The Ukraine war has had a significant impact on the service availability of aircraft in number of air forces – the Sri Lankan Air Force among them.
Following the invasion of the Ukraine by President Putin’s Russian Forces, the bulk of the rest of the world rallied in support of the Ukrainian peoples with aid and a string of sanctions against both Russia in general and a number of individuals in particular. This we must all applaud but sadly this has had unintended consequences for many countries who both relied on trade and support from these two factions.
Militarily, Sri Lanka has in particular suffered through these sanctions, not because they disagree with them, but the fact that the bulk of its aviation assets have been supplied by China, Russia and the Ukraine. On top of this the design authority for these assets still lies with the supplying agency and that is making things very difficult to maintain a number of types currently in use with the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF).
This situation effects both fixed wing and helicopters with, for instance, the Antonov An-32B fleet having been overhauled and maintained by a factory in the Ukraine during 2020/2021 and are now due under warranty for their next major inspection. This has left the aircraft grounded until the current situation is resolved.
In so far as the helicopter fleet are concerned, it is more complicated as spares as well as the design authority reside in Russia, a problem now facing many countries that have sought to equip their forces with Russian/Soviet made/designed equipment.
Under the terms of the current sanctions it appears that it is impossible to obtain the necessary spares as there can be no non-Russian cash transactions. This has now seen the introduction of a lucrative black market operation believed to be centred around Dubai in the UAE. The suggestion is that brokers are receiving dollar payments to source spares at somewhat inflated prices.
The situation in Sri Lanka is not helped by the continual decline in defence spending with recent years predominantly less than 1.50 percent GDP although in 2022 it was up slightly on this figure only to drop back again in 2023.
Currently the SLAF helicopter force is made up of fours squadrons: No 4 VIP Helicopter Squadron at Ratmalana equipped with the Bell 412 with a single Bell 212 and a single Mil Mi-17V in support; No 6 Helicopter Squadron at Anuradhapura which ostensibly operates a number Mi-17 sub-variants but at present lacks any operational airframes. It has a sub-flight, No 61 Flight that is located at Ratmalana with Mil Mi-171E versions of the ‘Hip’ and this undertakes the out-of-theatre United Nations support mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) where it currently has two examples, Mi-17V-5 SMH-582 and Mi-171E SMH-4418, on task. There is also a helicopter detachment maintained at Jaffna on the northern peninsula of the country. No 9 Squadron Attack Helicopter Squadron at Hingurakgoda should be operating the Mil Mi-24/Mi-35 ‘Hind’ but these have been out of service since 2014 although a few are retained in a serviceable state. It is the intention to return three Mi-35s to flight status by the beginning of 2026 with the first, SAH-628, hopefully beginning ground runs by the end of 2024. Currently the crews retain their helicopter currency by gaining flight time on the Mi-17 or with the Bell 206B or Bell 212 helicopters of the co-located No 7 Helicopter Squadron that undertakes the SLAF training element.
The SLAF has operated up to 26 different airframes ranging from the Mi-24D, Mi-24P and the Mi-35 although only around half a dozen remain on what they consider effective strength, even though all are grounded having run out of hours and a shortage of spares.
The SLAF has over the years acquired some 14 assorted Mi-17 helicopters between 1993 and 2006 from various sources of which six have been lost in accidents. They also have 14 Mi-171E versions ordered in July 2012 (SMH-4415 – 4429) along with, it is believed, four ‘Helitours’ civilian registered examples. Of these some 14 are currently stored within the air force maintenance facility at Katunayake suggesting that there are only some half a dozen remaining operational within the air force as a whole.
Unless there is a drastic shift in defence spending allowing the SLAF to invest in new equipment whilst the war in Ukraine continues, the serviceability problem is likely only to deteriorate further. This I am sure is, or will be, effecting other countries facing a similar dilemma.
by Peter R Foster
