Fighter aircraft needed but no decision yet from where: Defence Secy

By Shanika Sriyananda

In the wake of  Indian media reports claiming that Sri Lanka has abandoned the decision to buy fighter aircraft from Pakistan due to strong pressure from India, the Government yesterday denied signing of any deal with Pakistan to purchase eight JF -17 Thunder combat aircraft.

Defence Secretary Karunasena  Hettiarachchi vehemently denying all media reports on Sri Lanka signing an agreement to purchase fighter aircrafts from Pakistan, said the government has not yet decided to buy anything from Pakistan. “All these media reports are wrong. We have not signed any deal with Pakistan,” he told the Daily FT.

However, the Pakistani media has reported on Sri Lanka entering into an agreement with Pakistan to purchase eight fighter aircraft.  It was said that the deal was signed as a part of a number of agreements in the areas of defence, security, anti-terrorism, trade and technology.

“We have to buy the fighter jets from any of the countries but we haven’t yet decided from where to buy whether from Pakistan, India or any other country,” Hettiarachchi added.

When asked about India’s concern about why Sri Lanka is interested in purchasing fighter aircraft in the post-war scenario, Hettiarachchi stressed that a country needs to maintain its security whether there was a war situation or not, as anyone who remotely understands military strategy would know.

“ Do you think that when there is no war, the country is going dismantle all military establishments ? Whether we have war or otherwise, the government’s top priority is maintaining its security. Therefore, we need not only fighter aircraft but also off-shore vessels,” he pointed out.

Hettiarachchi said the government needs to purchase fighter aircraft to upgrade the existing fleet of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) even though the war fought was over four-years ago.

When asked about how many fighter aircraft would be added to strengthen the existing fleet of the SLAF, the Defence Secretary declined to divulge the information saying that ‘they are military matters’.  

Jointly developed and produced by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and China’s Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, the JF-17 Thunder is a single-engine multi-role jet fighter, which has a maximum speed of about 1,200 miles per hour.

According to media reports Sri Lanka is to buy eight JF-17 fighter aircraft “ During a three-day state visit to Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sealed a landmark deal for the purchase of eight Pakistan Aeronautical Complex/Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (PAC/CAC) JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft,” according to “The Diplomat.”

Defence Secretary Hettiarachchi said that the subject of purchasing aircraft had however not came up during the discussions between the two leaders – Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

“I conveyed our desire for more frequent port calls, participation in military exercises and defence seminars and training of military personnel,” Prime Minister Sharif said during his three-day visit to Sri Lanka.

Last year, it was reported that India wanted to sell ‘Tejas’ Light Combat Aircraft, which is made in India, to Sri Lanka.