Sri Lanka Air Force Base Katunayake, the largest Air Force Base in Sri Lanka and is home to the highest number of lodger formations. It is situated in close proximity to the Bandaranayake International Airport. The Base Headquarters provides administrative, logistical, general and civil engineering services to all lodger formations located within the Base. Further, lodger formations which are base here provide vital technical, administrative and logistical services to the entire Sri Lanka Air Force.
The air base began as a Royal Air Force airfield in 1944 during the Second World War and was knows as RAF Station Negombo. Later on when the Royal Air Forces handed over defence establishments to Sri Lanka then known as Ceylon, this Base was renamed as Royal Ceylon Air Force Katunayake on 1 September 1951 and when Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972, this Base was renamed as Sri Lanka Air Force Base Katunayake. The Base was awarded the President’s Color in 2001 for its long years of exceptional and dedicated service to the nation.
SLAF Base Katunayake has a fully equipped gymnasium, a sports arena, a swimming pool, a cinema which are among the many recreational and sports facilities offered by the Base for its personnel. The married quarters complex located within the Base provides accommodation to several hundred families of the Air Force personnel serving at the Base. This is also the main adimintrative eliment of the Southern Air Command of the Sri Lanka Air Force and is commanded by Air Vice Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa who is also the Southern Air Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force.
FORMATIONS BASED AT KATUNAYAKE No 02 Heavy Transport Squadron | Aircraft Overhaul Wing |
No 05 Fighter Squadron | No 01 Air Defence Radar Squadron |
No 10 Fighter Squadron | No 1 Supply & Maintenance Depot |
No 26 Regiment Wing | Aircraft Spares Depot |
No 43 Colour Wing | Sri Lanka Air Force Hospital |
No 48 Air Dog Unit | Sri Lanka Air Force Dental Hospital |
Aircraft Engineering Wing | Equipment Provisioning & Accounting Unit |
General Engineering Wing | Sri Lanka Air Force Band |
Mechanical Transport Repair & Overhaul Wing | No 3 Leisure & Recreation Wing |
Electronics & Telecommunication Wing | Research & Development Wing |
Civil Engineering Wing | Fire School & Fire Tender Maintenance Squadron |
Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Wing | Armament Repair and Overhaul Wing |
Radar Maintenance Wing | Construction Machinery Wing |
BASE COMMANDER
| ADDRESS | TELEPHONE |
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AIR VICE MARSHAL R A U P RAJAPAKSA
RSP and two Bars, USP, MSc (MOA) USA, MSc (Def Stu) in Mgt, MA in IS&S (UK), BSc (Def Stu), MIM (SL), rcds, psc | Sri Lanka Air Force Base
Katunayake,
Sri Lanka.
| +94 11 2441044,
+94 11 2495495 |
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