LTTE releases photographs of air mission

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have for the first time
released photos of their Air-Tigers to media with Tamileelam Air Force
(TAF) first major mission. While reputed military analysts speculated on
the LTTE use of air-craft limited to self-destroy missions, Tigers have
surprised them by using locally designed payload carrying mechanisms,
and automatic ammunition discharge circuitry, and demonstrated
capability to fly night missions.





Liberation Tigers credit the formation of the Tiger air-wing
(Vaanpuligal) to Colonel Shankar alias Vythialingam Sornalingam, an old
boy of Hartley College, Point Pedro. He was an aeronautical engineer
with Air Canada, with an Engineering Degree in Aeronautics from
Hindustan Engineering College in Tamil Nadu.

Shankar was the
chief of the 'Air Tigers' and was responsible for developing the air
wing from its infancy until his assassination in December 2001.

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Tigers have not disclosed the type and number of light-wing air crafts in their possession.

However,
Tigers have succeeded in using locally made fixtures attached to
air-craft frame to allow automatic weapon discharge, under pilot
control, of four gravity bombs.

The bombs appear to be 45-50 inch
long and 10-12" diameter at the middle of the body, and fitted with a
tail section with six fins to improve stability during its ballistic
trajectory towards the target.

After initial acknowledgement by
Liberation Tigers that they were involved in building an air-wing in
November 1998, Tigers were ambiguous in their response in September 2006
when there was speculation that a Tiger air-craft fired rockets at the
Palaly Airforce base.

Runway in Iranaimadu, inside Liberation
Tigers controlled Vanni, which is clearly visible in Satellite images,
was a contentious issue between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE
during the period after the signing of CeaseFire Agreement in 2002.

Sri
Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfirs ran bombing raids dropping bombs on
Iranaimadu runway, but LTTE said the damages have been repaired and the
runway is usable. However, it is not clear if the LTTE air-crafts that
bombed the SLAF military base in Katunayake used the Iranaimade runway
for takeoff and landing. LTTE reserved comment on this matter.



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Photos: LTTE