| Sri Lanka Artillery | |
|---|---|
| Active | 12 April 1888 - Present |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Branch | Sri Lanka Army |
| Type | Artillery |
| Role | Artillery, Target Acquisition, Ceremonial |
| Size | 12 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 A S Hewawitharana IG |
| Colonel-Commandant | Maj Gen J.C.Rambukpotha RSP USP ndc IG |
| Notable commanders |
Colonel F. C. de Saram OBE |
The Sri Lanka Artillery (SLA) is a corps of the Sri Lanka Army. It is made up of 7 regular regiments and 2 volunteer (reserve) regiments. The SLA is headquartered at Panagoda Cantonment, Panagoda.
Contents |
The roots of the Sri Lanka Artillery goes back to 1888, when on 12 April 1888 the Ceylon Artillery Volunteers was formed as a gun battery under the command of Capt. C.E.H Seimans of the Royal Artillery. During World War I the Ceylon Artillery Volunteers were mobilised, along with the 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 the 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 defence of the Seychelles and the Cocos Islands. Within Ceylon expanded in size, with the 1st Coast Regiment raising in strength of one field and four coast batteries, the formation the 2nd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, headquartered in Trincomalee and the 3rd Searchlight/Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment based in Colombo.[1]
In 1949 the CGA became the Ceylon Artillery with the 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). In the same year the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment was formed. The 2nd Volunteer Coastal Artillery / Anti-Aircraft Regiment was formed in 1949, under the 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 12 regular regiments, 2 volunteer regiments and a regimental band. These units form the Artillery Brigade. Since the start of the Sri Lankan civil war in the 1980s, the SLA has provided fire support for almost all military operations carried out by the Sri Lanka Army against terrorist forces. It also performs a target acquisition role to locate enemy guns. At times the SLA has deployed 4 regular (RFT)and 2 volunteer regiments in an infantry role to meet the shortage of infantry.
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 120 mm, 152 mm, 130 mm howitzers and 120 mm, 82 mm 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.
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Multiple rocket launchers Artillery
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Artillery (Ceremonial)
Heavy and Towed mortars |
| Preceded by Sri Lanka Armoured Corps |
Order of Precedence | Succeeded by Sri Lanka Engineers |
| Preceded by Mechanized Infantry Regiment (with armored vehicles) |
Order of Precedence (with Guns) |
Succeeded by Sri Lanka Engineers (with engineering vehicles) |
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