RAWALPINDI: Air Marshal Rajapaksa Appuhamilage Udeni Priyadarshana Rajapaksa, the Commander of the Sri Lankan Air Force has commended the achievements of Pakistan Air force in indigenization and its strategic transformation into a Next Generation Air Force under the current leadership, a military statement said on Friday.
According to the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), he made the remarks during a meeting with Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force at Air Headquarters, Islamabad.
Chief of the Air Staff on the occasion shared insight into various ongoing modernization projects of Pakistan Air Force’s operational construct, force goals and plans for the force structure with a keen focus on future warfare.
Both sides discussed a wide array of topics pertaining to operational matters in the context of regional security.
The meeting was held during the official visit of the Commander of Sri Lankan Air Force to witness Exercise Indus Shield 2024. The ISPR in a statement said appreciating the participation of Sri Lankan Air Force representatives at Exercise Indus Shield, the Air Chief highlighted that both countries enjoy unprecedented friendly relations and reiterated his resolve to further enhance the existing bilateral ties in military-to-military cooperation, maintenance support and training domains aimed at enhancing capacity building of the Sri Lankan Air Force.
“On his arrival at Air Headquarters, a smartly turned-out contingent of Pakistan Air Force presented guard of honour to Air Marshal Rajapaksa Appuhamilage Udeni Priyadarshana Rajapaksa,” the statement said.
It added the Exercise Indus Shield-2024, which featured the participation of various Air Chiefs and high-ranking military officials from allied countries to witness the mega event. “The exercise highlighted the premier multi-domain warfighting capabilities of Pakistan Air Force and reinforced the importance of collaboration among air forces, worldwide,” the ISPR statement said.
The Commander of Sri Lankan Air Force commended PAF’s achievements in indigenization and its strategic transformation into a Next Generation Air Force under the current leadership. He termed Indus Shield 2024 a world class exercise, with impressive training value and truly multi-domain operational standards. Visiting dignitaries lauded the professionalism of PAF personnel and praised the role played by Pakistan Air Force in the organization and flawless execution of the mega event to bring together all the top air powers from across the globe.
Th statement said the Sri Lankan Air Chief also expressed his deep desire to further optimize the existing military ties between the two countries with a specific focus on basic and advanced training, maintenance and strengthening the operational competencies of Sri Lankan Air Force. Chief of Air Staff Pakistan Air Force, assured of all kinds of support to friendly Air Force.
Later, the dignitary visited National Aerospace Science and Technology Park along with National ISR & Integrated Air Operations Centre and PAF Cyber Command, where he was briefed about the operational capabilities of Pakistan Air Force.
“The meeting between the Chief of the Air Staff, PAF and Commander of Sri Lankan Air Force signifies the commitment between the Armed Forces of both the countries in working together to further strengthen their bilateral ties in the realm of Air Force to Air Force cooperation, contributing to regional peace and stability,” the ISPR said.
