Analysis
LTTE's Air Assets Hit; But Aircraft Still Intact
Rajesh Sundaram (New Delhi) 28 August 2006
(Photo : Zlin Z 143L aircraft. The LTTE is said to have two of these)
Both the Indian and Sri Lankan Intelligence agencies have been worried about the air assets of the Tamil Tiger rebels. They are the only terror group in the world who can boast of air capacities.
The Indian home ministry in its annual report of 2005 even mentions it as a threat to India's national security.
The air assets of the rebels include a 1850 meter airstrip in the middle of the Vanni forest at a place called Iranavadu, at least two Czech made Zlin microlight aircraft, about a dozen skilled aviation engineers and pilot trainers and a facility to train pilots and technicians.
" An aircraft in the hands of a terror group like the LTTE is a dangerous thing. They will fill it with explosives and use it as a missile against targets in its range...through suicide missions. That is the least I can think of " says a former Indian Air Force official.
It is difficult to say when the Tamil Tiger rebels acquired these assets. The Sri Lankan government says these were clandestinely bought during the ceasefire years since 2002.
They say a bulk of the parts for the aircraft and aviation infrastructure was shipped in piece by piece with the tonnes of aid that came in wake of December 26, 2004 Tsunami.
On their part the Tamil Tigers rebels or the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam,LTTE as they are also known as, say their air assets predate the ceasefire and hence does not violate the ceasefire in anyway.
The Indian home ministry in its annual report of 2005 even mentions it as a threat to India's national security.
The air assets of the rebels include a 1850 meter airstrip in the middle of the Vanni forest at a place called Iranavadu, at least two Czech made Zlin microlight aircraft, about a dozen skilled aviation engineers and pilot trainers and a facility to train pilots and technicians.
" An aircraft in the hands of a terror group like the LTTE is a dangerous thing. They will fill it with explosives and use it as a missile against targets in its range...through suicide missions. That is the least I can think of " says a former Indian Air Force official.
It is difficult to say when the Tamil Tiger rebels acquired these assets. The Sri Lankan government says these were clandestinely bought during the ceasefire years since 2002.
They say a bulk of the parts for the aircraft and aviation infrastructure was shipped in piece by piece with the tonnes of aid that came in wake of December 26, 2004 Tsunami.
On their part the Tamil Tigers rebels or the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam,LTTE as they are also known as, say their air assets predate the ceasefire and hence does not violate the ceasefire in anyway.
This is something the LTTE's political head S P Thamilselvan told me when I met him in Killinochi and asked him about the air assets in 1995.
"The air assets of the LTTE have been in existence much before the ceasefire came into effect. The airstrip has been there for many years now. We have not violated the ceasefire in any way."
The military spokesman at that time Brig. Daya Ratnayake claimed that this was a clear lie and that the 1850 meter runway in Iranavadu in the Vanni forest was constructed after the ceasefire came into effect. He told me then that areal pictures of the area indicated that the rebels had acquired at least two Czech make Zlin microlight aircraft.
"These aircraft have been brought into the country illegally piece by piece, and assembled by rebel aviation engineers. They also tried to bring in a small helicopter in parts...but we were able to intercept and impound a crucial consignment in time." he told me then.
An intelligence official told me that the rebels have a well equipped pilot training facility with simulators. Some of their aviation staff have been trained abroad and have worked with the engineering teams of top airlines in Canada and Europe.
He told me that the rebels also had set up a basic air traffic control system.
This facility has been under the constant aerial observation by the Sri Lankan armed forces. Pakistan made Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, UAVs have been keeping an eye on every inch of the area.
It is when these UAVs picked up activity around the airstrip last week that the Sri Lankan Air force decided to launch an offensive.\n \nIsreali Kfir jets of the Sri Lankan Air Force took off from Colombo and bombed the air strip on the 25th of August.
" I can confirm to you that the air strip has been destroyed, the kfir jets have hit their mark. But we do not know about the aircraft. They may have hidden it in underground hangers. I do not
know.But the UAV pictures that we have do not show any signs of the aircraft." Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe, spokesman for the Sri Lankan Army told me this morning over the phone from Colombo
So it is clear that the LTTE's air assets have been hit. The runway has been damaged...but the aircraft continue to be a danger, to both India and Sri Lanka. Experts say an airstrip of that size can be repaired in a matter of hours. And the LTTE has spent a considerable amount of resources on these assets to not use them.
" India has nothing to fear from the military assets of the LTTE. They will never be used agianst India. It is to protect the Tamil people of Sri Lanka against oppression." is what Thamilselvan of the LTTE told me in 2005.
know.But the UAV pictures that we have do not show any signs of the aircraft." Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe, spokesman for the Sri Lankan Army told me this morning over the phone from Colombo
So it is clear that the LTTE's air assets have been hit. The runway has been damaged...but the aircraft continue to be a danger, to both India and Sri Lanka. Experts say an airstrip of that size can be repaired in a matter of hours. And the LTTE has spent a considerable amount of resources on these assets to not use them.
" India has nothing to fear from the military assets of the LTTE. They will never be used agianst India. It is to protect the Tamil people of Sri Lanka against oppression." is what Thamilselvan of the LTTE told me in 2005.
But Indian agencies are not likely to buy any assurance given by the Tamil tiger rebels and will continue to monitor the ground situation. And the aircraft will continue to be a danger to Sri Lanka as long as they are not destroyed.
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