Commander of the Air Force (Sri Lanka)
| Sri Lanka Air Force |
|---|
 |
| Components |
| General Information |
| History |
| Aircraft |
|
| Personnel |
The Commander of the Air Force is the professional head of the Sri Lanka Air Force. The current Commander of the Air Force is Air Marshal Kolitha Gunathilake from 2014. It is a position comparable to that of Chief of the Air Staff of the Royal Air Force.
In the recent past all serving air force commanders have been of the rank of Air Marshal, promoted to the Honorary rank of Air Chief Marshal when retiring or promoted to Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). His deputy is the Chief of Staff of the air force.
List of Commanders
| No. | Portrait | Rank | Name | Appointment | Left Office | Unit | Decorations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Air Commodore | Graham Bladon | 5 May 1950 | 24 October 1958 | CBE | ||
| 2 | Air Vice Marshal | John Barker | 24 October 1958 | 12 November 1962 | CB, CBE, DFC | ||
| 3 | Air Vice Marshal | Rohan Amerasekera | 12 November 1962 | 31 December 1970 | No. 2 Squadron SLAF | DFC & BAR | |
| 4 | Air Chief Marshal | Deshamanya Paddy Mendis | 1 January 1971 | 1 November 1976 | No. 2 Squadron SLAF No. 5 Squadron SLAF | IDC, PSC, FBIM QFI | |
| 5 | Air Chief Marshal | Harry Goonatilake | 1 November 1976 | 30 April 1981 | No. 2 Squadron SLAF | USP | |
| 6 | Air Chief Marshal | Dick Perera | 1 May 1981 | 30 April 1985 | No. 2 Squadron SLAF | VSV, NDC, PSC | |
| 7 | Air Chief Marshal | Andibuduge Fernando | 1 May 1985 | 31 July 1990 | No. 4 Squadron SLAF | VSV, NDC, PSC | |
| 8 | Air Chief Marshal | Makalandage Gunawardena | 1 August 1990 | 16 February 1994 | No. 2 Squadron SLAF | VSV, NDC, PSC | |
| 9 | Air Chief Marshal | Oliver Ranasinghe | 17 February 1994 | 5 March 1998 | No. 4 Squadron SLAF | RWP, VSV, USP, NDC, PSC | |
| 10 | Air Chief Marshal | Jayalath Weerakkody | 6 March 1998 | 15 July 2002 | No. 2 Squadron SLAF No. 4 Squadron SLAF | RWP, VSV, USP | |
| 11 | Air Chief Marshal | Donald Perera | 16 July 2002 | 11 June 2006 | No. 2 Squadron SLAF | VSV, USP | |
| 12 |  | Air Chief Marshal | Roshan Goonatilake | 12 June 2006 | 27 February 2011 | No. 4 Squadron SLAF | RWP & BAR, VSV, USP |
| 13 |  | Air Chief Marshal | Harsha Abeywickrama | 28 February 2011 | 28 February 2014 | No. 5 Squadron SLAF | RWP, RSP, USP |
| 14 | Air Marshal | Kolitha Gunathilake | 28 February 2014 | Present | No. 2 Squadron SLAF | RWP, RSP, VSV, USP |
Notes
- The former air force commander Air Chief Marshal Roshan Goonatilake is the son of the 5th Commander of the Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Harry Goonatilake.
See also
References
| ||||||||
