Tigers, Flying Tigers, and Sky Tigers, in Colombo on March 26, 2007.

Sky Tigers
Tigers, Flying Tigers, and Sky Tigers, in Colombo on March 26, 2007.

Tigers, Flying Tigers, and Sky Tigers, in Colombo on March 26, 2007.

With the ground forces, then the creation of ocean dominance ; Navy. The National Leader of Tamileelam; V. Prabhakaran called for the creation of the Sky Tigers too. Today was the day where Prabhakaran introduced the Sky Tigers of TamilEelam as the third branch of its armed forces.Today is the day that Tamileelam’s airforce; Sky Tigers successfully carried out their first sky strike on the invading Sinhala air base Katunayake at 1.45 am! The TamilEelam Sky Tigers (TST) is an air force unit of the LiberationTigers of Tamil Eelam. They are also known as Air Tigers, Flying Tigers and Sky Tigers.

The Tamil Liberation administration confirmed its presence to the outside world, by launching its very first offensive against the Katunayake Air Force Base in Colombo, Sri Lanka on March 26, 2007. The air force pilots were wearing a light blue leopard rosettes spots uniform and a logo with the words; “Va-no-di” on it. The idea of building an aircraft was already in the works from 85-86 by the armed struggle movement. September 27, 1998 – During the Heroes’ Day Speech, the national leader of TamilEelam; V. Prabhakaran made the first official announcement of the Sky Tigers Wing. Eye witness tells of flowers being sprinkled from the aircraft belonging to the armed struggle movement during the event’s announcement.

**“Year 2000 – “: LTTE announces it as “Sky Tiger Year”**

Vathilingam Sornalingam, also known as Colonel Shankar, led the armed struggle movement’s Sky Tigers. He served as its leader until his death in December 2001. January 26,2005 – Sri Lankan military reports on Iranamadu air strike. August 11, 2006 – Reports surfaces that the Palaly Air Force Base in Yāḻppāṇam (Jaffna), then occupied by the Sri Lankan Armed forces may have faced an offensive by the Sky Tigers air strike.

March 26, 2006 : The liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam officially acknowledges their first offensive by the Sky Tigers on the Sri Lankan Katunayake Air force Base. April 24, 2007: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam planes launch a successful air force campaign on the occupied military base in Palay. April 29, 2007: Two Sky Tigers airstrikes bombs Kolonnawa Oil rigs 3 miles north of Colombo and Kerawalapitiya oil rigs 10 miles away.

October 22, 2007 – Ellalan Operation 2007:

Early morning a joint operation by the air force and ground forces were launched on the Anuradhapura Air Base, destroying 8 aircraft’s and killing 13 soldiers. Based on the armed movement’s published information and photos, outlines that the Sky Tigers has 2 – 5 light aircraft. The Srilankan government considers these aircraft’s to be the Czech Z-143 aircraft. Apart from these; the liberation movement may have had other aircraft’s and helicopters that were and either were used for their offensive.

These showed that the armed struggle movement had the technical resources for these aircrafts. Of the 4 bombs dropped on the Katunayake airport, 1 had failed to explode. Sri Lankan military said to the Sunday Times newspaper. They have had examined several unexplored ordnance and found that hundreds of these cylinders were locally manufactured. The ability to fly a plane through the night and destroy a target is not an easily obtainable result.

On the contrary, it would have required long periods of study and techniccal workshop.

The liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam capabilities was demonstrated in the aftermath of the airstrikes. – initially it was reported by military analysts that the armed struggle movement could only carry out offensive like the Japanese Kamikaze of WW2. But all the successful Sky Tigers attacks proved that the Sri Lankan military’s assumptions were wrong! Given the cost of purchasing an aircraft and the attached difficulties in training a volunteer cadet as a pilot, it has been suggested that self destructive missions would have been their last resort.

It is thought that the armed struggle administration may have expanded their campaign into a series of blitzkrieg attacks in the future. Colonel Shankar, who is considered to be the leader in the origins of the Sky Tigers saids, “I did my B.E. in Aeronautics at the Hindustan College of Engineering in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.” He then went on to Canada, where he worked in the engineering department for an international airline; Air Canada.

Leading military analyst; Iqbal Adas has suggested that the Armed movement of Tamil Eelam may have had their flight training in France and the United Kingdom. Newspapers like “The Island” and “Asia Tribune” has theorised that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam cadets may have also had their flight technology training in the Malaysian peninsula.