Sri Lanka to Receive Military Aircraft from US, Pakistan
- 5opn1
- January 7, 2025
- Aviation news
- Pakistan, Sri Lanka to Receive Military Aircraft from US
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Sri Lanka is adopting more American Bell 206 helicopters and a Pakistani Chengdu J-7 aircraft to enhance the country’s air force capabilities.
The investment stipulates eight of the 206 systems in their TH-57 Sea Ranger military derivative ordered from Washington DC and a single Chinese-made J-7 in its FT-7 export trainer variant from Islamabad.
Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Commander Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa confirmed that the Bell fleet is scheduled to arrive later this year.
Meanwhile, Rajapaksa’s recent bilateral meeting with Pakistan allowed the FT-7 order to be delivered as a grant, with the shipment expected “in the near future.”
A Pakistani Chengdu F-7PG aircraft conducts a training mission during a multinational exercise Dec. 9, 2009, in Southwest Asia. Aircrews from France, Jordan, Pakistan, the U.A.E., the U.K. and the U.S. are training together in the Air Forces Central area of responsibility.
A Pakistani Chengdu F-7PG aircraft. Photo: Michael B. Keller/Wikimedia Commons/US Air Force
