மணலாறில் தாக்குதல் நடத்திய புலிகளின் விமானங்கள் பாதுகாப்பான இடத்துக்கு நகர்த்தப்பட்டன

வீரகேசரி இணையம் 5/1/2008 11:09:55 AM - மணலாறில் தாக்குதலை நடத்திவிட்டு விடுதலைப் புலிகளின் புதிய விமானத்தளத்துக்கு விமானங்கள் திரும்பிய பின்னர் அவை மேலும் சிறிய அளவாக்கப்பட்டு உழவூர்திகளில் ஏற்றிச் செல்லப்பட்டதாக கொழும்பிலிருந்து வெளிவரும் "த பொட்டம்லைன்" வார ஏடு தெரிவித்துள்ளது.இதுவரை இலங்கை இராணுவத்தின் நிலைகள் மீது விடுதலைப் புலிகள் 5 ஆவது தடவையாகவும் விமானத்தாக்குதலை நடத்தி உள்ளனர். புலிகளின் விமானங்களை இலங்கை விமானப்படையினரால் இதுவரை இடைமறிக்க முடியவில்லை.கடந்த ஏப்ரல் 25 ஆம் நாள் விடுதலைப் புலிகளின் Zlin Z-143L ரக இரண்டு இலகு ரக விமானங்கள் முல்லைத்தீவிலிருந்து அதிகாலை 1:25 மணிக்கு முழு இருட்டில் தாழப் பறந்து புறப்பட்டன.

அதே நேரத்தில் விடுதலைப் புலிகளின் இலகு ரக உலங்குவானூர்தியும் இலங்கை விமானப்படையினரை திசை திருப்புவதற்காக இரணைமடு அருகே இருந்து புறப்பட்டது.இதேவேளை மணலாறு முன்னரங்க நிலைகளை அதிகாலை 1:32 மணியளவில் இரண்டு விமானங்களும் சென்றடைந்தன.மணலாறு முன்னரங்க நிலைகள் மீது இரு குண்டுகளையும் சிங்கபுரப் பகுதியில் ஒரு குண்டையும் வீசிய அந்த விமானங்கள் அதிகாலை 1:50 மணிக்கு தங்களின் தளத்துக்குத் திரும்பின.முல்லைத்தீவு முள்ளியவளையில் புதிதாக கட்டமைக்கப்பட்ட ஓடுபாதைக்கு திரும்பிய போது சில விளக்குகளை தரையிலிருந்த விடுதலைப் புலிகள் எரியவிட்டனர்.இரு விமானங்களும் தரை இறங்கிய பின்னர் விளக்குகள் அணைக்கப்பட்டு விமானங்களும், சிறகுகளும் மடக்கப்பட்டு இரண்டு உழவூர்தியில் அடர்ந்த வனப்பகுதிக்குள் கொண்டு செல்லப்பட்டதாக அதில் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

ஏற்கன்வே உள்ள செய்தி

பொட்டம்லைன் சிங்களவனுக்கு சொல்லும் புத்திமதிகளை விட்டிட்டு.. புலிகள் எப்படி விமானத்தை ஒளிச்சிச்சினம் என்றதை மட்டும் எங்கட ஆக்கள் கவனத்தில எடுத்திருக்கினம்.

அவன் என்னடான்னா... எப்படி புலியின்ர விமானப்படையை சிதைக்கலாம் என்று சிந்திக்கிறான்..! நாங்க என்னடான்னா.. காய் கூய் என்றம்..!

1) Where did the LTTE procure the planes?

The aircraftZlin Z -143 model, (based on photos, published by the Tiger air force (TAF)), were bought from a private South African flying club. The aircraft are built by Moravan Aviation s.r.o., Letit 1578, 76581 Otrokovice, Czech Republic.

2) How did it pay for them?

That is the least of the LTTE’s problems, as any one of the LTTE’s front companies based in Europe and South Africa, could have made the payment. The LTTE, usually maintains its proxy bank accounts, with Standard Chartered Bank. One such account was in existence, way back in 1999 with US$190 million in it.

3) How did it manage to smuggle the aircraft into the areas controlled by it?

The Zlin Z-143 ultra-light model is delivered from its manufacturer, in completely knocked-down condition, and therefore it can be transported unsuspectingly in kit form and can easily be disguised, as automobile parts or components, for heavy commercial vehicles. According to reports, the aircraft arrived, as a sea-freight, using forged bills and documents and false declarations were made, to the Colombo Port-based Customs authorities, to deliberately disguise the nature of the consignment. Once on land, due to its completely knocked-down nature, it was probably transported by land on board commercial freight carriers, bound for the north-east, an INGO.

4) How and where did it get its pilots trained not only in normal flying, but also in bombing missions? Did former pilots of the air force of any country play a role in this? If so, who are they?

All aspects of flying training and attainment of pilot proficiency levels, was obtained from the same South Africa-based flying club, which ordered the aircraft, from the Czech Republic. That is why it is significant that, the first air raid on Colombo was conducted at night, an act, that requires a high degree of flying proficiency, using instrument flying ratings (IFR), for the TAF aircrew. It is a well-known fact that, South African pilots excel in this area. This technique is popularly known as ‘bush-flying’.

5) Successful pro-active strikes require precise intelligence of the LTTE air crafts.

The SLAF has some capability in this area, but it is not yet proficient to exploit its capability. Precise intelligence can only come from either ground-based HUMINT, or from airborne assets like long-endurance, unmanned aerial vehicles such as, the Searcher Mk2 UAVs, already in service and delivered by Israel Aircraft Industries. However, UAVs can only locate the dispositions of such light aircraft, and the ultimate destruction on the ground of such aircraft, will have to be performed by either field artillery or by a helicopter borne special operations force.

6) A good radar cover would help prevent future air strikes in the Colombo area, but may not prevent them in the Palaly or Vavuniya area due to the very short distance involved.

This issue, also raises one more question: Did the TAF carry out its first air strike, on March 26, 2007, being aware that, both the BEL-built Indra-2 tactical air defence radars were inoperable, due to periodic maintenance requirements? Or were the radars shut-down, a sheer coincidence? But the deployment of radars like, the Indra-2, is like using a sledgehammer to kill an ant, which are useless for this kind of work. Such radars are used only to detect, low-flying aircraft (at an altitude of 500 feet), inbound at high speeds, an experimental-category aircraft like the Zlin, which is normally used for recreational flying and therefore has a minimal radar cross-section.

The Zlin has been used in South Africa, to drop light ordnance when flying, at an altitude of only 200 feet. Therefore, the Indian origin radars of the SLAF are next to useless, as of now. What the SLAF now needs to do, is to procure, tactical low-level man-portable radars like the EL/M-2106NG, made by Israel Aircraft Industries’, ELTA Systems Division.

This type of radar, has its operating parameters optimised for detecting airborne targets, with radar cross-sections similar to those of the Zlin ultralight. According to available information, the SLAF, is now negotiating the amount of the cost with China, for procuring a similar radar with matching performance.

The SLAF needs a good mid-air interception capability, to seek and destroy the LTTE planes, after they are airborne, even if they manage to evade ground fire. The Russian, Ukrainian and Israeli planes, the SLAF has at present, are good for bombing missions, but not for mid-air interception roles. Moreover, they require regular airfields for takeoff and landing. They can’t scramble fast. The SLAF requires some small, easily maneuverable aircraft, with specially trained pilots, which can take off and land, almost anywhere. Both the Kfir C-2/7 (from Israel) and MiG-27M of the SLAF, are equipped with both airborne cannon, as well as, short-range air-to-air missiles like the Vympel R-60T.

Manoeuvrability is not a factor here, as even the Zlin cannot pull off high-G manoeuvres! The main limiting factor of the MiG-27M, is its inability to search for an airborne target, as it does not have an internally mounted airborne fire-control radar, which is required, if an aerial interception is required, to take place at night. The Kfir C-2/7, on the other hand, has such a radar, and can be used for aerial interception at night. The MiG-27M, though, can be effectively used to launch the R-60T, during daytime, when there are no visibility problems. As far as scramble times go, both these aircraft types can scramble, within 1 minute 57 seconds but only if they are maintained on an alert status, known as quick reactionalert (QRA). But then again, it will be highly expensive and unwise to use combat aircraft, to shoot down the Zlins. What the SLAF needs are a small batch (only a battery) of shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles like the FIOM-92A Stinger, or the Chinese FN-6 or the Russian IGLA-S, all of which can be integrated with, the early warning alerting mode of low-level air defence radars like, the EL/M-2108NG. This is a more cost-effective approach.

In terms of pro-actively seeking out the TAF’s aircraft assets, a two-pronged approach could be adopted, on a one-off basis: using satellites, equipped with synthetic aperture radars like the private Canadian RADARSAT or using aircraft such as Su-30MKI Mk3s, to make a couple of sweeps, over suspected TAF hideouts, provided the Zlins are stored at ground level, and not in underground bunkers.

http://www.thebottomline.lk/2008/04/30/B21.htm

Edited May 1, 200817 yr by nedukkalapoovan