LNP – Air Vice Marshal Sumanaweera to be appointed SLAF Chief of Staff

Air Vice Marshal Lasitha Sumanaweera will be appointed as the new Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF), effective tomorrow.

Currently serving as the Director General of Air Operations, Sumanaweera will succeed Air Vice Marshal Sampath Wickremeratne, who is set to retire from service.

Air Vice Marshal Lasitha Sumanaweera is a distinguished former student of President’s College, Minuwangoda. He joined the Sri Lanka Air Force as an Officer Cadet in the General Duties Pilot Branch of the 24th intake in 1991. After successfully completing his Basic and Advanced Flying Training at the Sri Lanka Air Force Academy in China Bay, he was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in 1993.

He began his career as an Operational Helicopter Pilot in No. 04 Helicopter Squadron. Air Vice Marshal Sumanaweera served with both No. 04 and No. 07 Helicopter Squadrons as a Captain, operating Bell 206, Bell 212, and Bell 412 helicopters, and actively participating in military operations. In 1998, he was promoted to the rank of Flight Lieutenant and transferred to No. 09 Attack Helicopter Squadron, where he piloted Mi-24/35 gunships in combat zones, demonstrating exceptional competence and bravery as a military pilot. He showed steadfast dedication in carrying out assigned tasks and was promoted to Squadron Leader in 2003. That same year, he was appointed as the Officer Commanding Operations of No. 09 Attack Helicopter Squadron, where he took part in numerous humanitarian operations.