Sri Lanka to buy new fighter aircraft

Colombo: Sri Lanka's Cabinet has approved a proposal to purchase new fighter aircraft, the first major plan to buy military hardware since the brutal war with the LTTE ended in 2009.

The fighter aircraft of the Sri Lanka Air Force have been ageing and it is required to update them for maintaining the oceanic security and to prepare for any unexpected threat, government spokesman and the Minister of Information Gayantha Karunathilake said on Wednesday.

Karunathilake said following a proposal by President Maithripala Sirisena action will be taken to obtain expressions of interest from interested aircraft manufacturers and authorised government agents on the government to government basis purchasing.

This will be the first major proposal to purchase military hardware since the war with the LTTE ended in 2009.