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Message: <blockquote data-quote="dinuksha_asela" data-source="post: 8610787" data-attributes="member: 18340">The MiG-29 is considered a leading contender following a loan from MoscowSri Lanka is set to procure additional fighter aircraft despite the end of its long-running conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) more than one year ago, Jane's has learnt.The procurement will augment six Russian-made MiG-29 'Fulcrum' fighters that are thought to have been ordered in 2008 and around six or seven older MiG-27M 'Flogger-J2s' that have been acquired during the past decade.It is expected that the pending procurement programme will see Sri Lanka purchase an additional MiG-29 following a deal signed earlier this year in which Moscow agreed to loan Colombo USD300 million to procure Russian-made military equipment and technologies over the next decade. Another platform thought to be bidding is the Joint Fighter-17 (JF-17) Thunder developed by China and Pakistan.Sri Lanka's intention to procure additional fighter aircraft was confirmed by Jayantha Wickramasinghe, the chief executive of Lanka Logistics and Technologies Limited (LLTL), a company created by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence in 2007 to procure equipment for the armed forces.Speaking on 28 October, Wickramasinghe indicated that a number of platforms were being considered. 'The Sri Lanka government is looking at all options to defend its national interests,' he said. 'So we are looking at not only MiG-29s but we are looking at all aircraft that will fulfil our requirements. There are so many aircraft that are in the market. We will study the performance of each aircraft.'Asked what operations the aircraft would undertake, given that the Sri Lankan government's 26-year conflict with the LTTE ended in May 2009, Wickramasinghe said: 'We have to look at enhancing our security. The government has a commitment to safeguard its national interests so weLLTLare supporting that task.'Jane's estimates that six aircraft would be acquired. A purchase of MiG-29s would complete a squadron. Wickramasinghe would not confirm the number of aircraft to be procured, saying: 'It all depends on the final decision of the government of Sri Lanka.'Earlier this month, Sri Lanka's Prime Minister D M Jayaratne submitted to Parliament a Fiscal Year 2011 (FY11) defence budget of LKR215.2 billion (USD1.7 billion). The proposed defence budget amounts to a 6.4 per cent increase over the LKR202 billion allocated in FY10 and around 3 per cent of GDP. It also equates to 20 per cent of total national expenditure.Traditionally, the Sri Lankan Army receives about half of the defence budget while the navy and air force receive about 16 per cent each. The remainder is usually allocated to the police and other security services. Procurement spending amounts to about 10-15 per cent of each service's allocation.Given the relatively small expenditure available to the Sri Lankan Air Force, Moscow's loan would present an attractive proposition.Previous defence acquisition funds were boosted by aid from the US under its Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programme. This aid was halted in 2007, however, in view of what Washington called 'human rights violations' in the war with the LTTE.</blockquote>

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