MiG deal saved US$ 1.8 m - Air Force Chief

Ranil Wijayapala and Rafik Jalaldeen

COLOMBO: The Government yesterday vehemently denied any inconsistency in the 2005 MiG 27 ground attack aircraft deal with Ukrinmash, Ukraine, saying that the deal was completed in a transparent manner saving nearly US$ 1.8 million to the country.

Addressing the media yesterday in Colombo, Air Force Commander Air Marshal Roshan Gunatilleka said the purchase of MiG 27 ground attack planes was completed after a close scrutiny of the process by a Technical Evaluation Committee consisting of independent experts.

The Air Force Commander said the SLAF directly dealt with the Ukrinmash, a subsidiary of the Ukrainian Government on a Government to Government basis to purchase four MiG-27s deviating from the earlier method of striking deals with agents.

“The comparison of the prices of the MiG 27 ground attack craft purchased in 2000 and 2006 should be done considering the lifetime of the aircraft,” the Air Force Commander said.

According to the deal closed in 2000, the Government paid US$ 1,882,500 per one unit of MiG 27 fighter aircraft which had only two years remaining lifetime.

“In 2006, we paid US$ 2,577,000 per one unit with year eight years lifetime as we have purchased fully overhauled aircraft,” he added.

The immediate operational requirements that arose in 2000 compelled the SLAF to purchase seven MiGs with two years lifetime and we have now purchased fully overhauled aircrafts.

Out of the seven aircraft purchased in 2000 three aircraft CF - 732 was destroyed due to the LTTE attack on the Katunayake airport and CF -736 and CF-734 crashed respectively on December 27, 2001 and June 09, 2004 and the balance were grounded during 2004 as the service life of the four attack craft came to an end.

After tenders were called for the overhaul of the four MiGs, D.S. Alliance Pvt Ltd, a Singapore based company acting as an agent of Ukrainmash made bids to overhaul the fleet which included three MiG 27s and one MiG 23 trainer aircraft.

According to D.S. Alliance offers they were prepared to overhaul the two MiG 27 craft CF-731 and CF 735 at the rate of US $ 1,133,445.00 and the other MiG 27 (CF 737) at US$ 983,445. They offered to overhaul the MiG 23 UB Aircraft CTF 730 at US $ 1,299,045.

“Therefore, the comparison of prices should be done after considering the prices to be paid for the overhaul of the aircrafts to get the full lifetime of the aircraft,” the Air Force Commander added.