By Shamindra Ferdinando
Israel has assured Sri Lanka that a technical team would be sent here soon to assess damages to some of the Kfir fighter aircraft hit by small arms fire during the LTTE’s spectacular raid on the Katunayake airbase and the adjoining BIA last Tuesday, authoritative defence sources said yesterday.

Of the 12 Kfirs of Sri Lanka’s premier jet squadron [No10], two were destroyed while some were damaged.

The sources said that they have requested Israel to send a technical team immediately to assess damage to the aircraft. The team’s arrival has been delayed as a result of some international airlines restricting flights to and from Colombo, the sources said adding that the airforce has been able to mount three air strikes using both Kfirs and MIG 27s on identified enemy positions in the north-east within hours after the attack.

Of the 6 MIG 27s acquired from Ukraine, one was destroyed. An Ukrainian technical team that was in Colombo at the time of the attack would be able to help Sri Lankan authorities to carry out inspections on the MIGs, the sources said. Apart from the 6 MIGs inducted to the No 5 jet squadron which previously had Chinese built F7s, the airforce also acquired a MIG trainer, the sources said.

Kfir, a modern multi role fighter aircraft in service with the airforce since 1996 has a formidable weapons platform. The aircraft is also equipped with a computerised bombing programming system for the accurate delivery of weapons.

MIG 27s were inducted to the airforce last year.

The attack also destroyed 3 of the 6 Chinese built K8 advanced trainers acquired early this year. The K8 aircraft were acquired months after the No 1 fighter training wing got down 10 Chinese built piston engine aircraft to bolster training facilities in view of the significant fleet enhancements required following devastating battlefield loss at Elephant Pass in July last year.

Although two Mi-17 transport helicopters were lost, the attack left Sri Lanka’s precious helicopter gunships and transport aircraft untouched.

The No 2 Heavy Transport Squadron took delivery of two US built C 130 medium lift transport aircraft from the RAF last year. The same squadron also took delivery of three AN 32 B aircraft from Russia considerably bolstering lift capabilities, the sources said.

Among the aircraft and helicopters that were hit by small arms fire during confrontations between the LTTE and the security forces, were two Bell 412 EP helicopters [the VIP version of the Bell 412] used by President Chandrika Kumaratunga among a few others. The four-rotor version of the Bell 212, the 412 EP helicopters are used exclusively for VVIP and VIP transport, the sources said. The airforce has 6 of these helicopters, the sources said.

Meanwhile, authoritative defence sources said that ongoing investigations conducted by the airforce and the CID have yet to shed light on the LTTE operation that moved a strike force along with necessary arms, ammunition and equipment from the North - East to the south days if not weeks before the D - day. "We really don’t know how they managed to build up the unit and where they were based before the attack," one senior police officer said admitting that ongoing investigations have mainly concentrated on the attack and how they gained entry to the Katunayake high security zone.

Although 14 bodies, some with their faces intact were recovered, authorities have yet to identify any of the attackerss believed to be in their early 20s. They were well built men, the officer said adding that police were keen to identify the route the LTTE used to infiltrate the south.

"If we fail to identify their method of infiltration, they could use the same again," the officer said.