Saturday, April 7, 2007

SLN Inshore Patrol Craft sunk in sea battle

Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) lost one of it's inshore patrol craft (IPC) today during a confrontation with the LTTE's sea tiger units. Naval patrol intercepted an LTTE boat movement off the waters of Silawathurei today morning.

An LTTE boat laden with explosives and manned by two black tigers tried to ram into the lead IPC. Navy was able to shoot the suicide boat before it could ram into the SLN vessel but the IPC was heavily damaged as the boat exploded in close proximity of it. This IPC was later sunk but the navy was able to rout the remaining 4 LTTE boats making them flee towards Silawathurei area.

Most of the SLN losses in recent times have largely been due to lack of essential naval firepower. SLN vessels are armed with aging 23MM cannons (except the OPCs which have 40MM cannons and sea missile launch capability) while their sea tiger counterparts have been able to install in 30MM weapons systems in their craft.

The latest SLN loss comes after the SLAF wiped the sea tiger HQ off the map last week.

16 comments:

  1. How long is the SLN going to wait to upgrade the main armaments of our FACs and IPCs? The cost of upgrading to 30mm or heavier caliber weapons is only getting higher at the rate we are loosing IPCs and FACs to the superior guns of the Sea Tigers.

    By the time the Admiralty decides to go ahead with the upgrades, I hope we have a few FACs and IPS left to upgrade. We need larger vessels armed with 76mm radar controlled guns. With such guns we can blow the sea tigers to extinction.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just need to clarify something. The Israeli Saar 4 class FMVs are supposed to be equipped with an Italian built 76mm Oto Melara radar directed gun. SLN has 2 Saar 4s, the Nandimithra class. Did the SLN do the smart thing and retain the 76mm guns on their Saars, or did they do something stupid like replacing them with lighter weapons?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am dismayed that Sri Lanka nor its Armed forces do not seem to realize the importance of keeping its population informed of their capability to defend our national interests. I found more information on a Russian language website about the SL Navy than on the Navy's site itself. With due recognition and appreciation to the publishers of the respective blog, I have attempted to created one in an effort to bring the information contained therein to the Sri Lankan general public.

    Following is a link to the blog;
    http://www.lankanavy.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dear Defencenet
    I am dismayed that Sri Lanka nor its Armed forces seem to realize the importance of keeping its population informed of their capability to defend our national interests. I found more information on a Russian language website about the SL Navy than on the Navy's site itself. With due recognition and appreciation to the publishers of the respective blog, I have attempted to created one in an effort to bring the information contained therein to the Sri Lankan general public.

    Following is a link to the blog and would appreciate very much of you would allow a link to same ;
    http://www.lankanavy.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  5. tropicalstorm,
    Great site. Linked under 'useful links' section. Keep it up.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great site Tropicalstorm!
    keep up the good work man,

    how do you join in?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dear Defencenet,

    I am currently researching to develop a blog for the SLAF, somewhat along the lines of my blog on the Navy. I would like to invite you to add pictures that are generally not found in the media about the SL Army to the defencenet, if that is possible. A single picture is worth a thousand words...

    I am recieivng tremendous feed back from a lot of overseas Sri Lankans on the Navy blog. That shows the importance of pictures in motivating people to support a cause.

    ReplyDelete
  8. tropicalstorm,
    Go to this site if you want SLAF pictures.
    http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=62930&highlight=lanka

    It's created by our good old friend Mig29C. All credits goes to him

    ReplyDelete
  9. Machnag la

    Can any one tell me why the hell we cant buy the 30mm bush mater weapon system. There are plenty of suppliers on the internet . We lost 2 Dovra attack crafts in October. I lost good mate of mine Lt commander mudeep panditharathne in one of them.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The reason is simple. You go to the net Hasalaka, find the right people in SL and sell them the weapon. You can make some money and they also can. It does not matter if the weapon works. You can out of friendship pass that money to your mate's family.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hasalaka
    What Navindran mentioned is sadly somewhat true… when the tender for the 30mm was first called from what I hear it was open to all suppliers. Later the current navy commander cancelled the tender because of supposed malpractices. The 30mm Bushmaster was then going to be purchased government to government. But this way it seems no one can make a cut on it so it still has not gone through. Sooner or later it will be put through an emergency purchase and some one will make a killing.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Burgher, I was under the impression that it was that old thief Sandagiri who did the dirty work in the previous deal. There was even a presidential commission investigating him when he retired. No idea what happened to that commission.

    But even if first deal was canceled because it involved a major fraud, that is absolutely not an excuse not to have upgraded by now.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hey guys

    Yes I heard “daya sandagiri” is the basted who did this. How many valuable lives we lost due to this. Machnag we need bush master weapon system so badly. I know tigers used 30mm when they attacked Panditharathnas dovra last year. I honestly don’t know what hell our defense ministries doing ????
    Machnag any idiot can understand the best way to damage the tigers is to block there weapon supply and hit the sea tigers as hard as we can. In order to do that we need more patrol crafts and better weapon system for our dovra.

    ReplyDelete
  14. If you look at SLN Saar vessels on the bow a 40mm and Stern the 76mm ~
    But, is it non operational ? Then on both starboard and port 23mm Rafael auto guns plus 4 .50guns & 40mm grenade launcher near the Bridge ! Have seen the photo of the Mig 27's been unloaded at Katu ? Awesome shot guys ! By the way Check airliner.net for some cool SL Airforce pics !

    Regarding our navy brass hmmm man' I'm perplexed ! Those guys are either clueless or politics are involved ! Watcha think ?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dear Hasalaka,
    I saw your comments on this site and I saw you’d mentioned bout Lt. Commander Mudeep Panditharathne and I realized that you are a good friend of him. Being someone well known to Mudeep, I would like to know bout you, if u don’t mind.
    It is an unbearable lost for us, as well as for the Navy and for Sri Lanka.
    Please contact me

    ReplyDelete
  16. Has anyone got specs and pics of the type of SLN IPC that was sunk? Is it a Dovra?

    ReplyDelete

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