Defence Asia

  Sri Lankan peacekeepers training in convoy protection duties with WMZ551 APCs before deployment to Mali. (Pic by SLA) Sri Lankan Peacekeepers struck by IED in Mali By Asiri Fernando Eight Sri Lankan Peacekeepers injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in Mail, Africa last Sunday (13 June) have been discharged from hospital, the Sri Lanka Army said yesterday (16 June). According to the Military Spokesman Brig Nilantha Premaratne, non of the eight injured peacekeepers rushed to a hospital in Timbuktu for a medical check-up were seriously hurt and have been discharged. The blue helmets, part of the 2nd Combat Convoy Company (CCC) deployed to the East African country were injured when a roadside IED struck their wheeled armoured personnel carrier (WMZ551) near the small town of Hombori, in the Mopti region on Sunday afternoon.  After the injured were dispatched to the hospital the rest of the peacekeepers had repaired the damaged vehicle and continued to escor...

                               An SLAF Bell-206 Jet Ranger in service with No.7 Squadron. Credit www.airforce.lk By Asiri Fernando The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) will call for international bids to buy four used helicopters to replenish its aging training fleet in  the near future.  The acquisition is to be made via competitive international bidding following government approval earlier this month.  Speaking to the press earlier this month (8 July), Co-Cabinet spokesman Romesh Pathirana said that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on behalf of the Ministry of Defense had sought Cabinet approval to make the purchase. Pathirana pointed out that the SLAF needed to train pilots for UN peacekeeping missions. According to Pathirana, the SLAF currently uses two helicopters manufactured in 1981 to train Pilots. The Jet Rangers first entered service in 1969, the Air Force website said. Several un-serviceable...

The Unibuffel MK6 by SLEME    By Asiri Fernando 01/07/2020 Colombo The Sri Lanka Army last week (26 June), handed over nine locally manufactured Mine Protected Vehicles (MPV's) and a Recovery Vehicle to be shipped to Mali, Africa. The vehicles will equip a company of Sri Lankan Peacekeepers who escort United Nations aid convoys in the war-torn nation.  The vehicles, the latest version in the long line of combat proven "Unibuffel" family, have been fabricated by the Army's Electrical and Mechanical Engineer's Regiment (SLEME) in line with United Nation's requirements for they type of protected vehicle.  The new Unibuffel MK6 variant, offers better mobility, mine and ballistic protection and crew comforts than previous models a senior SLEME officer told Defence Asia. The vehicles are also equipped with a blast sock absorbing seating system which was developed by the army R&D wing. Combined with the vehicles design features, the seats offer the peacekeepers m...