Cabinet approves purchase of new fighter aircrafts
August 10, 2016 02:48 pm
The Cabinet has approved a proposal for the purchase new multirole fighter aircraft for the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) and associated weapons.
Speaking at the cabinet press briefing today (10), Minister Rajitha Senaratne stated that the government will call for expressions of interest for the purchase of around 8-12 fighter jets such as MiG.
The fighter aircrafts of the Sri Lanka Air Force have been aging and it is required to maintain them updated due to the importance of maintaining the oceanic security and being prepared for any unexpected threat, the government said in a statement.
“Hence, the proposal made by President Maithripala Sirisena, in his capacity as the Minister of Defense, to obtain expressions of interest from interested aircraft manufacturers, assistant manufacturers, and authorised government agents on the government to government basis purchasing, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.”
