The Fall of the UAV is a Mystery
K. Mylvaganam - Sangam
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Vignanakulam (Sri Lanka):
The fall of the latest Unmanned Areal Vehicle (UAV) operated by remote control at Vignanakulam is the fourth of its kind – so far.
The UAV is called a Searcher Mark II. Vignanakulam is nearly 20 km northeast of Omanthai and east of Kanagarayankulam. Readers may remember that in October 1997 fierce fighting took place between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan forces in Karappukuththi, Vignanakulam and Periyamadu where several hundred Sri Lankan soldiers were killed. It has to be pointed out that these areas are now in LTTE-controlled territory. During 1997/1998 two such aircrafts fell down - one in Poonakari and the other in Omanthai. The third one came down later in Anuradapura.
It is noteworthy to point out that Vignanakulam is only about 20 km from Iranamadukulam, near which the so called airstrip of the LTTE is said to be located. It is presumed that the Searcher was returning after flying over Iranamadu.The spokesman for the SL air force, Mr. de Silva, said that the UAV fell down due to technical problems and that it happened in the army-controlled area. If so, why was not the vehicle recovered by them?
At the same time certain SL military officials stated that the plane was possibly shot down by another aircraft as the nature of the fall of the latest vehicle differed very much from those of the previous ones. Another view point is that it might have been brought down by a missile fired by the LTTE. One theory is that the Searcher, which has only a 73 H.P. engine, has its camera fitted to its bottom.
Hence, a plane belonging to the LTTE might have flown over it undetected by the cameras and shot it down from above. Before the crash it is reported that the controllers received three warnings. One was an engine failure warning, the second a generator failure and the third a communication failure. All these appeared simultaneously, which did not happen with the three that fell down earlier.
Furthermore, even if the generator packed up, the camera should have continued to work on the battery power for at least 15 minutes, but it did not.Each of these vehicles cost the SL government US$ 1.3 million (Rs.130 million). Now there are only two more UAVs left with the SL air force.
Oct 27, 2005
K. Mylvaganam - Sangam
___________________
Vignanakulam (Sri Lanka):
The fall of the latest Unmanned Areal Vehicle (UAV) operated by remote control at Vignanakulam is the fourth of its kind – so far.
The UAV is called a Searcher Mark II. Vignanakulam is nearly 20 km northeast of Omanthai and east of Kanagarayankulam. Readers may remember that in October 1997 fierce fighting took place between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan forces in Karappukuththi, Vignanakulam and Periyamadu where several hundred Sri Lankan soldiers were killed. It has to be pointed out that these areas are now in LTTE-controlled territory. During 1997/1998 two such aircrafts fell down - one in Poonakari and the other in Omanthai. The third one came down later in Anuradapura.
It is noteworthy to point out that Vignanakulam is only about 20 km from Iranamadukulam, near which the so called airstrip of the LTTE is said to be located. It is presumed that the Searcher was returning after flying over Iranamadu.The spokesman for the SL air force, Mr. de Silva, said that the UAV fell down due to technical problems and that it happened in the army-controlled area. If so, why was not the vehicle recovered by them?
At the same time certain SL military officials stated that the plane was possibly shot down by another aircraft as the nature of the fall of the latest vehicle differed very much from those of the previous ones. Another view point is that it might have been brought down by a missile fired by the LTTE. One theory is that the Searcher, which has only a 73 H.P. engine, has its camera fitted to its bottom.
Hence, a plane belonging to the LTTE might have flown over it undetected by the cameras and shot it down from above. Before the crash it is reported that the controllers received three warnings. One was an engine failure warning, the second a generator failure and the third a communication failure. All these appeared simultaneously, which did not happen with the three that fell down earlier.
Furthermore, even if the generator packed up, the camera should have continued to work on the battery power for at least 15 minutes, but it did not.Each of these vehicles cost the SL government US$ 1.3 million (Rs.130 million). Now there are only two more UAVs left with the SL air force.
Oct 27, 2005
