Be prepared for any eventuality

To begin with, you are an officer with many firsts to your name, including training at the National Defence University in China and 1st Director of Logistics and Director of Air Operations and with many deeming that the Air Force is a luxury during peacetime, as Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF), could you speak to us on your role as Air Force Chief.

Air Force Commander Air Marshal Kapila Jayampathy who took office in September this year advocates the need to maintain air power to be ‘prepared for any eventuality.’

“We don’t want to be caught unprepared and make the same mistakes we made 30 years ago,” said the Commander.

Excerpts follow:

Q: To begin with, you are an officer with many firsts. The youngest to qualify as a Helicopter Instructor in Sri Lanka's Air Force history, first SLAF officer to be sent to follow a course at the National Defence University in China in 2008-2009, first SLAF officer to be appointed as Director Logistics and Director Air Operations at the same time and the first battle casualty for the SLAF. For a man who had always yearned to join the Navy, isn't it curious that you ended up flying?

A. Things changed after I joined the Air Force. When I joined the Air Force, there was no war going on, it was a ceremonial Air Force. We had seen aircraft flying on special occasions; performing flight displays during Independence Day celebrations. That motivated me to become a pilot. It was not as easy as it seemed, but my character is such that once I decide on something, I put my heart and soul to achieve it. It was the 10th batch intake in 1982 where 10 cadets were selected and though eight wanted to be pilots in that batch; only two ended up as pilots and I was one of them.

My first aircraft I flew was a Chipmunk, a British Royal Air Force type aircraft and one of the most difficult to fly and challenging, where I managed to do my first solo flight in about nine hours and the first to do so. From then onwards, I completed training, opted to fly helicopters because at that time there was a big demand for helicopter pilots. By the time we finished our training, the situation in the country had changed drastically. There were sporadic incidents which took place and there were many Tamil groups at the time, not just the LTTE and they were fighting against government forces. We needed more helicopter pilots as we had less than 12 pilots at the time.

My colleague Romesh Mendis and I who passed out were also the first officer cadets to captain helicopters. It had never happened in SLAF history and neither would it ever happen again in future. We had that advantage.

Q: How was the transitioning of the Air Force from a merely ceremonial force to a combat force?

A. It took time. When we started helicopter flying operationally against terrorist groups at that time, we did not have armed helicopters. We used to drop grenades out of the helicopter window by putting a grenade into an ordinary glass, remove the pin and drop it into a suspected area. Thereafter, we stopped it because we realized that it would not hit the target and sometimes the glass did not even break even when it was fell from a height of 1,000 - 1,500ft! We used to joke around that it was a good advertisement for the glass manufacturer. In another instance, we had our own T-56 rifles; the pilot’s personal weapon he carried even in the cockpit in the event he has to force land somewhere. What we did was, instead of the grenade, we pulled out our gun and as the co-pilot took over the controls, the pilot would shoot at targets below. Once I finished my magazine, the co-pilot would give me the control and he would fired. We lacked gunners at that time.

Later, we were provided with side arms, rockets and electrically operated gun pods. Later on, we were able to induct dedicated air gunners and installed stations on both sides of the helicopter.

Our evolution from a very primitive stage to a professional one has been quite significant. We now have dedicated aircraft and acquired fighter capability. Today we are a very professional Air Force, who could be matched against any foreign Air Force. We probably also have more experience than others, as we are a force that had fought an asymmetric warfare-basically playing hide and seek.

At the beginning of this war, we were not prepared for what was to come. There was an occasion where the Kokilai Army camp was attacked by the LTTE and during that time an Army officer on (a Gajaba officer called Wijesinghe) managed to repulse the attack and the Army killed many terrorists, while we came to their aid with a small Jet Ranger Helicopter armed with a small gun pod; the only thing we possessed at that time. We didn’t have any side gunners at that time. After the attack, we collected all the weapons the LTTE had brought for the attack, but the Army could not identify what these weapons were. This was the first time we had winessed. I flew from Kokilai to Singhapura Army camp under the instructions of then Colonel Vijay Wimalaratne, who was subsequently killed along with General Denzil Kobbekaduwa. He wanted me to bring him a Jane’s Defence catalogue and it was through it that we were able to identify these weapons, which later on took a different turn in the Army as well. We all realized that we needed to always stay a step ahead of them. Earlier, they would always have the advantage. The Army, Air Force and the Navy were able to acquire sophisticated weaponry and also aircraft and ships.

Earlier, we had just civil transport aeroplanes that could not carry more than 40 troops. These were what we used for all purposes.

Q: Was there a point where the LTTE too developed their own air power?

A. Yes. During the latter part of the war it happened. It came as a surprise even though Intelligence had informed us that they had gone shopping for aeroplanes. So they too must be getting one, while they too had trained some pilots in Malaysia and some other countries. Finally, we spotted this aircraft. They were using a Czech built 143 type aircraft such as a Cesna 150 mini aeroplane. They were masters at improvisation and were very good at reverse engineering. They had even modified the engine and exhaust, so that the heat signature would be less.

Q: Did we at any point consider manufacturing our own weapons?

A. At the beginning, we too did a lot of improvisation. We made improvised bombs, but soon realized that these too would not do the job for us. So we went in for dedicated weaponry.

The Air Force possessed some fighter aircraft in the 1970s. We had some MiG 15 and 17 gifted by the Russians at that time. But they were phased out because we had no requirement and they were aging. So there was a gap of 20 years before we re-acquired fighter capability into the SLAF.

When the fighters were inducted, we did not have any trained fighter pilots at that time. We received the training from countries we received the aircraft from. First we received a Chinese F7s, while Chinese instructors were helpful in training us, later we received various assistance from friendly countries.

Q. Is it time to update the fleet?

A. All these aircraft have a life span. The aircraft body, frame, every nut and bolt has a lifetime. And if it had not broken down prior to the specific time limit, then this item had to be replaced at the end of that time. As a result, our aircraft acquired in the mid 90s has reached the end of its life span. We have to phase them out.

Q: Do you have a specific number of aircraft that needed to be maintained for the SLAF to function?

A. Yes. For example, we have different flight squadrons. For example; Number 1 is the flight training wing, it should have a certain number to possess that capability. Unfortunately, due to aging of the aircraft, some have been phased out.

I would say that our fighter capability has depleted to a considerable amount. That’s the reason we are on the hunt for the acquisition of new fighter platforms. With that in mind, I have discussed this with the Ministry of Defence and the political leadership of the country and said we should possess this capability to be called a professional Air Force.

At times, people question as to why the Air Force needs such aircraft during peacetime? But do you see other countries which possess such capabilities fighting a war at any given time?

A. There are countries who possess some of the world’s best aircraft, fighters, trained pilots on standby. But they have not fought a war ever since the inception of their Air Force, for example: Singapore, Australia and New Zealand are some examples.

To be called an Air Force, we need to possess all these. We have to be trained and kept on standby to face any eventuality. We should not repeat the mistakes of our past. We were not prepared when the LTTE first surfaced, because we never thought we would have to face such a situation. It was unfortunate thinking by the people of that time. So after 30 years of war, we don’t want to be caught unprepared and just be a ceremonial force that parades somewhere.

Q: With the advent of peace, the SLAF ventured into commercial flying. Was this a positive or negative move?

A. There are two folds. One; we needed to figure out how we would transition in the post war period and put our strength we possess into better use. We have a certain number of aircraft bought during war, so if we have the capability of making proper use of them, why don’t we do it? Secondly; in the immediate aftermath of the war, there were no civil companies prepared to take on the task of meeting the demand for civilian flights. There was an economic boom, money was coming into the country and you had people wanting to fly around in an aeroplane and we had that platform. We don’t want a monopoly here. I personally think that we need to allow the civil aviation industry in this country to prosper. So we would be there, in the role of consultants, with experience of so many decades to help them and have a combined operation.

Many people have the wrong idea that the Air Force does not want the civil aviation industry to prosper, which is not true. There are many private operators now and we are promoting it. We got into business as a stop gap measure until private sector chips in and starts operating.

Q: You have experienced peace, later war and then again peace. As Commander, how do you see your role in guiding the Air Force during peace time?

A. Not all 37,000 in the Air Force were involved in the war. We play a supportive role. Our objectives now would be different: it is to look after the air space of the country, to prevent any aggression from outside, internal security and looking after the exclusive economic zone with the Navy as well as the Coastguard.

For me, I started from peace, then to to war then to peace. Those who joined after me, did so during the war, they had not seen peace in the military when they joined. I had the advantage of seeing both, so coming back to normalcy was not an issue.

Q: As of last year, the SLAF had been noted for the controversy surrounding the purchasing of new aircraft. Some call this Air Force diplomacy, using these purchases to further strengthen ties between countries. What is your opinion?

A. The SLAF has the need for these procurements. Through the Ministry of Defence we would give the government our requirement. We would not decide on the type or make of the aircraft that would be purchased. We become prejudiced then. To have transparency we simply provide our specifications. If we are for example to buy a fighter jet, my officers and I would go through it, make a draft proposal of what we want.

From the day I assumed duties, I have been advocating that if we as an Island nation are going to acquire a multi roller fighter, it should have the capability of having a longer range, be a trim –engine aircraft because most of our operations would be over the waters. Our concentration now should be over the waters. In the past too, the LTTE built up to such an extent because we did not have a proper patrolling facility by the Navy or Air Force in safeguarding our coastal line. That allowed the LTTE to bring in various supplies by sea and built up a formidable force.

During the latter part of the war, this permitted them to fight a conventional war because they had the freedom of movement over the waters. So are we going to leave this gap open to them or any other group?

I think we should switch on to maritime patrolling. Drugs and smuggling now have a direct impact on the country. Once we give our specification, the government would give the nod to either purchase from a friendly country to maintain diplomacy as you say. The government is also studying the political dynamics in the region and we as a peace loving member of the Non-aligned Movement, have to maintain good relations with all countries. We won’t pick a country if it would have an impact on another neighbouring country. We need not create such a situation in the region.

Q: Why is it that the Air Force disallows women to be pilots when countries in our region have no such restrictions?

A. Yes, that is true. The practice is such that we are a male dominated force. But there was a time between 1995-2000, where Air Chief Marshall Oliver Ranasinghe, the then Commander had the idea of taking in women pilots into the Air Force.

We had a batch taken in and they were almost on the path to become pilots then the war escalated and to be honest, we thought it would be unfair to put women into such situations, when even the men were finding it tough. The batch was not inducted and they were given the option to join other branches, while most did.

If there is a demand for it now, I think women should also be given the opportunity, the region has that. I don’t want to have any discrimination. My predecessors from 2000 to date, did not think of it. One day we should have women pilots.

Q: With many writing book on the war, Are you also thinking of a writing a book?

A. I would write my own memoir once I retire. I wish to provide my experience as a Commander as well. This is a very sensitive area and you have to be careful not to hurt the feelings of others or avoid mentioning their names which takes a lot of deliberation and time.