Air Vice Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa has been promoted to the rank of Air Marshal and appointed as the 19th Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF). The promotion was made by President Ranil Wickremasinghe, who also serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
Air Marshal Rajapaksa received his primary education at Parakrama Vidyalaya, Bandarawatta and Bandaranaike College, Gampaha. He pursued his secondary education at Ananda College, Colombo.
He began his journey by joining the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy in 1988 as an Officer Cadet. He excelled in his training and was recognised as the Best Flight Cadet in the 33rd Flight Cadets’ course. Air Marshal Rajapaksa has accumulated over 7,000 flying hours, demonstrating expertise in various aircraft types and holding the highest Instrument Rating, the “Master Green Rating.” He demonstrated his resilience and ingenuity during a night ejection from a Pucara aircraft in 1997, while on an operational bombing mission.
He has been commended for his outstanding handling of a serious emergency situation during a combat mission, earning him recognition from Martin-Baker Aircraft Co. Ltd. and fortunate to join the esteemed “Ejection Tie Club.”
Air Marshal Rajapaksa has pursued professional development through various courses and academic pursuits. He has completed courses in countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the United States, earning multiple Master’s Degrees in Defence Studies, Military Operational Art, and International Security and Strategy.
Gallant contributions
Recognised for his gallant contributions during humanitarian operations, Air Marshal Rajapaksa has been awarded the prestigious gallantry medal “Rana Sura Padakkama” three times. He has also received the “Vishishta Seva Vibhushanaya” and the “Uttama Seva Padakkama” medals for his exemplary service.
Air Marshal Rajapaksa has held significant appointments, including Base Commander, Defence Attaché to the Sri Lanka Embassy in Russia, and Senior Air Staff Officer. He has also assumed command of various Air Bases and served as Air Secretary.
The Air Marshal, at a press briefing following a ceremonial parade at the SLAF headquarters in Colombo on Friday, underlined three major areas he will be focusing on during his tenure.
“The Air Force is part of the tri-forces; defending the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is our main goal; beyond that, the Air Force’s specialisations change with time,” he said. “The main priority of the Air Force is defending the country’s airspace. Our force is outfitted with various crafts, technologies and manpower to guard our skies, ensuring civil and other aircraft to fly in, out and above Sri Lanka in safety. My goal is to further improve our capabilities,” he said, adding that the Air Force is also charged with securing important locations against potential aerial threats.
Security to aircraft
“Sri Lanka is surrounded by the ocean as well as large exclusive economic zone and flight information region,” Air Marshal said emphasising that Sri Lanka is expected to provide security to aircraft in this flight information region. “We are obliged to assist aircraft in distress in this area which includes search and rescue operations, so we need to a lot of improvement to bolster our capabilities,” he said highlighting his second priority. He emphasized the Air Force’s importance in monitoring Sri Lanka’s extensive coastline which is rich in natural resources. “Our force also plays a vital role in curbing human trafficking, drug running, piracy and other crimes on high seas by assisting the Navy with our unique capabilities in terms of speed and reach”.
Thirdly, the Air Force is important in humanitarian missions such as search and rescue operations during natural and manmade disasters. The Air Force can be quickly deployed and get to locations unreachable by land and water, he said. “We are seeing increasing natural disasters due to climate change, so the role of the Air Force will have to broaden to meet these challenges”.
Air Marshal Rajapaksa said that the Air Force is looking to improve its capacity in terms of aircraft maintenance to save money as well as research into the latest defence technology such as unmanned aerial vehicles and drones. He said that the Air Force will be involved in improving Sri Lanka’s aviation infrastructure.