SLAF Women's Wing

SLAF Women's Wing
Active1987 - present
CountrySri Lanka
Allegiance Sri Lanka
Branch Sri Lanka Air Force
Commanders
Commanding OfficerAir Commodore Manoaj Kappetipola
Notable
commanders		Air Chief Marshal Donald Perera

The Sri Lanka Air Force Women's Wing serves as a branch, organization, or effectively a unit within the Sri Lanka Air Force; established in 1987, there is no concrete evidence to confirm whether this organization was created in the mold of Britain's Women's Royal Air Force. All airwomen and female officers who are serving in various establishments of the Sri Lanka Air Force falls under the administration and supervision of the Sri Lanka Air Force Women's Wing. The wing keeps service records of all airwomen and female officers, makes promotional lists of them, issues their identity cards, makes their annual assessments (performance reports). All pay, allowance and pension documents for airwomen and female officers of the Sri Lanka Air Force are prepared by the wing. The wing also arranges monthly or annual meetings and seminars for all airwomen and female officers of the Sri Lanka Air Force.[1][2][3] And also the wing makes retirement policy of all airwomen and female officers of the Sri Lanka Air Force.

The wing was created on 3 September 1987 and the first commanding officer of this wing was Air Commodore D.S.G. Vithana, at that time the wing office was situated in Colombo.[1]

In the Sri Lanka Air Force, women are not trained separately, they are trained together with men.[4][5] Former Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force, ​Air Chief Marshal Paddy Mendis envisioned the recruitment of women into the Sri Lanka Air Force.[6]

Commanding Officers of the SLAF Women's Wing include:

  • Air Vice Marshal G. D. Perera (? – 1 August 2002)[7]
  • Group Captain (later Air Commodore) M. H. Karannagoda (2 August 2002 – 2003)[7][8]

The history of women's first induction into the Sri Lanka Air Force

In 1971, four women joined as pilot officers into the Sri Lanka Air Force who were trained in SLAF Katunayake for some weeks, this was the first time in the history of the Sri Lanka Air Force that women wore air force uniforms.[6] The women were posted in air force headquarters. In January 1983, the first batch of airwomen were recruited.[9] First female firefighting unit of the air force was created in 1997 with 30 airwomen firefighters.[3] These airwomen retired after 15 years in 2012.[10] In 2008, seven airwomen completed paratroopers course.[11] In 2019, two women officers and seven airwomen became members of the Special Airborne Force.[12] Also in the same year one female officer and one airwoman were trained in Britain's Army School of Ceremonial.[13] In 1998 during the Sri Lankan civil war, the Sri Lanka Air Force took decision to recruit women for the pilots' branch, 800 women applied for 33 vacancies,[14] however the recruitment was later cancelled. In 2020 for the first time, two women were commissioned as pilots from the Air Force Academy, China Bay.[15] In 2023, three women were air commodores in the Sri Lanka Air Force, among them two were directors in the air force headquarters.[16]

References

  1. 1 2 "SLAF History : Strengthening Infrastructure". www.airforce.lk. Archived from the original on 6 March 2026.
  2. ↑ "W@W - Military Aviators Pavithra & Rangana". life.lk. 5 January 2021. Archived from the original on 9 September 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Fiery females". sundaytimes.lk. 3 October 1999. Archived from the original on 21 April 2008.
  4. ↑ "SLAF holds passing out parade at China Bay". dailynews.lk. 14 January 2019.
  5. ↑ "SLAF holds passing out ceremony". dailynews.lk. 19 June 2019.
  6. 1 2 "Life in the Air force; A chat with one of the first women to join the SLAF". dailymirror.lk. 30 November 2021. Archived from the original on 14 April 2025.
  7. 1 2 "Sri Lanka Air Force Annual Performance Report 2002" (PDF). Parliament of Sri Lanka. p. 6.
  8. ↑ "Sri Lanka Air Force Annual Performance Report 2003" (PDF). Parliament of Sri Lanka. p. 5.
  9. ↑ "Sri Lanka Air Force marks 71st Anniversary today". dailynews.lk. 2 March 2022.
  10. ↑ Retirement of airwomen firefighters - Sri Lanka Air Force, 30 May 2012
  11. ↑ "She soared to new heights". sundaytimes.lk. 17 February 2008. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014.
  12. ↑ "A first in SLAF history: Women graduate in Special Airborne Force". dailynews.lk. 24 January 2019.
  13. ↑ "First SL women graduate from army school of ceremonial in UK". dailymirror.lk. 18 January 2019. Archived from the original on 31 October 2019.
  14. ↑ Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada, "Sri Lanka: Organization and structure of the Sri Lankan Airforce including ranks, units, squadrons and the duties assigned to different personnel; location of squadrons and departments", UNHCR Refworld, Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, 14 March 2001.
  15. ↑ "Air Force commissions its first female pilots". island.lk. 17 November 2020. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020.
  16. ↑ "Air Force to increase women wing to 30 percent – AF Commander". dailymirror.lk. 1 July 2023. Archived from the original on 1 July 2023.
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