text: :: Unbiased Defence NEWS :: Sri Lanka :: DefenceWire: Bell 412 shot in fuselage- Updated ::
  Bell 412 shot in fuselage- Updated
  The bell 412 chopper that transported President Mahinda Rajapakse to Arugambay at around 12.30pm today made an emergency landing after it suddenly ran-out of fuel. It later transpired that the chopper's fuselage was drilled by a few bullets resulting in the said loss of fuel in mid-air. President Rajapakse was not on board the chopper at the time of the incident.
  The chopper was shot four times on one of its fuselages using an MPMG while it was flying over Kanjikudichchiaaru in Pottuvil after refueling at Ampara Airforce Base at Uhana. The 412 is used for VIP transport while the 212 is used for troop transport. Incidentally, 7 mortar bombs fell on the Sengamuwa STF camp today morning, fired also from Kanjikudichchiaaru.
  Yesterday the 58 and 57 Divisions joined together at Pallimadu to commence the march towards Veduthalthivu. On Saturday, the Sri Lanka Army received a large quantity of arms and ammunition from a friendly country in Eastern Europe.
  The stock included a large quantity of 122mm rockets used by RM-70 Czech-made MBRLs and a stock of ammunition and spare parts for BMP series APCs. The sale was secured following a visit last November.
  A controversy arose over the procurement of another large stock of RM-70 Rockets a few months ago after a Human Rights group misinterpreted them for guided missiles. The rockets were by then removed from the said country and was later safely received by the Army.
  thanks for the update DW
  Is it a Bell 212 or 412?
  http://www.army.lk/fulsit.php?idx=989
  says it is a Bell 412.
  That is correct. It was originally thought that the one shot was the logistics chopper. Now it is evident that president's VIP chopper was shot, but while he was not in it.
  Thanx for the info DW
  Good analysis DW on the earlier post. You guys are doing far better than any of those "independent" "defense analysts" . Those idiots couldn't tell the difference between a bat and a ball. What moron will write that Mig29 will ever stall at around 2 Mach ???
  Once Vedithalthivu and Oddusuddan are reached and consolidated its all over for the ltte. Then it is merely Childs play to knock down even EP. I say at that time let the DPU/SF to move in. It will be like shooting fish in a barrel with such small territory to hunt and paint targets for our fly boys. As Churchill said "the end of the beginning "
  (MPMG)
  Multi purpose machine gun
  Thnx for the Updates DW
  Now our Garbage mouth opposition n other LTTE supporters will say "Who said east was liberated and there were no tigers arnd there?" like stupid arguments. Cz someone(LTTE) hv attacked MR's Heli. Truth is it could happen evn in Colombo.Cz thy can do diz kinda damage evn by using an AK47 @ lower flying altitudes. So is Colombo is an Tiger held area?
  BTW MR should stop these kinda travels now.Cz we have to protect him under any circumstances. Cz as I see there s no other leader who can punish LTTE like this in current day Politics.
  Weapons captured in Mannar.
  http://youtube.com/watch?v=MSM15tklLQM
  Following the closure of the gateway, all transportation including civilian transportation and humanitarian supplies have come to a halt.
  with the A9 closed
  new front opening along the A9 ?
  Codered... you speak my mind...
  I just had an E-mail from this angry moron from youtube... and my argument was the same :-)
  Karuna changes stripes again
  Now vows to help LTTE regain east
  It looks like that LTTE resources (personnel+weapons) left at Mannar front is trapped now. Were they able to withdraw everybody (and everything)? I doubt.
  http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20080701_01
  One can enlarge the map.
  Can u pls confirm this Karuna's change. I believes that its just a propaganda that doing by pro-ltte after yes-day's incident.
  I made the following comment around six weeks back. But I think it has more relevance today.
  "Wavunia front is very active. They are the people who are fighting at Palampiddy (Correct me DW if I am wrong).
  Now Palampiddy has fallen. Periyamadu and Vidattaltivu would be the next targets. As this front move towards west, LTTE formations below the Palampiddi-Vidattaltivu line would be extremely vulnerable for the attacks from behind. Another large scale tactical withdrawal from a vast area of land is imminent (if LTTE is unable to stall this forward march on the west side of A9)
  Initially our Wanni front line was zig-zag. But now it's gradually moving up and becoming horizontal. That mean it contracts all the time. Close to 4000 trained personnel joining the Armed Forces every month, "thinly spread" logic is not going to be valid.(This is one of the major deviations from the "Jayasikuru" episode.)
  May 17, 2008 9:53 PM"
  This Karuna related article published in Bottom Line must be a complete BS. Going by Fat Prabha's past behavior he will kill Karuna at the first chance he will ever get.
  http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items08/300608-1.html
  This is a commonsense question. Let's forget everything we have heard. Whatever people say has happened we have a head on our shoulders. What does it say about Karuna's chances of rejoining LTTE?
  In a way the biggest loosers of this war are the terror supporting diaspora tamils like Bhairav, Shyam and Peccko . Imagine how much they have contributed to LTTE over the past years together with their families. This could run into Millions of rupees. Not to mention the time they have spent in brainwashing the ordinary peace loving Tamils to be terror supports.
  After all these years what they see now is their Elam map is shrinking day by day.
  On a positive note we hear tha Sun Goats DVD collection increases day by day. So many movies to see yet so little time till SLA's arrival.
  Sri Lanka media demand security
  defence.lk has some nice maps
  -By Dayan Jayatilleka
  Dayan Jayatilleka. That man gives me goosebumps the way he writes! I remember he came out with a stunning piece just after the first LTTE air attack. It was clear, concise and exposed the attack for what it was despite all the hoopla - a token gesture. Any one know if there's an archive of his writing somewhere?
  another sinhala LTTE member found
  from DJ's article from island.lk......
  "The Sri Lankan Army commander is quoted by The Hindu as saying "We do not just go for terrain, we go for the kill. This is the difference between the military operations in the past and the present".
  In saying this he is wittingly or unwittingly echoing the wisdom of the greatest general of the post World War 11 period, the hero of Dien Bien Phu and architect of the defeat of history's mightiest military power the USA, namely Vietnam's General Vo Nguyen Giap, who incisively defined the goal of all military strategy as being "the elimination of the living forces of the enemy". "
  the second para is the MOST crucial. i have been harping on this all along; glad DJ pointed to the KILLING STRATEGY as the strategy of the MOST successful.
  HOWEVER, SF was NOT ALWAYS following the KILLING STRATEGY. UNFORTUNATELY, MOSTLY it is the CHASE-AWAY strategy that the SLA, SLN and SLAF follows. this is the reality.
  some have even tried to JUSTIFY the CHASE-AWAY strategy!!
  1. although there were some reasons behind it, the eastern CHASE-AWAY has come to haunt us again. LTTE is re-raising its EASTERN CADRES' brigade (jeyanthan brigade) to "retake" the east.
  2. jayasikurui failed bcos of the CHASE-AWAY strategy.
  3. three operations from muhamalai failed to achieve objects bcos of the CHASE-AWAY strategy.
  4. SLN has mostly followed the CHASE AWAY strategy. if you analyse MOST ST encounters (obviously not blue water op.s), the success rate has been less than 50%.
  5. SLAF is doing a great job. BUT it has TREMENDOUS opportunities to KILL if it resorts to do so ACCORDING to first hand experience of SLAF guys. SLAF and SLN were never BIG TIME killers. THEY SHOULD BE. the support function is fine. BUT they must go beyond that and they have the resources.
  6. the OVERALL relevance of the KILLING stretgy has been discussed before in terms of how it can MOST successfully destroy the LTTE's multi-layered hierachchi, extinguish its capabilities, attacking its MOST vulnarable point, etc.
  i agree SF is the best we had. BUT it is also a fact that he sometimes exaggerates!!! still that is OK if we are shifting gears to a PREDOMINANTLY killing mode.
  Moshe Dyan its easy to support a strategy of total attrition from the cool climes of the West, typing away like at your keyboard.
  The men of the SL forces aren't going to massacre tens of thousands of their own soldiers intentionally. Its in the words of DW easy to be brave when handling the lives of others...
  redblitz,
  i'm not trying to be brave. this is a blog to discuss military matters and isn't that what i'm doing?
  read the last sentence of what i wrote before.
  reading between the lines of what SF said, THAT IS EXACTLY what SLA IS GOING TO DO!!!
  the killing strategy saves MORE SLA + civilian lives than a CHASE AWAY strategy in the long run.
  the chase away strategy is all about postponing the problem; killing solvs it!!
  Simply going in to killing Tigers rather than having a clear military plan is foolish.
  1. LTTE manpower levels are simply unknown regardless of what SF or any other pundit claims.
  2. Engaging them head on to engage in heavy attrition battles will result in really high SL death tolls.
  3. The LTTE is well set to fight attrition based tactics as seen by their booby traps, snipers, phased withdrawals.
  4. Defence against an offensive requires much less than troops than an offensive. The SL forces need really high SL-TE unit ratios. Any modern conventional military strategist will tell you that in regards to attacking an enemy in possessin of heavy weaponry.
  War isn't some sort of computer game where you can pick off enemy units at will. There are formations/positions, strategies, tactics, terrain etc involved. There is no uniform 'killing' strategy.
  I suggest you actually go out there and read military treatises, operation manuals, histories. This would be a good place to start.
  I suggest you go get yourself a
  [Simply going in to killing Tigers rather than having a clear military plan is foolish.]
  Moshe didn't say like that. But as far as SL conflict concern, killing is the solution.
  Let's say, with a "clear military plan", SLDF acquire 100% land to their land, but could be killed only 10% of tigers. Leaders managed to escape from the country and other 90% of them spread everywhere in SL, some may be as refugees.
  And 4 years later Ranil came to power :). What will happen ??? They will regroup immediately with the help of this She-male.
  So killing is one of the best solution.
  didn't Vo Nguyen Giap and the likes of him (i personally think there are BIGGER heroes than Vo Nguyen Giap) have PLANS?
  of course they did. and that is what SF should be HAVING.
  Karuna is back in Sri lanka
  what will Mr Karuna do
  "what will Mr Karuna do"
  Well, I can see a few things he will do upon his return.
  (1) Enjoy the hospitality of the people in his homeland, Sri Lanka.
  (2) Enjoy the VVIP protection to him and his family provided by the people of Sri Lanka.
  (3) Enjoy the name and fame he left among Sri Lankans by standing up to Vezapillai and ZTTE.
  (4) Choose what ever the peaceful political path he wants to pursue and get the overwhelming support from the patriotic masses.
  In other words, Karuna is a very popular man in Sri Lanka for the stand he took for a united Sri Lanka. As a result, his he will enjoy the support and affection from patriotic masses.