Wednesday, June 20, 2007

LTTE suffers casualties in sea battle

LTTE's sea going arm suffered heavy casualties when one of it's clandestine boat movements was intercepted by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), yesterday. SLN gunboats deployed in the northern waters detected a group of approximately 20 sea tiger boats moving towards Point Pedro from Kadaikadu.

Upon detection, Fast Attack Craft (FAC) of the Navy engaged the sea tiger boat movement. The fierce firefight which then erupted lasted for hours. In the initial battle, Navy's gunboats destroyed 3 LTTE craft completely. As soon as these boats were hit, rest of the sea tiger boats began withdrawing towards tiger controlled territory in Kadaikadu. SLAF's Mi-24 helicopter gunships attacked the fleeing tigers and SLA's artillery bases bombarded the seas off Munai (where the rebel craft were lingering for a while) using Multi Barrel Rockets and 152mm/130mm artillery guns.

A total of 5 LTTE craft were sunk and a further 9 are confirmed to be seriously damaged. One of the disabled LTTE boats in better condition is now being towed to the Point Pedro harbor by SLN. Nearly 40 LTTE cadres are believed to be killed in this 4 hour long sea battle.

126 comments:

  1. No news about SLN cassualties?!? that can not be the case. I am trying to get in contact with my naval sources. I will update once i get some news about SLN cassualties and damage.

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  2. Asithri, I appeal to just stick to names and do not waste time in "The LTTE theoretician rascal Anton Balasingham (Bala the Para Balla) and his lesbian white-trash Aussie" .Its degrades the exchange of information.

    I cannot understand why MBRL were used. Its like its now the solution for sea battles also.

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  3. navindran,
    MBRls were used because they have a 'splash damage' capability; they can destroy a large area in one single round.

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  4. its great if the navy sank 5.I hope they dont get too close to the shore-in range of guns on shore.Its such a brave job they are doing out there.anyone know if the new heavier guns have been fitted as it seems like the navy is pursueing the attackers

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  5. defencenet:
    what do you imply by one round?
    isnt one round a single unit of ammunition?

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  6. Update from Thoppigala:

    Commandos have overrun 3 more minor LTTE camps east of Narakamulla. More than 15 LTTE cadres have been KIA. Area is heavily mined and troop movements has slowed down. Two soldiers have suffered injuries due to land mine explosions.

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  7. shehal,
    One MBRL round = 40 rockets

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  8. Defencenet, I do know why MBRLs are used. However its seldom or never used in sea. Even during the pacific theatre, ship based MBRLS were used for landing clearance operations for troops to land and not against each other.

    In Vietnam, the US 1 st Airborne calvary used air based MBRLs for landing clearnace operations. Again I use MBRLS as a loose term. Those weapons were muliple rocket launchers.

    Here it seems that the SLA/SLN resprts to using MBRLs for all operations. It also counters argument that the LTTE was fleeing and on sight of the SLN. The LTTE media was saying they were in that area for some time and the SLN withdrew intially with one FAC badly damaged.

    Hence on withdrawal they must have realised that MBRLs were in range and asked for assistance. I asked why because its not always that MBRLs will be in range and its not as effective in the sea as on land. Likewise artillery is also not as useful as boats have more manuverability in the sea.

    I hope when tamilnet is no longer readable to many, the army does not start spinning stories which defy logic. Like announcing 10 dead, then saying only 6 etc.

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  10. Al-jazeera english in the UK is claiming that the military has killed over 80 rebels in confrontations on land and sea, no video yet.

    This latest round of naval clashes yet again involved close air support from the SLAF Mi-24/35s. I thought it was interesting that the SLDF was so willing to use Mi-24s for air support while if you can remember in the vavuniya confrontation no MI-24 were used.

    I would like to ask the experts on the blog whether this reflects a change in the mindset of the military and the gunships are now preferred as a means of providing naval close air support, while fixed wing aircrafts like the Mig-27/Kfir being reserved for close air support on land.

    On the matter of the use of MBRLs to engage naval targets, Tamilnet is claiming that LTTE boats remained in the seas off point pedro overnight while the SLN boats were being replenished at KKS, thus the army may have used artillery guns/rockets as a means providing cover fire for the SLN boats. The latest use of MBRLs may have been an opportunistic event as the LTTE boats may have been within range and remained concentrated in a small area. Conventional artillery in the form of air burst shells have been used for a long time by SLA troops along the coast to provide support for naval engagements. The greater speed and manoeuvrability of the enemy gunboats is countered with a wall of shrapnel.

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  11. Defencenet is it not a waste to use MBRLs?...And why is te navy towing.. a damaged LTTE boat..is it a MI operation?

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  12. Navindran you seem to know a lot about millitory matters.when reading your comments only i realise how ridiculous our forces are. They should have had a person like you for advice.
    Also tamilnet seems to be the most reliale source of information even though they generally take more than 24 hours to come up(cook) with a story for the battles which they have suffered.

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  13. Navindran, the helicopter multiple launch rocket systems used in Vietnam are exactly like our MBRLs (Multiple Barrel Rocket Launchers).

    The reason the US Navy LCIs didn't use these systems in naval engagements in WW2 is because the LCI (Landing Craft Infantry) is only used in amphibious ops. Also, most cruisers and battleships had thick armour which MBRLs couldn't penetrate, and huge guns that could outrange the MBRLs and target individual ships. In the north, where the Navy is facing small lightly armoured Tiger boats that operate in fleets it's possible to saturate an area with MBRLs, thereby delivering heavy calibre ordnance which delivered by gun or howitzer would be ineffective against small manouverable craft. It's also routine for the SLA to fire on Tiger boats that within range of shore batteries, so why not make use of the MBRLs?

    When DefenceNet says one round = 40 rockets, he means one MBRL salvo of 40 rockets, I think.

    Oshada, using Hinds against Sea Tiger boats doesn't mean it's a change in tactics or mindset. It's possible that in Vavuniya, there was a threat of heavy AAA from fixed and fortified positions, whereas since the Sea Tigers don't have dedicated AA capaability on their boats, it's unlikely they could bring down a Hind with a heavy machine-gun or RPG when both chopper and boat are moving at high speed.

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  14. ""When DefenceNet says one round = 40 rockets, he means one MBRL salvo of 40 rockets, I think.""

    Yes you are correct David.

    Actually MBRLs are not fired randomly at sea. For example, yesterday sea tiger flotilla were lingering too long in the same area. Rocket regiment fired MBRLs at the coordinates given based on this factor. It also limits sea tiger maneuverability in tight situations. However we do not have sea missiles or any such specialized weapons so MBRL tactic was born.

    And srilankan, they are towing the boat to uncover more evidence if any. It will also prevent it from getting back to LTTE controlled territory again. We are trying to know whether it was a Muraj class boat or not but havent got any info on this yet.

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  15. Many thanks defencenet.Dont mind my asking but what is a muraj class boat

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  16. The SLN probably captured the LTTE boat for two possible reasons:
    Intelligence - To keep track of the LTTE naval capabilities and to obtain hard evidence of any new developments in LTTE shipbuilding.
    Propaganda - To have hard evidence of the battle that ensued and improve morale among the security forces. Hopefully its one of the heavier LTTE boats (Muraj class).

    davidblacker, cheers for your opinion on the use of the Mi-24 in the sea engagement. It probably makes sense that the Mi-24/35s can keep up with the fast manoeuverable LTTE boats.

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  17. Defencenet,

    i just recieved some pictures of LTTE craft via email and would like to share it with the rest of the readers to this blog. how can i do this.

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  18. "For example, yesterday sea tiger flotilla were lingering too long in the same area. Rocket regiment fired MBRLs at the coordinates given based on this factor."

    This is strange, even Tamilnet admits to the same, wonder why they would do this knowing full well that the security forces would hit them with MBRLs, as they have done it in the past too.

    Could this be an attempt to map out where the MBRL batteries are located. I assume these would have been MBRLs located closer to the nagarkovil FDL that were used, so maybe part of the plan you mentioned before to capture MBRLs???

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  19. yankeezulu, you cvan post them up at imageshack:

    imageshack.us

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  20. SL, the Muraj-class is a 10-crew, 45 knot, petrol engine vessel equipped with 3 machine guns or cannon and used for attacks against naval craft and for landing. Possibly equipped with as many as four outboard motors (unverified reports). Surface search radars are being standardized on some versions. Said to be large (enough cargo capacity to carry 12 barrels of fuel).

    The Sea Tigers also have the Thrikka-class, a 4-crew, 45 knot, petrol engine vessel equipped with a machine gun.

    And the Sudai-class, a 6-crew, 10 knot, petrol engine vessel equipped with a machine gun.

    The Idayan-class is a 2-crew, 45 knot speedboat that can also be converted for suicide operations. With 200 horsepower outboard engines.

    There's also an unknown class 2-crew suicide boat, possibly armour plated, light-weight and capable of travelling at approximately 35 knots, that was first seen in LTTE video footage. Used in Trincomalee harbour attack in late 2000. One was also captured near Vakarai. Looks a bit like a stealth fighter:)

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  21. All in all,

    What was the motive of those tiger boats. Does anyone have any clue.

    It is fully understood the use of MBRL and Air Burst Arti shells to counter the tiger boats.

    Thanks.

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  22. Check this article out:

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070620/wl_sthasia_afp/srilankaunrestinternetmediacensorship_070620095034

    I think the government gone nuts? Doesn't the MOD and the Foreign office have some kind of contact?

    This is seriously going to ruin our standing overseas!

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  23. Oshada...
    FMM is the first to jump up and down when there's censorship but it should ideally work both ways.
    FMM first should have set standards that they would want media institutions to follow... just because you're media doesn't give you the right to go attacking people/SLDF etc and lie to the whole world for your their own gains...
    I personally believe this was not a good move but it's funny to see FMM performing to protect a terrorist propaganda house...

    David/DefenceNet
    Are these Muraj class boats manufactured in SL by the tigers?
    I've see them on youtube and seems that have pretty decent speed...
    If this salvaged vessel is a Muraj, will it be the first time SLN managed to recover one of them...
    hope they will post some pics soon :)

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  24. ranil, I understnd your point regarding the FMM and I agree that they themselves should adhere to some standards when dealing with meadi outlets that support terrorist organisations.

    My point however was that a spokesperson for the MOD should not be making declarations like that on the record in front of the international media. If the MOD wants to employ hackers then that is fine; they can do so. However, hackers activities should not be in the public domain rather they should achieving goals through clandestine means!!!

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  25. Dear David,
    Many thanks for the info.From the news it seems that they have captured a muraj class boat

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  26. About jacks comment-is this a way to track the position of the MBRL-and attack it at night by air?.But would the army not relocate it?

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  27. Anyone, like Milmi mentioned - what was the motive behind this attack ? Any clues anyone?

    Was this used to divert attention from somewhere else?

    Defencenet, If I remember in a another naval incident SLAF beechraft was deployed elsewhere to verify no offloading of sea cargo is taking place, while these sea-borne attacks take place. Can u confirm?

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  28. YankeeZulu,
    You can upload the images to any image sharing site and post the link here.

    Such sites include:

    www.imageshack.us
    www.photobucket.com
    www.pixmixer.com

    Actually the Muraj is faster than a Dvora MK II (but Dvora MK II radars and tech is superior). According to previous Mi-24 pilot reports, it has some kind of AA defence too.

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  29. picture of boat http://www.nationalsecurity.lk/fullnews.php?id=6293

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  30. I would have to agree with lilmi and mohamed.

    Defencenet does the military know the purpose of the LTTE sea movement?

    Furthermore is there any news regarding the SLDF casulaties on land and sea?

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  31. hey guys check this out

    http://www.defence.lk/videos/20070620_v.wmv

    Can someone explain us more about these ammos that are captured?

    There are couple of what looks like captured LTTE suicide boats in the clip as well...

    LOL, looks like our guys are having a great harvest these days :D

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  32. This time around we can assume that most of the claims made by defence.lk and MCNS can be regarded as being accurate because of the rapid release information being released into the public domain (the pictures appear to be genuine with accurate dating). Furthermore, Tamilnet has remained quiet about any casualty figures (both LTTE and Navy).

    Now compare this to the time when the LTTE attacked the vavuniya FDLs and captured the buffel. There was a very long period of time where there was little information coming through and even that was being dispersed through unofficial means. The LTTE claimed victory very early with claims of high military casualties and captured ordnance.

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  33. I have a theory..

    There was talk about the mossad helping the LTTE. A line of argument could be this. These western nations and their allies are very cunning foxes. They might be using conflicts in the so called third world as test beds to try out new methods of warfare and counteracting same.

    Isn't Sri Lanka an ideal place for that? It is a win win situation for them. 3rd world nations never develops, they keep selling lots of arms, they can gather all the experience of battles fought in these conflict areas.

    I want to know from the learneared members of this blog whether USA/UK sought transfer of experience of the SLDF in fighting the separatist terrorists for something small in exchange. Some time ago I heard something like that.

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  34. so has india finally decided to sell us offensive weapons then

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  35. SL Navy pics of the tiger craft are more detailed but,this one isnt one of the larger ones right guys ?Cuz, I saw on the russian site they have 23mm cannon armed boats with rotating turrets ? But,that hole looks like a 23mm Cannon shot right ? Man, why cant SLAF find where these are ancored or hidden ? Good work & Go Navy !

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  36. N300, regardless of the bias of tamilnet, there should be a counter to what the defence sources say. Else with the present situation in Sri Lanka, it will all turn out to be HAPPY news.

    You can be scacrastic but give counter arguments like the rest. The germans lost Einstien becuase he was a jew. They would have won the war becuase of him. There are alot of university professors, academics like the one who helped fix the MBRLs who contribute more to the war effot then only soldiers.

    Its a waste of time a this time and age to do hacking. Example if I hack defencenet blog, it will be down for a day or 2 then it will be up agian. More protection by the blogger.com will be given and it will not be hackable. Secondly it makes Sri Lanka military and government look like they fear the LTTE. During the Iraq war, Baghad Bob(the iraqi information minister) was not censored by the US govt. His tall tales envigurated the arab people. Finally it was reflected to be false and the effect of that disappointement on the arab people was better then any propaganda.

    The problem in Sri Lanka today is that all the idea comes from Gota. He like Bush does not listen to the advice or people critical of them. Furthermore he is not an elected representative.

    The Delft attack and Vavuniya attack are reasons for this. The strong opposition to the tamil eviction is another. Iqbal Atas has also been silent for the last 3 weeks. Tamilnet also is reporting very mildly from their usual propaganda.

    I believe they want to populate happy news for all to support the war and the rajapaskas. You keep making mistakes like this and at the end of the day nobody will believe the news from the Sri Lankan govet/defence and any succeding administration will have difficult time convincing the people.

    CBK tried this tactics before(maybe the rajapasaka were involved also) and failed.

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  37. more photos

    http://www.navy.lk/news/security_news/more_details_&_pictures/2007/june/june_20/LTTE_LOSES_ONE_OF_THEIR_BIGGEST_CRAFT_IN_PPD%20ATTACK.htm

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  38. Looks like 30 confirmed "maveerars" just got added to the 40+ estimated other "maveerars" that became the sharks breakfast, lunch and dinner! In addition, another 17 got "popped" in a couple of other places, bringing to a tidy total of 87+ in just 48hrs! simply OUTSTANDING!

    I just finished talking to a SLAF honcho and he told me this time the Hinds did a superb job (this is not said to belittle fine job also done by SLN FACs and the SLA's awesome MBRLs).

    Anyway, just to catch up with a few minor "house keeping" items with some catz here...

    Ranil: Thanks for the nice words man...good to know you remember me! Aha, never a dull moment when you are fighting terrorism...right?

    Sri Lankan: This bloody keeny-meeny service (or what ever the f it was called, I forget! LOL!) was contracted during the 84/85 period by JRJ's son Ravi handling all the contract and financial dealings. At that time there were allegations of "financial irregularities" but that per se is not the issue. The issue is these white gooks earned a lot of money (in the millions), but did squat to make a dent vis-a-vis the budding LTTE terrorist problem!

    David B: Aha, I see you took a couple digs at OaO Asithri when he went fishing! The digs I see were for not remembering this keeny-meeny or eeny-meeny-minor-moe or whatever the fcuk the name of that SAS service was! Dude, for some of us, busy with high-profiled professional occupations in the West, there are more important things in life than remembering some obscure, irrelevant entity from over 20 years ago! And, you asked if I smoked "pilawoo" that I can’t remember it...no dude, I don't do that as I leave it for others like, for example, uneducated, unpatriotic, arrogant, boastful and pompous Burgher army deserters! I visit SL every year and every year I go North and spend days at times with some of my buddies who are SLDF honchos, but all I remember about their demeanor is no different to a physician - a physician does his/her job every day, but does not brag about it! However, I see your disposition is totally different to that and it makes me believe some lower ranking minions who under achieved in the forces could be into this pompous, arrogant and boastful demeanor! Sorry Dude…when you dish it out, you got to be ready to take it…that’s the law I believe in! LMSSAO!

    :)) :)) :))

    OaO Asithri

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  39. Guys
    Judging by the SL navy pics the tiger boat seems to be made of fiberglass... If ltte has moulds for these crafts it explains how they manage to replenish lost crafts very fast... The boat doesn't seem to be a deep V hull design like the dvora so probably this boat can't do well in choppy seas...
    Does the ltte sea arm have a bluewater variant of this or is this only for inshore ops...
    4 250Hp motors is a lot of power to a craft like that :)
    Us normal beings are restricted to a max of 25hp on out outboards.
    Good job by SLN...hope the other boats destroyed are also larger boats and not only their 18-19ft dinghies...

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  40. Ranil, you are right man...this boat doesn't appear to have a deep V hull and as such, it can be unstable in choppy waters. I just discussed this with a “naval” expert and he confirmed so, but said this is where the 4 250hp OBM 's come in...meaning that even in choppy waters, the thrust is so powerful, this boat can skim the over the choppy waves at high speed and keep going.

    I agree, well done SLN boyz!

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  41. Ranil, there's a pic of the captured boat in today's Daily Mirror. Looks like a Muraj, and yeah, they're as fast as the Super Dvoras.

    Kiri, the only allegations of Israel helping the LTTE was in Victor Ostrovski's book, and they were never verified. As I said earlier, it's unlikely the Israeli govt will risk its defence contracts by helping the Tigers.

    "Aha, never a dull moment when you are fighting terrorism...right?""

    Yeah, especially when Rainbow Six is the extent of your fighting:)

    "The issue is these white gooks earned a lot of money (in the millions), but did squat to make a dent vis-a-vis the budding LTTE terrorist problem!"

    Oh, you mean the Commandos & STF have done squat to combat terrorism? I didn't know you had such a poor opinion of our special forces, Asithri. We wouldn't have had those two units at such a high level without KMS & the SAS. You sure are OaO:)

    "Dude, for some of us, busy with high-profiled professional occupations in the West, there are more important things"

    Dude, pumping petrol and mopping toilets isn't considered a high-profile professional occupation. Even in the west. But anyone can fantasize.

    "every year and every year I go North and spend days at times with some of my buddies who are SLDF honchos,"

    You seem keen to bask in some reflected glory, Asithri. What's the matter, consider yourself a loser for not having the balls to join up. If these so-called "honchos" even exist, I bet they think you're a bigger wanker than even we do.

    "when you dish it out, you got to be ready to take it"

    Oh, I'll be happy to take it, but where is it? You couldn't fight your way out of a paper bag, loser.

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  42. Asithri
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Sea_Tiger_Fast_Attack_boat.jpg
    this looks like a Muraj our boys have captured with radar etc.
    Probably the lack of V hull enables it to do a beach landing... Probably these goons then load it up to a trailer, camo-net it and hide it...

    If this can skim off waves at high speeds it has to compromise on maneuverability shouldn't it?
    Must be guzzling gas as it appears to be a more displacement type of hull and those ones takes a lot of power to plane...explains the barrels :)

    David
    I've seen Dvoras up close during my deep sea fishing trips in Hendala . Scary looking stuff man...Especially early morning as it appear through the mist like a gray ghost. And the bloody thing flies... Once a Dvora passed our boat within about 100m's and it was a super sight... BTW...will you be there for cannes night today? ;)
    And cut some slack on my friend Asithri here. He's good guy, loves our forces... And he's not a pump attendant :)
    We're all in this together bro...and we need all the support we can get... In-fighting is pretty bad... Let's not be like our politicians :)

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  43. David B

    "Yeah, especially when Rainbow Six is the extent of your fighting:)"

    Aha, sounds like the favorite past-time of a simple-minded, guard-post sentry is coming out! So how was the LTTE baby-brigade boyz? No, I mean when they did you? LOL!

    "...I didn't know you had such a poor opinion of our special forces, Asithri. We wouldn't have had those two units at such a high level without KMS & the SAS."

    KMS/SAS may have trained STF/SLA SF, but the more effective know-how came much later from Israeli commondos/IDF SF and to some extent later, the US Green Berets. This was confirmed by many SLDF honchos (to which category you could only have a wet-dream of getting elevated to, I see) :)) :)) :))

    "You sure are OaO:)"

    and you sure are a pseudo army BB! :))

    "Dude, pumping petrol and mopping toilets isn't considered a high-profile professional occupation. Even in the west. But anyone can fantasize."

    No, I am too moronic I could not do those jobs...I leave it to your type of grade 7 dropout!

    "You seem keen to bask in some reflected glory, Asithri. What's the matter, consider yourself a loser for not having the balls to join up. If these so-called "honchos" even exist, I bet they think you're a bigger wanker than even we do."

    Actually, the ruthless warrior-honchos I know, who keep a modest silence unlike you, think of your type of BB as the "free wanker" that provides relief from battle stress!
    :)) :)) :))

    "You couldn't fight your way out of a paper bag, loser."

    At least I didn't desert the army when the LTTE baby-bata-slipper-brigade kept coming! :)) :)) :))

    No, I don't believe you are even an ex-soldier. You are just a fake...likely an anti-Sinhela Tamil racist (could be of mixed parentage) hiding behind this ex-SLA “David Blacker” (wow! what a name!) assumed identity! A pathetic misguided BB trying to be a SLA warrior! Nice try though!

    I have seen your arrogant, condescending posts to other Sri Lankans here, but in OaO Asithri, you sure got the wrong dude to bully Wanker…Yes, I wrote the book on scathing criticism!

    Ta-ta!

    :)) :)) :))

    OaO Asithri

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  44. David Blacker and asitri

    Come on guys … stop this arguments ..
    Have you guys seen this web site .. my mate forward this to me
    www.spur.org.nz
    good to see our NZ bothers also joining against the LTTE propaganda campaign

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  45. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  46. Hello-Asithri.Thanks for the info.As you said your extremely busy and in a good career.I am truely happy for you. Please lets try to keep away from arguement (although i cant afford to talk:)) as we are all on the side of our people many of who died for us.David has the time to help people with military matters as you are busy (although your input is greatly appreciated).David has been on the front line in elephant pass and as far as i know it was one of the most horrible battles made worse by stupid interfereing political leadership engaged in purchasing stupid weapons for commissions.Can you imagine what it would have been like to know that your next step may be on an anti personnel mine while you are under enemy artillary fire and trying to stop an advancing enemy in some tanks...i close my eyes and try to imagine...I can tell you this it scares the hell out of me because in the background you also hear the agonising screams of your dying friends.can u imagine your response Under these circumstances !!

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  47. I am no military man but just to place people in a possible "scenario"

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  48. It looks like the 4 Ltters are just kids.We have to save as many of those northern kids as we possibly can.This fellow Vp is trying to create a long term scar in every family in the north. Can u imagine the benefit to us if we can save those children and hand them back to their parents?

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  49. DefenceNet...
    Anything new on the eastern battle for toppigala...
    Nobody seems to know what's going on :(

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  50. Ranil- i dont want to monopolise this blog-but hey Simon Gardner(reuters) knows.

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  51. Sri Lankan,
    I salute you for your comments on saving the kids of LTTE (those who want to be saved).

    I hope many will surrender at this moment rather than getting massacared.

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  52. All,
    Do you think the LTTE terrorists have submarines? Should not we prepare for such threats? After all the terrorists claimed that the final battle will be fought in the sea.

    Also should we not look to utilise any form of submarine technology to our advantage and take the initiative at least on one occassion?

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  53. Also,
    What's the current version of the eelam war that is going on? 3.5 or 3.75?

    :)))

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  54. Many thanks kiri..for your kindness..what we have to do is to try to help these organisations like this seva vanitha for instance.If you watched itn srilanka last evening then their is a little bit of actual footage from the sea battle from a helicopter of some sorts i think...

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  55. See the worst thing for vp is a large number of kids who served with him remaining alive to tell their tales (after this is over) to the unicef?.See his comments of releaseing child soldiers to the unicef recently.What he has done is everyone over the age of say 18 is in vanni while most of the younger kids are sent to thoppi with a few adults to pursuade them to fight.(other than this rubbish of if yr married/recently recruited you are allowed to leave the ltte-to gain international recognition).so who is killing these kids according to him..its the army because they are operating in thoppi.!!!

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  56. sea battle video

    http://www.defence.lk/

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  57. Nice to see some healthy discussion going on here lol.

    Come on guys can we please stop the in-fighting?

    Lets leave our politicians to the in-fighting. We must be united for our forces when they need our help the most as the fighting is about to reach its climax.

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  58. Oshande-we have seen nothing yet.We will see what happens when we are poised to take wanni

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  59. Srilankan
    i can't find a sea battle video on def.lk :(
    there's a video of toppigala battle spoils though

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  60. http://www.defence.lk/
    right on top where it says news there is a picture of a ship..next to it..view video..well its just a little but better than nothing i suppose-cant give too much away because LTTE studying it also

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  61. SriLankan...
    got it... my browser was refusing cooperate so used another one :)

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  62. The "infighting" here will stop once this David Blacker character is given a warning by the admin to keep his vitriolic racism, bigotry and constant attacks on others to himself. A simple glance at his record which is written all over the Sri Lankan blogosphere will leave an individual lacking in integrity, decency and virtue. The Sri Lankan army must be very thankful that backward character such as David Blacker is no longer serving with them. One can only hope that he will move out of Sri Lanka and save the country the expense of having to put up with yet another born-again cross-carrying bigot.

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  63. looking at that video:it seems that the terrorists in the boat are shooting at the approaching projectiles.They are however pretty fast considering the time lapse on the cockpit clock.I also looked at the elevation of the screen..it said -1.never 0 and does this mean the pilots aim is bad.?.Why is the helicopter not using torpedoes?..considering the size of the ship on the screen the pilot seems very far away from the ship horizontally.Can some learned friend explain what is going on.

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  65. Why are they using FLIR at 4:30pm in the afternoon?

    Also SL I think this is from a FAC not a helicopter.

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  66. Jack my only guess is (and i havent seen the video yet) that suicide barges which accompany the larger vessels are difficult to spot in time given their low position in the water. Not sure what the 'technical jargon' for that is, but that's just my guess.

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  67. btw, what kind of ammo are the navy firing? is this what hey call 'air burst' shells?

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  68. you gotta love it when they score a direct hit! but some are clean missing this boat.

    i'm really glad the sln have put this on the net. it can only help demoralise the tiger lovers.

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  69. this must be the typhoon gun mount in action? is it?

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  70. "KMS/SAS may have trained STF/SLA SF, but the more effective know-how came much later from Israeli commondos/IDF SF and to some extent later, the US Green Berets. "

    First of all KMS & the SAS didn't train the SF, and if you had even the slightest knowledge of Sri Lankan military history, you'd know it. But I guess you rely too much on those imaginary "honchos" of yours. Tell me, do you still believe in Santa too? Israeli and US training only came in during the '90s. The Commandos were kicking arse long before that. Where'd you think they got that training from?

    "No, I am too moronic I could not do those jobs"

    We kinda figured that out out, Asithri.

    "think of your type of BB as the "free wanker" that provides relief from battle stress! "

    Actually we used to have some wanna-be Army-groupies coming up to see us (like you admit you do) at EPS. Most of them were female journos so there WAS some good relief. But I guess when you're desperate, even an Arsethri will do.

    "At least I didn't desert the army"

    How could you? You don't have the balls to join up in the first place. And I know deserters who've done what they did because of financial or family probs, not because they're cowards like you, who hide behind a pseudonym in order to insult soldiers. If you actually knew any soldiers (which it's obvious you don't) you'd know that deserters aren't looked down on by other soldiers unless they're criminals. I know really brave guys, some medal-holders who've deserted for family reasons. Losers like you, Asithri, aren't worthy to polish their boots never mind talk down about them.

    And for the record, I'm not a deserter. But I'm not insulted, I hold even deserters far higher up the food chain than pond scum like you.

    "No, I don't believe you are even an ex-soldier"

    Belief is hope without evidence, so please follow your beliefs, I'm sure it's hard for you to understand that not all soldiers fit into the comic-book picture you havve of the war. As the saying goes "Every man thinks meanly of himself for not having been a soldier, and not having been to sea". So I'm sure that believing I'm not an ex-soldier makes it easier for you to accept your own sad life :)

    "Yes, I wrote the book on scathing criticism!"

    Dude, if you could READ the book, I'd be impressed:) You should call yourself OtF (over the top)) Asithri.

    Ha ha

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  71. "Why are they using FLIR at 4:30pm in the afternoon?"

    It began at 4.30 and dragged on for 4 hours. That's why they used FLIR.

    David and Aasthri, please stop it and chill dudes.

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  72. Would anybody be able to tell me why the LTTE is still trying to hold on to thoppigala area, since I believe that they have lost the strategic importance of the location during the recent loss of area and its certain eventual fall to the srilankan army.
    it would be better for them to utilize the manpower to resist the army advancing in the north, rather than sacrificing those lives unnecessarily, no matter how inferior their combat experience is.

    The only reason I can think of to justify their interest in thoppigala is, to buy time for the ltte to rearm and regroup for a major offensive while the army is still concentrating in the east and not throwing the full weight of it in the north.
    Feels like the silence before the storm break

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  73. Guys as you have said before, can we please stick to the topic of this Blog.
    Let's avoid getting personal please.

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  74. OK, OK, I'll chill:)

    But I'm not in the habit of letting personal attacks pass.

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  75. "UK Metropolitan Police from the Counter Terrorism Command arrested A.C. Shanthan (51), LTTE’s leader in the UK and Goldan Lambert (29), Head of Finance of the British Tamil Association (BTA) yesterday (21). They have been arrested under the UK Terrorism A"-My god finally after 30 YEARS!!-for the past 30 years this guy was a nun and he became a terra today.Lets hope the police give him more than a slap and a tickle-sorry about this but i couldn't resist.this is a belated message to the govt to say-we are serious about terrorists-these fellows think the govt is composed of kids

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  77. On a more relevant topic:Now these boats have fibre glass bodies right-how easy is it to make fibre glass bodies?-what is fibre glass anyway

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  78. Canon fire looks like Dvora MK 111 23mm Thypoon Fire control hmmm... but, ya gotta love that that ELOPS stabalisation awesome aint it ? Hey, DB... is the star bust coming from the starboard 40mm grenade launcher ? That seatiger craft any ID on the type fellas ? TNet has a bullS. column on how "ltte craft lingered for a long time while the SL Navy treated to the safety of the KKS harbour " Hey , Soosai....have the "kohones"to accept that ya got your butt kicked looser ! Glad abt BD & Asithri ceasefire .. man I really didnt want you guys going at here with all fireworks up North ! Can someone name the ltte craft class ?

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  79. Hello beau sri-You got it wrong mate!!.What soosai said was that the sea tigers were late for their hair cut and were conducting a phased retreat.

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  80. Abt fibreglass go to figreglass.com mate... it's all there! But, it's poleyester based layers using gel based raisin and fabric layers. Ltte boats could be using either fabric layers or carbon or sennit fibre dunno ! Seaborne use more effective lightness,maintenance and durability. But, it's composites material easy to manufacture. But, check that Website mate !

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  81. check this article today.... Nice !

    http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/06/22/fea03.asp

    By the way Thanks Srilankan..I forgot the ltte have a hair doo mate by sincere apologies Bro. Wonder if they did shampoo though hmmm. ! ya killing me ;)

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  82. I read Gota interview on the Nation, If he was sincere, its good. However if he is using the soldiers and saying do not attack me or my family as it akin then i am begining to dislike the guy.

    He said this
    Q: From what you say, it is the government that provided the leadership and at the same time gave the military the freedom to handle the war. But in the case of the LTTE, whether we like it or not, Velupillai Prabhakaran is responsible for the overall LTTE strategy - whether it be military, political or even economical vis-?-vis the country. What is your view on this?

    A: Even in the LTTE, Prabhakaran placed Karuna in charge of the military, Soosai in charge of the Sea Tigers, and Pottu Amman handled intelligence. The political leader gives the leadership you give the proper strategy to the military. What I am saying is that you should not interfere with them when implementing that strategy.

    For example, a political leader would not know military tactics. There is a big difference. The overall military strategy should be laid down. That is the prerogative of the political leadership. The President as the Commander-in-Chief has given clear directions but the management of the operations and the employment of tactics at ground level should be handled by the military.

    Honestly is he praising the leadership of Prabha? I was laughing reading this.

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  83. I thought the Muraj class boats carried 12.7mm HMG's too? May be they came off and sank while the boat was on tow...
    Does any one know what type of radar was carried by the sea tiger boat?

    Def.net

    The twin 14.5mm is a real killer...I hear it's better than the 12.7mm we got aboard our IPC's.
    Some time back I read in The Daily News of an IPC being fitted with twin 14.5mm. Any idea if this will become our standard IPC main armament?

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  84. Well the captured vessel is one of the few larger vessels sea tigers had. Most of its weaponry was damaged in firefight and/or were destroyed on purpose by fleeing tigers.
    The vessel was known among sea tigers by codename 'Indumathi'

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  86. DefenseNet, I will chill out too...

    Although being a hot-blooded Sinhela from the "Darunu-Dakuney" with a proud lineage of Dakuney warriors who even hold credit to leading the numerous famous (or infamous, pick your divide) "karellas" against the white invaders of our Motherland, including in one such “karalla” where British white gooks (who were trying penetrate the heavy rain-forest to capture Senkadagala) were slaughtered whole-sale (500+ in one campaign) on behalf of the monarch of the day, King Rajasinghe of Senkadagala, I too am not in the habit of passing on personal attacks from a bloody para-deshi, Sankarayas! Long before these Sankarayas landed uninvited on our soil, we were fighting the Dravida, Chola, Pandya gooks and slicing them gleefully with our "Lion Swords!" Some of these Sankarayas think they are the ones who taught us the art of warfare! LMSSAO!

    Anyway, back to the point….DefenseNet, this is your blog and I respect your request and agree to contain myself (“cease and desist”) and this is my last “targeted post” at this obnoxious, empty-headed, under-achieved, Sankaraya who I hear has even uttered racist filth against Sinhelas, Tamils and others! Anyway, I apologize to you (and only to you) for any transgression on my part.

    Navindran, I too read the Gota's interview and frankly I think he held his ground very well. As for saying politicians should not meddle in military strategy, he hit the nail right on the head! Sri Lanka's war against terrorism has been totally screwed up by politicians (JRJ, Premadasa, CBK, and Ranil the Prize Moron) for too long and it is time that a person who has no worries about getting re-elected (i.e. with support from racist Tamils) took reins and directed military strategy. Now there are many UNP’s Ranil supporting morons here and cunning LTTE agents masquerading under many unlikely names (they are the same in essence) who love to see Gota step down. I say to them – go suck an egg! Gota is there to carry out the aspirations of the MAJORITY of the country and he has our undying moral support - to liquidate the LTTE carcass-maggots with extreme prejudice!

    :)) :)) :))

    OaO Asithri

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  87. Here's something that tells me that "this eelam war" is likely going to be the "last eelam war" for the terrorist scum:

    [The choice made by tigers’ ground command at Thoppigala for the cadres was “Fight as long as you can, commit suicide or Surrender, which ever you feel the best” as per the revelations by those cadres who had surrendered.]

    [The state of breaking the barracks by the cadres at Thoppigala tiger camps despite the instructions by the Kilinochchi leadership began early in this year with the Security Forces’ pincer towards Thoppigala. Dozens and dozens of young cadres in groups began creeping away from their defences to be handed themselves over to the Defence Forces every month. During the past few weeks alone there were over forty cadres surrendered and many cadres fleeing away from the area in desperation had been confronted and killed by the Army.]

    Wow! What a turn around of events!!!

    I too say it is highly commendable the the SLA gave ample opportunity for the LTTE baby-brigade cadres to surrender and it is heartening to see some have done that.

    OaO Asithri

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  88. Sri Lankan...
    Making fibreglass hulls is not that difficult...especially for a low tech hull design like this muraj...
    deep v hulls are little difficult to form than these ones...
    You get all the supplies in SL and i'm sure boat manufacturers in those areas must be having the goods and know-how for that...
    However the trick is having a mould...
    The way around that is to make the hull with a plywood core and to surround it with fibre sandwich...
    this is a very easy and fast building technique.
    Hull plans are available on the net and some of those places provide custom plans upon request...

    But i heard that this boat Muraj "appeared" to be of foreign make... north korean maybe :)

    I still wonder why ltte engaged sln this time rather than fleeing to save their assets... I big craft like this has to be a huge loss for them.. was this a diversionary tactic? Did slaf had a beechcraft operating to check what's going on in other areas?

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  89. Asithri, every successful military power learns and borrows from others. In fact, the best ones borrow the most. The absolute best (like Israel) have no heritage, traditions, or other baggage. Everything is borrowed (or stolen) and adapted. To somehow perpetuate the myth that everything we know we learned ourselves is silly.

    I admire your pride in your heritage, but don't let it dull your commonsense.

    The Brits beat us because they were a stronger, more modern military power. Countries like India (also beaten by the Brits) adapted the Brit strengths and made them their own.

    As for the "darunu dakuna", it was one of the first kingdoms to fall. It was the so-called Kandyan Sinhalese/Tamils who resisted the longest.

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  90. DefenceNet,
    Thanks,
    Little is heard of the new CDF (home guards).
    Are they trained adequately?
    How and what role should they play in Sri Lanka Defense Structure in the long run?
    Should they be trained in firefighting/rescue and emergency preparedness & response like the Singapore/Indian CDF?

    This could be a topic to discuss…..just a thought…

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  91. yes few information about the newly created "NANDIMITHRA" brigade pls..

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  92. Beau sri and Ranil.. many thanks for your info.
    asithri..this LTTE WAR will go on for many years even if the military campaign is lost.Why do you think the LTTE is collecting fortunes away from home...to start EELAM phase-2 a diplomatic campaign...tamil sangams...influence corrupt western politicians..etc.As we know politicians make the decisions..and these fellows only need to use their wealth to promote a really corrupt western politician with totally distorted views (ex-that greek canadian donkey who is clueless about SL taking his tousers off-see how easy it is to influence people who dont bother to understand or have ulterior motives).What i suspect is that when we are finally poised to take wanni then u may see some areas of this aspect in action The best news is the INDIA APPEARS to be on our side at last.Forgive me for saying this but whenever i see an indian politician why does it remind me of a bollywood actor?.

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  93. Just one more comment.. it is really great that the 3 rajapakse brothers are taking ranil to court.Lets see what info the papers pick up at the trial.

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  94. Ranil i could be wrong about this.Lets say vp knows that he can replace the destroyed boats in days (assuming he has a factory underground).Now he has said he will release all child soldiers by a certain day (unicef).Is he sending his child soldiers in these boats to cause as much havoc as possible and die?

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  95. Thanks for the following article Beau sri..nice one.. a must read to all!!
    http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/06/22/fea03.asp

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  96. London LTTE chief arrested
    http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/6236

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  97. Phew that took longer than expected...

    David can we have some help in identifing these craft...

    I must say i was very impressed with what the sea tigers have mustered up...

    Just goes to show that one should never under estimate one's enimy.

    Check out the Sea Tiger craft
    http://profile.imageshack.us/user/yankeezulu/

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  98. During this sea battle only one sailor was injured… a huge success… a new approach was drawn up to deal with the sea tigers and was used in this encounter which involved a new arm of the SBS… as we can see the results are clear to all to see…

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  99. yankeezulu

    It looks to me that photo 13 is the one that they have left out in eastern very recently and photo 18 is the one that we captured day b4 yesterday

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  100. "Little is heard of the new CDF (home guards).
    Are they trained adequately? "

    139 personnel allocated to the Nandimithra brigade have passed out so far. They are deployed in border villages where LTTE attacks are imminent. Commando regiment and special forces were directly involved with the training of Nandimithra brigade so the standard is supposed to be high.

    Captured craft looks like a customized "blue water' Muraj. They all have basic surface radar capability. At least 3 more of these were sunk in the sea battle.

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  101. Hiru

    looks that way to me too

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  102. "Captured craft looks like a customized "blue water' Muraj. They all have basic surface radar capability. At least 3 more of these were sunk in the sea battle."


    DefenceNet...
    this is great news... Will this be seatigers biggest single loss in a battle then?
    4 Muraj class crafts loss is a huge hit to them

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  103. I am starting to doubt the casualty figures released by the MOD again.

    Only one soldier injured? Bearing in mind the scale of the engagement it is difficult to believe it however much I want to believe the publicised kill ratio.

    You can see from the you tube sea tiger videos the fighting is in close proximity; you might even be able to see the faces of those on the naval crafts on either side.

    YankeeZulu, cheers for the sea tiger pics. It is staggering the level of ingenuity of the LTTE: a suicide craft not only with a low cross section to make it harder to detect visually and almost employing stealth principles to reduce its radar signature as well.

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  105. oshada
    http://tinyurl.com/2zqe8x

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  106. superb bog site.keep up d good work!!i want to kmow if the 5 mig29's we are purchasing-are they brand new?and is the variant an SM one?which is multi-role if im not mistaken.

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  107. Yes it'll be the SM and a 2 seater trainer

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  108. important news item (related to arrests in london)
    http://profile.imageshack.us/user/yankeezulu/

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  109. Here are some more info regarding this incident ..
    http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=22533
    ==========
    This will give you some idea of the LTTE craft.
    http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=90371&highlight=lankan+navy

    There are some shocking revlations too..Looks like LTTE purchased lot of arms from North Korea during the recent past.
    They also tried their hands on submarines too..North Koreans have built some crude some marines and never knows LTTE might by them.

    ===========
    DEFENCENET,
    The arrest in UK means LTTE will move forward the dates of there long awaited offensive to capture Jaffna penninsula and declare Ealam.
    Just before their recent offensive in Vauynia, LTTE closed the Omanthai entry/exit point. For some reason the SLA seems to have missed this vital tell tale sign of an impending attack.It shows GOSL had not enough ground intel on the LTTE movements or they simply ignored these signs of an attack.
    Without observing LTTE moves very closely GOSL will not be able to secure Jaffna. The GOSL must make it clear to the SLA that, they must secure it some how and DEFEAT is not an option.

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  110. Defencenet,
    If you have missed this...
    This is shocking..
    [http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=90371&highlight=lankan+navy ]
    If you checked the above website,
    There is a Janes defence news article about Israelies training LTTE fighters..I don't think we will see the end of LTTE ...

    ========
    Charles under Indian intelligence scanner
    By: Agencies
    June 19, 2007

    The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) chief Veluppillai Prabhakaran?s son Charles Anthony is now on the watch list of the Indian agencies after reports that he heads the air wing of the banned militant outfit.

    A central intelligence officer in Mumbai said Prabhakaran junior may have been trained by Israel?s Mossad, an intelligence agency.


    Reports indicate that the LTTE air wing is a complement of nine pilots and seven light single-engine aircrafts. They also have a strength of about 60 airmen to maintain and service the planes mostly operating from secret airfields around Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka.

    The air wing is useful for carrying out suicide strikes on Sri Lanka security forces and also carry out reconnaissance missions before an attack.
    Investigations by agencies indicate that apart from Mossad, senior LTTE cadre is also trained by Pakistan?s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) operatives.

    The LTTE owns a fleet of sea-going ships to transport their supplies and arms since 1986.

    Prabhakaran, 52, is named in the murder of former Indian prime minister
    Rajiv Gandhi who was killed by a suicide bomber at Sriperembudur near Chennai in May, 1991.

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  111. Did anyone read the EXACT reason(s) these 2 jokers were arrested?.OK this banning had an influence HOWEVER was there another?

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  113. Hey cool catz, did you guys see this footage of the SLN boys making a match-sticks out of a Muraj-class boat on June 19th? Here it is for those who haven't seen it yet:

    http://www.defence.lk/videos/20070621_PPD%20attack.wmv

    Crap, there is no sound (at least when I download it)...I simply love to hear the sound of those 30mm cannons (I think the Dvoras have now upgraded to 30mm from 25mm) from the Dvora babies pulverizing the LTTE scummies' boats. Obviously, considering the last scene of "high explosion" it is evident that this is not the Muraj the SLN boyz brought back ashore.

    Hey Blacker...

    Keeping cool dude? Your point about the less-strong military entities learning from the strong entities is valid and I have no dispute with that logical view. However, your piece about our Dakuney kingdom (our Ruhuna) falling the first to the colonial gooks may be true, but it had a purpose. This is what you call a "tactical cessation of hostilities" as our Runey lot know it is not possible to fight the white gooks (who had guns and cannons) in the flatlands of Ruhuna and instead, they threw in their lot with the Sinhela monarch in the Senkadagala (for you, Kandy)...and this is the bit of history I narrated vis-a-vis my ancestors from Ruhuna.

    It is true the Kandyan Sinhela heros like Keppetipola fought a valiant war (a guerilla war in its own form) against the white British gooks, but for all the brave Kandyan Sinhelas, there were one or two traitors in their midst (like today, e.g. Ranil Wickremasinghe the Imbecile) and they are the ones who betrayed the Monarch and the country by giving "inside info."

    [Incidentally, the last Kandyan king was not a "Tamil" king as many ignorant Dolts believe. He was a Buddhist monarch (admittedly, known as a tyrant) of mixed parentage (mother a Sinhela princess and father a Malabari Prince – Malabaris in contemporary terms are Keralites, the people from Kerala state in South India (Pandyans in historical context) and they are NOT Dravidian Tamils!)]

    Blacker, I think it is poppycock to include "Tamils" in the category of Sri Lankans who put up valiant resistance to the successive white gooks' occupation of SL. The Tamils of the day not only refused to join the Sinhelas to fight the white gooks, they curried favors with them and that resulted in the white gooks (particularly the British) favoring the Tamils with perks (plum civil service jobs, scholarships to Oxford, Cambridge, etc.) at the expense of blatant discrimination against the Sinhelas, but particularly against the Sinhela Buddhist majority. Well, the rest is a bit of sordid history as when independence was won, the majority (no question, hands down) Buddhist Sinhelas who hitherto had been discriminated started asserting their rightful place in the country and that's when the Tamils (who hitherto had been the golden "poster child" of the British) started this cry of discrimination!!!

    Anyway, as I said, that's all sordid history and what matters today is HOW TO LIQUIDATE THE MAXIMUM LTTE CARCASS-MAGGOTS WITH UNMITIGATED GLEE!

    LMSSAO!

    PEACE to all patriotic Sri Lankan bros/sisters!

    :)) :)) :))

    OaO Asithri

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  114. It's now been revealed that the captured boat was not made in SL. It's a foreign build and is supposed to be smuggled in during CFA.

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  115. DefenceNet
    any idea the country of origin?
    Janes had on one of their older articles that north koreans might be helping ltte sea wing...
    It's wrong to assume but it might even be norway...those guys are good boatbuilders and lousy mediators :)

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  116. Hey guys..read the Sunday island to day...

    The Tiger Boat hull is suspected
    to be from Indonesia & the OBM and radar from Japan, with the twin 14.5mm from China (same type used by the Navy).
    The Navy claimed that the Sea Tiger boat was first hit by a 107mm rocked from a FAC then hit by 30mm cannon fire!
    Great work boys, keep it up.

    This means that the Navy has mounted 107mm Type-63 or Type-81 MBRL's on board FAC's ! Weldone boys...

    Any news on this DefenceNet?

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  117. Yankeezulu, the thumbnails wouldn't load to full size for me, but yeah, looks like a Muraj.

    Tangara, I couldn't find anything about Isreali training for the Sea Tigers on that site. However, I'd take any claims by the Indians of Israeli involvement with a large pinch of salt. The Indians are desperately trying to make sure the Israelis don't get any further SL defence contracts, and that those contracts will be given to Indian companies instead.

    Asithri after wading through your rather confusing (and confused) version of SL history, I can only conclude that you skipped that part in school. In spite of the fact that your post is so full of racist epithets to be almost unreadable (I'm surprised admin is allowing it 'cos it makes the site look bad), I'll respond. Yes, you're right about the Dharunu Dhakuna conducting a "tactical cessation of hostilities". The LTTE frequently do that too, and they call it a "tactical withdrawal":). But rather throw in their lot with the Kandyans, many of the Sinhalese auxiliaries the Brits used against the Kandyans were from the Sabaragamuwa/Sinharaja area. Also, Sri Vickrama Rajasinghe signed the treaty with the British in Tamil. You can continue with the fantasy of him being Sinhalese if you like.

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  118. David, Def.Net & all


    Is it really hard for SL to start her own defence industry?
    I mean we already make MPV (Unibuffle),body armor & FAC's don't we..I heard the SLAF and some army Eng. units use to make bombs and some crude ammo too

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  119. Nemesis, it all depends on what you consider a defence industry. The Buffel (though no longer made here, I believe) and the FAC is possible because in the former the design already existed (South African) and SL had some experience with manufacturing local buses and trucks at one time (Ashok Leyland), and in the latter, the Colombo dockyard knows how to make boats.

    But if you're looking at things like weapons, munitions, armoured vehicles, or aircraft, you need to have the design and manufacturing capability in place already. Most countries that have a thriving defence/arms industry are already competent in related fields such as civilian vehicles, aircraft, precision machinery, etc. We have to first have a motor industry before we can produce armoured vehicles, for instance.

    On the hand, some countries (like Pakistan) are not well known as manufacturers of consumer durables, but have a thriving arms industry. In the case of Pakistan, it has a long weapons tradition, and weapon making is a cottage industry, particularly on the NW Frontier, so they were able to harness that to such good effect that they obtained a licence from H&K, one of the most precise weapons manufacturers in the world.

    It is the manufacturing capability that is needed more than design capability. The latter can be licenced, borrowed, or stolen the way Israel and India have done.

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  120. IMHO
    i think SL doesn't have the initial investing power for such a venture.
    I think there are enough and more shipbuilding experts and the R&D technology for those things are not very expensive... I'm sure if fundings were not an issue we can easily produce all our boat hulls in SL. Outfitting them with weapons and electronic/mechanical systems will have to be outsourced...
    If we can do this probably we can get custom designs that meets our specific needs...
    For example...the ltte muraj boats can enter shallower waters because of their design but not our fac's... I don't know whether we have faster and smaller craft also to address this...
    We're ages away from making our own fighters etc. but i think it's high time we make an effort to start these things since we do have good brains in SL who can do the job

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  121. Thanks David, DefenceNet

    Yes we need the industrial system & infrastructure to get a defense industry going.
    A metal plant (Casting & forging), an automobile plant and an electronics group would sure come handy wont they?
    And we should have a fulltime R&D body under the MOD like DRAPA in US and ST Kinetics in Singapore. It is sad that our MOD & forces don’t seem to take R&D seriously.

    I read that the South Africans are making a new~ improved "Buffle" like vehicle called the "Gila" which sells for around $200K and the US Army has taken delivery of a Armored truck called the "Buffalo" at $600K each. Our guys make the Unicorn at about RS.5 million! We could improve our design and even sell it!
    Do you think the SL Gov should let the Pvt Sector do defense industry if the Gov doesn’t have the cash to do it?

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  122. To a certain extent, they are. Nemesis. There's a company that manufacturs ballistic helmets and body armour, and one of their clients is the UN for their peace-keeping forces.

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  123. Your correct David,

    I think they also sold armour to Jordan and KSA.

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