Why SL will buy Pakistani fighters
Tea estate workers House
By Rathindra Kuruwita-2016-08-16
During the Cabinet Media Briefing last week Co-Cabinet Spokesman Minister Rajitha Senaratne revealed that Sri Lanka will purchase between eight and 12 multirole fighter aircraft to replace the ageing fleet of the Air Force. The proposal was submitted by President Maithripala Sirisena.
"The fighter aircraft of the Sri Lanka Air Force have been ageing. It is necessary to replace them because the Air Force needs a functioning fleet to maintain oceanic security and to face any unexpected threat. That is why President Maithripala Sirisena, in his capacity as the Minister of Defence, proposed that expressions of interest be obtained from interested aircraft manufacturers, assistant manufacturers, and authorized government agents, to purchase aircraft on a government-to-government basis," Senaratne said.
The fact that Sri Lanka was to buy multirole fighter aircraft in the 2016 fiscal year was obvious by looking at the budget for this year. While the capital expenditure allocated from the budget for the Army and the Navy had either reduced or stagnated compared to 2016, the allocation for Sri Lanka Air Force operational activities has increased to Rs 53,284,252,000 from Rs 40,916,500,000 while Capital Expenditure increasing toRs 19,237,000,000 from Rs 6,880,000,000.
A few weeks later Ceylon Today reported that Air Force's plans to procure new aircraft has lead to serious geo-political rivalry between India and Pakistan as speculations are rife that Sri Lanka has already purchased a number of JF-17s, at a Paris air show, has already sparked the ire of India.
The government, which at that point was closer to India and the West than it was to China, had repeatedly denied that there are any moves to procure JF- 17 aircraft from Pakistan (jointly developed with China). However, given the state of Sri Lanka's finances and the utter inability of India or the West to assist us in a meaningful way, I predicted at that time that it is extremely likely that Sri Lanka will ultimately turn to Pakistan/China for aircraft.
While the Cabinet spokesman insisted that no aircraft manufacturer, assistant manufacturer, and authorized government agent has been selected yet a highly placed government source told me: "Apita yudda kale udaukarapu rata walata mulikatwaya denna epaye" (we must give priority to the nations that assisted us during the war). And there is no other country that assisted us during the war than Pakistan and it is significant that the President forwarded the proposal soon after the visit of Chief of Air Staff of Pakistan Air Force Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman to Sri Lanka.
Firmly in China's orbit
There is a common misconception among the general public that air forces across the world buy aircraft mainly on superior specifications. Those who can afford, always go for US made aircraft because US manufacturers are known for their quality and reliability, or so people think.
But for the most part, well maybe except for German made tanks (although the Germans are quite choosy about who they sell fearing that they will look too Swasthiky if 'bad people' use their weapons), military hardware, especially military aircraft are procured for geo-political reasons
For example, Gulf states, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and others, have been buying a lot of US aircraft because of their strategic alliance and because they need the assistance of the US, if they face any kind of military threats. By procuring a lot of military hardware from the US, what these nations have ensured was not a well-equipped military force but American assistance.On the other hand, nations like Venezuela, Myanmar or a number of African nations have always turned to Russia, or in recent times to China for military hardware. Once again most of these nations have been on the wrong side of the book of the US and its allies and are keen to build closer ties with Russia and China to protect them from the world policeman.
Similarly, Sri Lanka which is now desperate to get into the good books of China, as it is the only country that has agreed to pump in much needed infusion of foreign currency to its ailing economy, is extremely likely to purchase weapon systems from China or from other countries that are affiliated with China.
Do we need new aircraft?
After the announcement that new aircraft would be procured a number of individuals have asked the question, whether we need new aircrafts. Sri Lanka, they say has limited aerial defence requirements and that because the country no longer faces a conflict scenario, there is no need to spend hundreds of millions of US Dollars on new aircraft. However, I believe that this question makes no sense because as I have explained earlier and almost a year ago, purchase of weapon systems is not completely about war fighting. Often why and where you buy weapons is decided by broader national security and political calculations, among which economic security is paramount.
After the announcement that new aircraft would be procured a number of individuals have asked the question, whether we need new aircrafts. Sri Lanka, they say has limited aerial defence requirements and that because the country no longer faces a conflict scenario, there is no need to spend hundreds of millions of US Dollars on new aircraft. However, I believe that this question makes no sense because as I have explained earlier and almost a year ago, purchase of weapon systems is not completely about war fighting. Often why and where you buy weapons is decided by broader national security and political calculations, among which economic security is paramount.
