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Sri Lanka nears MiG-29 purchase

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tigershark:
Sri Lanka nears MiG-29 purchase

Sri Lanka is in advanced talks with Russia over the procurement of five MiG-29 fighter aircraft, the head of the country's state-owned procurement agency has said.

Jayantha Wickramasinghe, chief executive officer of Lanka Logistics and Technologies Limited (the company created by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence in 2007 to procure equipment for the armed forces), said that the acquisition of four MiG-29SMs and one MiG-29UB was "well under way".

"Negotiations about these aircraft are continuing," Wickramasinghe told Jane's on 13 March. "We are discussing all possibilities."

The procurement follows the emergence of the air division of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which used Zlin Z 143 light aircraft to bomb the airport and Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) base in Colombo in March 2007.

link
http://www.janes.com/news/defence/jdw/jdw080314_1_n.shtml

Webmaster:
Ah, so the rumour was true. What a big mistake by the way!  ;)

tigershark:
Webmaster I totally agree what a poor choice for there needs.  Somebody got something under the table for this deal.  This small country soon will now has four different types of fighters:Mig-29 in some form, Mig-27, Kfir, and P-7. 

Mig-29 Russian
Mig-27 Ukraine
Kfir C-7 or C-3 Israel
P-7 China (Or also known as a F-7 Chinese copy of the Mig-21 but with a wider wing)

A better base security is need on the ground big time and a basic SAM system would do the trick.   A twin engine semi high maintenance fighter will triple there operational cost.  Out of the choices I listed above I would have went for something like the deal Colombia got on the Kfir package, the C-10CE would have covered all there needs for a good price.  The Israeli's could have set them up to use a wide range of different weapons and from more then one country as well.  Doesn't India use the Derby and an Israeli radar in there Sea Harriers?  India has good ties with Israel and maybe service and repairs contracts could have been worked out?   This just seems like the wrong choice from top to bottom, four different types of aircraft in one small air force what are they crazy? 

Globetrotter:
It semms like killing a fly with a panzer!! Maybe they should buy some IA-58 Pucaras from us ;D Seriously, it's a slower aircraft, I think it can handle Zlins better than a Mach 2 fighter ::) and it is way much cheaper!! Actually they used some of them... but 2 went down bu the hand of that group, and don't know how many they have left or if they are using them... what do you think?

tigershark:
They would be a better fit then a Mig-29 Fulcrum.   What kind of radar does the IA-58 Pucaras's have could they track aircraft?  If so they could they really would be a better fit then a Mach 2 fighter.   Globetrotter did Argentina do any upgrading to them over the last few years?  I always like smaller aircraft that carry a punch there cool looking.

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