Sri Lanka Air Force Regiment

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=Sri Lanka Air Force Regiment


caption=SLAF Regiment Gunner on guard duty
dates=1983-Present
country=Sri Lanka
branch=Sri Lanka Air Force
type=Ground Defence
role=Ground Defence,
Low Level Air Defence,
Air Assault
size=
command_structure=Sri Lanka Air Force
current_commander=
garrison=
ceremonial_chief=
ceremonial_chief_label=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=The Regiment
motto=
colors=
identification_symbol=
identification_symbol_label=
march=Quick - "Holyrood"
mascot=
battles=
notable_commanders=
anniversaries=The Sri Lanka Air Force Regiment is a ground combat corps within the Sri Lanka Air Force , responsible for capturing and defending airfields and associated installations. Effectively, its members are the SLAF's soldiers. SLAF Regiment is fully capable to protect all its air bases, installations by itself using infantry and light armored units as well as launch air assaults with Airborne Infantry elements (paratroopers). Ground based air defense of vital military and civil installations around the country is carried out by this Regiment. The corps itself is simply known as the 'regiment'.

Organisation and current role

In the early days of the Sri Lankan Air Force, the ground defence of the air bases and civil airports were manned by the Sri Lanka Army. This limited the ability of the army to deploy it troops in offensive operations and made the air force dependent on the army. Therefore in the 1980's the Sri Lanka Air Force established the SLAF Regiment, based on the RAF Regiment of the Royal Air Force. Its officers and gunners are organized into squadrons specially trained in ground combat. At first the primary role was air field security. In resent years with expansion of the number of squadrons the SLAF Regiment has begun supporting the Sri Lanka Army in manning defence lines in the north central part of the country and taking part in offensive operations jointly or independently. But air field security remains the corps primary task, members of the SLAF Regiment guards both Civilian and military airports around the country. In addition to these roles, the regiment covers the EOD requirement of the Air Force as well. To achieve it objectives the regiment uses infantry, light amoured, parachute and mortar units are employed.

With the Sri Lanka Artillery disbanded its Anti-Aircraft Regiments with demise of anti-aircraft artillery the air defence role of Sri Lanka has been taken up by the SLAF Regiment which it provides today.

pecial Forces

Regiment Special Force is an elite Special Forces unit of the Sri Lanka Air Force, part of the SLAF Regiment.

Weapons

;Surface to Air Missiles
* SA-16 Gimlet

;Air Defense Artillery
* Bofors L40/70 40 mm AA guns [ [http://defencenet.blogspot.com/2007/11/how-did-black-tigers-control-l-70-aa.html defencenet] ]
* ZSU-23-2 twin 23 mm AA guns [ [http://defencenet.blogspot.com/2007/11/how-did-black-tigers-control-l-70-aa.html defencenet] ]

;Land vehicles
* Unibuffel - Mine-protected APC
* Unicorn - Mine-protected APC
* Land Rover Defender

;Mortars
* Type 84 (W84) 82 mm mortars
* Type 89 60 mm mortars

;Small armsHandguns
* Beretta M9 Pistol
* Enfield revolver

Assault Rifles
* Type 81 Assault rifles
* AK-47 Assault rifles
* M16 Assault riflesSub-Machine guns
* Uzi Submachine Guns

Machine guns
* PK machine guns (Chinese version of Russian PKM)
* Type 56 LMG (Chinese version of Russian RPD)Sniper Rifles
* Dragunov Sniper Rifles

Grenade launchers
* M203 Grenade launcher

Rocket launchers
* Type 69 RPG Rocket launchers (Chinese version of RPG-7)

References

See also

*Military ranks and insignia of the Sri Lanka Air Force
*Military of Sri Lanka
*Sri Lanka Air Force Regiment Special Force
*RAF Regiment

External links

* [http://www.defence.lk/ Ministry of Defence Sri Lanka]
* [http://www.airforce.lk/org/dops/dops.htm Sri Lanka Air Force]