Colombo: Sri Lanka will soon procure five Mig-29 fighter to strengthen its Air Force that is playing a major role in playing a major role in the war against the LTTE.
Sri Lanka is in advanced stage of talks with Russia for the procurement of five MiG-29 fighter aircrafts, the head of the country's state-owned procurement agency has said.
Jayantha Wickramasinghe, CEO of Lanka Logistics and Technologies Limited (the company created by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence in 2007 to procure equipment for the armed forces), said that the acquisition of four MiG-29SMs and one MiG-29UB was "well under way".
"Negotiations about these aircraft are continuing," Wickramasinghe told Jane's Defence Magazine adding, "We are discussing all possibilities."
The procurement follows the emergence of the air division of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which used Zlin Z 143 light aircraft to bomb the airport and Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) base in Colombo in March 2007,the magazine said.
The Sri Lankan Air Force has expanded to specialise mainly in providing air-support to ground forces, troop landing and carrying out air strikes on rebel held areas in the north.
The Sri Lankan Air Force, which acquired six Kfir C.2s and one TC.2 aircraft from Israel in 1995-96 added another nine aircraft to its fleet by 2005,the report added.
