Lankan Air force refutes claims of the existence of Air Tigers
Sri Lanka Air Force officials refuted claims that the LTTE has developed flight capability. The statement comes after LTTE political head Mr. Tamilselvan said earlier in the week that the LTTE had an airstrip and an air wing under their control.
Air Marshal Donald Perera told the media that even though armed forces had information that the LTTE had built an airstrip in its territory, the claim that the organization had an aircrafts was false. He alleged that the claim was a psychological operation by the LTTE and said that there was no evidence to suggest that the LTTE had an aircraft in Vanni, southern media reported.
<img src='http://www.tamileelamnews.com/news/uploads/p03_01.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>
Courtesy LTTE Peace Secretariat
However, Sri Lankan naval sources revealed earlier that an objected suspected to be an LTTE aircraft was detected on its radar aboard a naval craft earlier, according to media reports. A naval craft had observed a mysterious object spotted off the coast of Mullaitivu, moving 12 nautical miles seaward and then returning to land, according to the reports.
The speed of the object was roughly equal to that of a helicopter or a Cessna-type aircraft, according to the report. The Sri Lanka Air Force had then confirmed that at the time of the incident, there was no Air Force plane over the area.
The LTTE recently told the SLMM that it had an airstrip in the east in the vicinity of Iranamadu tank near Kilinochchi. Speaking to the media after meeting the Norwegian Envoy Eric Solheim, LTTE political head Mr. Tamilchelvan responding to a query said that the LTTE has an air wing and an air strip is an old issue, we never hid that information and it was reported in the past as well. But we are not clear why this issue is raised again now.
Analysts say that the talk of a Tiger air force started as far back as six years ago. The talk about LTTE air capability started about six years back. There were sightings that an aircraft ceremoniously garlanded the cemeteries of the fallen fighters at Mulliyawalai with flowers and there was also some speculation in the Sri Lankan press that the LTTE acquired a helicopter and a fixed wing aircraft. said one close observer of the Sri Lankan scene.
He said the latest addition to the LTTE will make it an even more formidable force to face in the battlefield. The LTTE has conventional fighting forces, the artillery regiments, anti-tank, anti-aircraft regiments and special forces, said the analyst.
They are the only group in the world that have been widely accepted as having formidable naval capability too. The next step is air capability and that would make the LTTE and even more formidable force to take on, he further said.
According to the analyst, it is now increasingly clear that the LTTE has developed an air wing. It is now clear that they have an air wing but as to how extensive they are is not yet known to anyone, the observer said
In 2002, the LTTE arranged for the sea plane to transport their political strategist, Dr. Anton Balasingam to Vanni. The seaplane touched down in the Iranamadu irrigation tank in LTTE controlled region.
<img src='http://www.tamileelamnews.com/news/uploads/92.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'>
Courtesy Dr Nitin Pandey' website
In 1998, the Sri Lankan government published poster with photos of aircraft and a helicopter that it believed to be in the possession of the LTTE. The poster said the LTTE has a helicopter of type R44 and two light planes.
But it was a known fact even in 1986 that the LTTE was experimenting with aircrafts. In 1987 when the Indian army launched an offensive against the LTTE, they found an indigenously made LTTE aircraft and a small air strip. An Indian air force official Dr Nitin Pandey snapped photographs of the LTTE aircraft and he claims on his website that the aircraft flew a few feet.
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