Australia gifts spy plane to Sri Lankan air force

by admin
Oct 25, 2024

The Australian government has donated a Beechcraft King Air 350 surveillance aircraft to the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) this week, in a move that signals increasing defence ties between Canberra and Colombo.

This donation, made on a gratis basis, is reportedly intended to bolster Sri Lanka's aerial maritime surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.

The Australian Government said the gifting of the plane reinforced “their joint commitment to combat human smuggling and enhance regional stability”.

However, the gesture comes as international human rights organizations continue to raise serious concerns about Sri Lanka's failure to investigate the atrocities committed by its security forces during the final stages of the armed conflict. Earlier this month, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution on Sri Lanka calling for accountability and investigations into war crimes. 

Despite this, ties have continued to grow. Last month, Australia further solidified its military cooperation with Sri Lanka by launching a series of military exercises as part of the Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2024 (IPE).

The United States also gifted a Beechcraft King Air 360ER aircraft to the Sri Lanka Air Force last month. Similar surveillance plances were used throughout Sri Lanka's genocide of Tamils by the military as it repeatedly bombed hospitals and No Fire Zones.

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Official trailer for film below.

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