Sri Lanka Artillery

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Sri Lanka Artillery
Cap badge of the Sri Lanka Artillery
Active	12 April 1888 - Present
Country	Sri Lanka
Branch	Sri Lanka Army
Type	Artillery
Role	Artillery, Target Acquisition, Ceremonial
Size	7 regular regiments, 2 volunteer regiments
Part of	Artillery Brigade
Regimental Headquarters	Panagoda Cantonment, Panagoda.
Nickname	SLA
March	The British Grenadiers
Anniversaries	12 April
Engagements	World War I World War II 1971 Insurrection Insurrection 1987-89 Sri Lankan Civil War
Commanders
Centre Commandant	Col BCJAF Rodrigo IG
Colonel-Commandant	Maj Gen N Wijesinghe USP ndc
Notable commanders	Colonel F. C. de Saram OBE

The Sri Lanka Artillery (SLA) a corps of the Sri Lanka Army. It is made up of 7 regular regiments and 2 volunteer (reserve) regiments. Headquartered at Panagoda Cantonment, Panagoda.

1 History
2 Units
- 2.1 Regular Regiments
- 2.2 Volunteer Regiments
3 Equipment
4 Notable members
5 Alliances
6 Order of Precedence
7 See also
8 External links and sources

[edit] History

The roots of the Sri Lanka Artillery goes back to 1888, when on 12th April 1888 Ceylon Artillery Volunteers was formed as gun battery under the command of Capt. C.E.H Seimans of the Royal Artillery. During World War I Ceylon Artillery Volunteers was mobilised along with Town Guard Artillery of Colombo for the defence of Colombo. In 1918 the Ceylon Garrison Artillery was formed by amalgamating the Ceylon Artillery Volunteers and Town Guard Artillery, coming under the Ceylon Defence Force. During the colonial period the main responsibility of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery was the coastal defence of Ceylon, by manning Coastal artillery batteries.

During World War II CGA was deployed outside Ceylon to support the Allied and Commonwealth forces in the Indian Ocean as well as defending Ceylon. Equipped with 6 inch Guns the CGA was deployed in deface of Seychelles and the Cocos Islands.

In 1949 CGA became the Ceylon Artillery with formation of the Ceylon Army under the Army Act of 1949. That year the 1st Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment (HAA) of the Ceylon Artillery was formed under the command of Lt. Col. (later Colonel) F. C. de Saram OBE. In 1953 it was renamed the 1st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (LAA), that same year the 3 rd Field Artillery Regiment was formed. The 2nd Volunteer Coastal Artillery / Anti-Aircraft Regiment was formed in 1949, command of Lt. Col. J.A.T. Perera ED, it was made up of officers and men of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery. In 1962, when many officers of the CA, including Colonel De Saram were frond associated with the attempted military coup the government began rapid reduction of the CA. As a result in 1962 2nd Volunteer Regiment was disbanded and coastal artillery batteries decommissioned. The following year in 1963 the 1st Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment was amalgamated with 3rd Field Artillery Regiment and the 4th Regiment, Ceylon Artillery was formed, thus reducing the Ceylon Artillery to a single regiment. Years after amalgamation of the LAA, the air defence role of the Sri Lankan military was taken over by the Sri Lanka Air Force Regiment which it carries out to this day. The CA was renamed in 1972 as the Sri Lanka Artillery when Ceylon became a republic. Only in 1980 was a new volunteer regiment, the 5th (V) Artillery Regiment was formed.

At present the Sri Lanka Artillery has 7 regular regiments, 2 volunteer regiments and a regimental band. These artillery units form the Artillery Brigade. Since the start of the Sri Lankan civil war in the 1980’s the SLA has provided fire support for all most all military operations carried out by the Sri Lanka Army against terrorist forces, it also performs the target acquisition role to locate enemy guns . At times the SLA has been deployed in an infantry role to meet the shortage of infantry.

[edit] Units

A 152 mm towed howitzer of the Sri Lanka Artillery

[edit] Regular Regiments

4th Field Regiment SLA
6th Field Regiment SLA
7th Light Regiment SLA
8th Field Regiment SLA
9th Field Regiment SLA
10th Field Regiment SLA
11th Regiment SLA
14th Rocket Regiment SLA
School Of Artillery

[edit] Volunteer Regiments

5th(v) Sri Lanka Artillery Regiment
12th(v) Sri Lanka Artillery Regiment

[edit] Equipment

During the colonial period the Ceylon Garrison Artillery personnel manned British Coastal artillery batteries. After independence and establishment Artillery Regiment, the corps depended on its World War II-era British BL 6 inch coastal guns, 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, 3.7 inch heavy anti-aircraft guns and 4.2-inch heavy mortars. Later British Ordnance QF 25 pounder Mark III field guns and 76 mm mountain guns where introduced.

New sources of weaponry in the 1990s and 2000s included China and the Czech Republic. With the escalation of the Sri Lankan civil war 120mm, 152mm, 130mm howitzers and 120mm, 82mm mortars where introduced and in 2000 RM-70 Multiple rocket launchers where added increasing SLA’s fire power. Target acquisition systems are also operated by the corps to locate enemy guns. The air defence role has now been completely taken over by the Sri Lanka Air Force Regiment.

Multiple rocket launchers

Artillery

Artillery (Ceremonial)

Ordnance QF 25 pounder field guns - (Ceremonial Gun Troop)
Ordnance QF 75 mm mountain guns - (Ceremonial Gun Troop)

Heavy and Towed mortars

Type 86 (W86) 120mm mortars[1]
Type 84 (W84) 82mm mortars[2]

[edit] Notable members

General C. S. Weerasooriya RWP, RSP, VSV,USP, SLA - Former Commander of the Army.
Lieutenant General Hamilton Wanasinghe VSV, SLA - Former Commander of the Army.
General L. P. Balagalle VSV,USP, ndc, IG, SLA - Former Commander of the Army.
Major General Sarath Munasinghe RWP,RSP,USP - Former Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Commander Security Forces Headquarter Jaffna.
Major General Larry Wijeratne † - Former Commander 514 Brigade.
Major General Ananda Hamangoda † - Former Commander 512 Brigade.
Brigadier W.A.A.P.B Jayatilleka RSP, SLA † - former commanding officer of the 54-1 brigade
Colonel Fredrick C. de Saram OBE, CA - Leader of the Attempted military coup in 1962