Sri Lanka turned to U.S. for air defense when Indian radars failed to counter LTTE air attacks

Sri Lanka quietly sought the assistance from the United States to counter the threats from the LTTE air wing when the India-supplied two-dimensional radars failed to prevent the LTTE air attack on the Katunayake Air Force Base, a WikiLeak cable obtained by the Indian daily The Hindu said.

In a cable dated April 01, 2007, then U.S. Ambassador in Colombo, Robert O. Blake, Jr. reported a discussion he had on March 30, 2007 with Sri Lanka's Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa when the Defense Secretary summoned the Ambassador and the Embassy's Defense Attache to request a visit by a U.S. military team to assess how Sri Lanka can improve its air defense capabilities to defend against future LTTE air attacks.

The Defense Secretary outlining the country's current radar configuration had said that the two-dimensional radars provided by India were not sufficient to prevent the LTTE air attacks and the Sri Lankan government is in the process of purchasing a Chinese three dimensional radar. Rajapaksa has sought the assistance from a U.S. military team to enhance Sri Lanka's present air defense capabilities.

Blake has said that during the meeting he underscored the need to work transparently with the Indian government if the U.S. agreed to Sri Lanka's request.

Secretary Rajapaksa has agreed to the condition but has informed that the Sri Lankan government would prefer to approach India before the U.S. c [...]