Sri Lanka to drop plan to buy Mig-29

(July 20, 2009 - Lanka Polity) Sri Lanka defense sources say that the attempts to purchase a fleet of Mig-29 aircraft are now permanently put off following the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE).

Sri Lanka now moves towards reconciliation and reconstruction and the defense needs are moving from a purely operational perspective to strategic, military sources say.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Navy has proposed to set up a maritime border patrol with helicopter and UAV operations from the larger bodied off shore patrol craft.