Middle East..

Cant really say the same about your little group though.



While Glossing over one of the threads in this forum recently, I couldn't help but notice your excitement and exuberation at the possibility of Judge Collin's throwing away the Presidents decision to designate the Thamil Tigers as a terrorist entity - for being unconstitutional... :o) I can but smile at your behaviour .. you have a lot to learn about the US, and way things work over here .. Wait and see.

Let me make one thing very clear about US policy, and in the process give you a reality check. The US Government has three specific criteria for the LTTE to meet:

(1) Renounce claims for a separate State
(2) Renounce violence
(3) Accept pluralistic democratic polity of Sri Lanka.

Until these are fulfilled, the LTTE will remain classified as a Terrorist Organisation in the US.

The only way to achieve anything resembling Thamil EELAM - replace the current leadership of the LTTE, and negotiate for a federal Thamil EELAM state within a United SRI LANKAN state .. and you might just get it.. Till this change within the LTTE occurs the US will never support your efforts to break of the SRI LANKAN state.

It appears the general consensus within the supporters of the Thamil Tigers is that they can militarily achieve EELAM with the present LTTE leadership and force it upon the international community.. All I can say is:

''Please do attempt to do so, we're watching with immense trepidation :o)''

In the same breath let me also say that if the SRI LANKAN Government does not make preparations to put forward a workable solution soon:

''The US will only endorse the present Governments strategy for so long, we are losing patience.''

If the Government does not make the effort to push for peace there will be consequences. This is not a threat just another reality check.

However - we will in no way compromise the SRI LANKAN Governments position in their efforts to democratise the Thamil Tigers. We will not at any point attempt to change the military balance present on the island right now, to favour of the LTTE.

With respect to the incident on the 22nd .. wait and see Mr.Tamilcanuck, you have a lot to learn about US diplomacy..

From what I can tell you - It's a joint collaborative effort between the defence department in your country, some universities and private institutions.

These UAV's were used extensively in the east during the Vakarai offensive as a short-range battlefield surveillance platform.

Initially you guys had some difficulties in developing the stabilized sensor package.. from what I was told this seems to have been sorted out.

This aircraft is not in the same league as the SEARCHER Mk I with the SLAF or the VECTOR Mk II that's on its way.

These UAV's are more an 'in-theatre' surveillance platform for the Army..

Their similar in design to the VECTOR Mk II, but a bit smaller.

This is a good initiative - should help your army vastly improve it's in theatre battlefield surveillance capabilities. These aircraft will be very important in future battles.

Not really, the offensive and defensive systems are identical, its performance is the same. There is no real discernable difference between the two types.

Combat capabilities are identical.

For the development history of the MiG-27 the following website might be helpful.





MiG-23BM is the first example of the contemporary MiG-27 series.

The MiG-23 was indeed intended to be an air-superiority fighter. The internet these days has very good articles regarding former Soviet aircraft. The following link might be useful.





The MiG-27D's with the SLAF are equipped with a pair of KDS-23 flare/chaff dispensers firing PPI-50 IR flares. The 50mm PPI-50 has a burn time of 8 seconds, and can effectively jam the Stinger missile.

The MiG is also equipped with a SPS-144 IR jammer.

This topic has been discussed before; refer to my posts in the following link:

http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2006/9/8415_15.html

http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2006/9/8415_22.html

The K-8 with the SLAF is unlikely to see combat.

The KFIR C.7 can carry and fire the TV guided AGM-65 Maverick missile and the FRENCH AS-39 Exocet anti-ship missile.

The MiG or the K-8 do not have a specific guided anti-ship missile capability.

The MiG can however carry and fire the RUSSIAN Kh-29T TV guided missile for such a role though.



Not really.

What is it exactly that you want to know .. I need you to be more specific.



The eight-bladed composite propeller was necessitated as a result of using the TP400-D6 engine.

The job of the propeller is to 'absorb' the power produced by the engine and transmit that power to the air flow passing through the propeller disk. Energy is added to the air to speed it up and generate a thrust force on the propeller blades. If the propeller and engine are not properly matched depending on the power of the engine, both become inefficient and performance suffers.

As engine power increases, the options available to design a propeller capable of efficiently absorbing that greater power is limited. Here's a few things that can be considered:

(1.)
Increase the blade angle (or the pitch) of the propeller blades. In so doing, the angle of attack of the blades increases allowing the blades to impart greater energy to the air flow.

(2.)
Increase the diameter of the propeller disk, i.e. make the blades longer. The blades will therefore transfer more energy by affecting a larger volume of air.

(3.)
Increase the revolutions per minute of the propeller. The same amount of energy is transferred to the air but in a shorter time.

(4.)
Increase the camber (or curvature) of the blade airfoil. A propeller blade is composed of airfoil shapes just like a wing is. Increasing the camber of a propeller blade creates a greater thrust force just like increasing the camber of a wing creates a greater lift force.

(5.)
Increase the chord (or width) of the propeller blades.

(6.)
Increase the number of blades.

Unfortunately, many of these options create more problems than they solve and are generally impractical for at least one reason.

(1.)
Blade angle: The pitch of the blade is set by the angle that optimizes the aerodynamic efficiency of the blade. If this angle is changed, we lose one kind of efficiency in order to gain another. This trade-off makes changing the blade angle a very unattractive alternative.

(2.)
Blade length: While increasing tip speed is a significant issue (see the next point), size constraints are usually the greatest problem with this option. As the propeller size increases, the landing gear must become longer to avoid scraping the blade tips on the runway. This change has a domino effect on a number of other structural and weight issues.

(3.)
Revolutions per minute: For the same propeller diameter, the blade tips travel faster and faster as the rotational speed increases. Eventually, the blade tips become supersonic where shock waves form, drag increases substantially, and efficiency plummets.

(4.)
Airfoil camber: The blade airfoils are chosen for optimum aerodynamic efficiency. By changing sections, we again sacrifice one kind of efficiency for another. Increasing camber may also result in problems with the blade structure.

We are now left with the final two options, increasing the blade chord or the number of blades. Both result in increasing the solidity of the propeller disk. Solidity simply refers to the area of the propeller disk that is occupied by solid components (the blades) versus that area open to the air flow. As solidity increases, a propeller can transfer more power to the air.

While increasing the blade chord is the easier option, it is less efficient because we decrease the aspect ratio of the blades resulting in some loss of aerodynamic efficiency. Thus, increasing the number of blades is the most attractive approach even though there is an increased drag penalty.

The new MiG's with the SLAF have the following serials: CF738, CF739, CF740 and CF741.


CF721, CF725

CF711, CF713, CF714, CF717, CF718, CF720

CF710, CF726

CF761, CF762, CF763, CF764 - CF731, CF735 and CF737 currently at L'vov in UKRAINE.

The KFIR uses the EL/L-8202 EW SPS (Electronic Warfare Self Protection System). The aircraft has a pair of SAMP-60 CMDS's (Counter Measure Dispenser System) located underneath the engine, behind the rear gun-camera. The dispenser uses ISRAELI FG-6 IR flares.

The EL/L-8202 is an Integrated Electronic Warfare Self Protection Suite designed to deliver self-defence against Surface-to-Air and Air-to-Air weapon systems. The system enhances the survivability of the aircraft during operations in a hostile, multi-spectral weapon systems environment.

The EL/L-8202 is a modular EW suite consisting of the following:

(1) E.W. Suite Central Processor
(2) Radar Warning Receiver (RWR)
(3) Chaff & Flare Dispenser

Upon detection and identification of lethal threats by the Warning Subsystems, the threat will be displayed and effective chaff and Flare dispensing will be activated as defined by the Pre-Flight Messages (PFM).

The SAMP-60 has both an automatic and manual release mode.

Ejection of flares while on the runway might have been a test procedure - if so it would have been done while in manual mode.



What is it exactly that you want to know .. I need you to be more specific.

The Ship came from INDONESIA.

The cargo was mainly Artillery ammunition for 122, 130 and 152mm towed howitzers.

The information pertaining to the possibility of Anti-Aircraft missiles onboard is incorrect.

I see that your still talking about me in other threads :o)

It appears since then your organisation has suffered quite a few well publicised reversals.. how is your organisation fairing these days according to your personal assessment??

The only way to achieve anything resembling Thamil EELAM - replace the current leadership of the LTTE, and negotiate for a federal Thamil EELAM state within a United SRI LANKAN state

we will in no way compromise the SRI LANKAN Governments position in their efforts to democratise the Thamil Tigers.

We are indeed in a situation in IRAQ.. suffice to say we're taking care of it ..

the only difference this time is the rent-a-pilot unit. no doubt its having an effect. but setbacks are something one has to expect.the way to neutralize is to put the economy in a coma.

during op jeyasikur the SLA was on the march for 18 odd months which was pushed back in under 72 hrs

the only difference this time is the rent-a-pilot unit. no doubt its having an effect.

the way to neutralize is to put the economy in a coma.

everyone and their dog wants us to change the leadership. well thanks but we'll decide when we want to do that.