Air
Vice Marshal Lasitha Sumanaweera
RWP, RSP & Bar, USP, MSc (Strat Stu), MDS,
fawc, ndc (Ind), psc
Air Vice Marshal Lasitha Sumanaweera, was born in June 1972. He started his schooling at Nalanda College, Minuwangoda and completed his education at President’s College, Minuwangoda. In May 1991, he joined the Sri Lanka Air Force as an Officer Cadet with the 24th Officer Cadets intake. After successfully completing his training, he was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the General Duties Pilot Branch in July 1993.
He commenced his career as an Operational Helicopter Pilot in the No 04 Helicopter Squadron. Air Vice Marshal Sumanaweera served with No 04 and No 07 Helicopter Squadrons as a Captain, operating Bell 206, Bell 212 and Bell 412 helicopters, 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, signifying exceptional competence and bravery as a military pilot. He demonstrated steadfast dedication in carrying out assigned tasks and was promoted to Squadron Leader in 2003. During the same year, he was appointed as the Officer Commanding Operations, No 09 Attack Helicopter Squadron, where he participated in numerous humanitarian operations.
In 2009, he was promoted to the rank of Wing Commander and successfully completed the Defence Services Command and Staff Course, earning the Golden Owl. Following his postgraduate studies, he assumed the role of Directing Staff/Instructor at the Defence Services Command and Staff Course. Moreover, he acquired two Masters degrees during his career.
Air Vice Marshal Sumanaweera, a VVIP-rated pilot with over 5200 flying hours, took command of No.04 VVIP/VIP Helicopter Squadron from 2011 to 2015. During his command, he had the privilege of flying Heads of States and various local and foreign dignitaries. He was promoted to the rank of Group Captain in 2014, after which he was assigned as the Commanding Officer of No.06 Helicopter Squadron in 2015. During his leadership, he deployed two Mi-17 contingents for UN peacekeeping missions in Central Africa and South Sudan. Subsequently, in the same year, he assumed the role of Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at Air Force Headquarters, where he was responsible for Air Operations, policy-making, administration, training and the conduct of pilots within the organization. In 2017, he was appointed as the Commanding Officer of Sri Lanka Air Force Station, Palaly. In 2018, he took over the Base Commander of Vavuniya.
In April 2019, he was promoted to the rank of Air Commodore and served as the Northern Air Commander at the Sri Lanka Air Force Northern Air Command Headquarters in Anuradhapura. He served as the Base Commander of Sri Lanka Air Force Base Katunayake, home to 29 independent formations, including two Fighter Squadrons and a Heavy Transport Squadron. Air Vice Marshal Sumanaweera was the Overall Operations Commander of Air Defence, serving as the first Director Air Defence in Air Force History. Air Vice Marshal Sumanaweera previously held the esteemed appointment of Director General Training of the SLAF before being appointed as the Director General Air Operations of the Sri Lanka Air Force.
Throughout his service career, he completed several courses and trainings, including the Aircraft Self Protection Systems Course in Israel, Flight Safety Course in Bangladesh, MI-24 acceptance programme in Ukraine, B-412 Simulator Training in the UAE, Aircraft Incident Investigation Effective Safety Risk Management Course in Singapore, Ground school and Simulator Full Training on B-412EP in the USA, Air War Course in Pakistan, Simulator Training (Bell 412-EP) in the UAE, Mi-17 Simulator Training in the UAE, Bell-412EP Aircraft Acceptance training in Texas, USA and Comprehensive Security Responses to Terrorism (CSRT) 16-1 course at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Centre for Security Studies, Hawaii.
In 2017, Air Vice Marshal Sumanaweera represented the Sri Lanka Air Force in the inaugural Airman to Airman Talks in the USA. He also represented the SLAF at the International Conference on Global Strategic Threats and Response (GSTAR-2020) in Pakistan. He is a distinguished alumnus of the National Defence College, India, having completed his MPhil in 2021. In 2023, he completed the Building Integrity for Senior Leaders course at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom.
For his acts of valor and exemplary service, he was awarded the Rana Wickrama Padakkama and Rana Sura Padakkama for two occasions for exceptional acts of bravery in the face of the enemy. Furthermore, he was awarded the Uttama Seva Padakkama for valuable service and devotion to duty, exceptional ability, merit and exemplary conduct. He was conferred with the Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal, the Riviresa Campaign Service Medal, Seva Padakkama, Sevabhimani Padakkama, the North Humanitarian Campaign Medal, the East Humanitarian Campaign Medal, in addition to various Campaign and Operational Service medals.
