Feb 28, Colombo: The Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana has told Silumina that steps have been taken to procure two state-of-the-art aircraft from the United States and India for monitoring Sri Lankan waters to prevent maritime crimes including all extremist activities conducted across the Indian Ocean centering Sri Lanka.

He said that this will prevent the transportation of illicit goods including narcotics by sea as well as the prevention of illegal immigration.

As a first step, Sri Lanka will receive two high-tech aircraft with technology not yet available in the country from the United States and India free of charge this year, the Air Force Commander has said.

He pointed out that the protection of Sri Lanka’s maritime territory, which is 24 times as large as the island, was a problem for the Navy and the Air Force, but that they could be fully completed with the two modern aircraft.

The Commander also said that maritime security would be further enhanced by the use of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and pointed out that the country’s ocean surveillance activities are carried out by air utilizing the latest technologies, including cyber technology.