For the first time in the history, two female officers have been commissioned as Pilots of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF).
They were commissioned this morning at the SLAF Academy in China Bay, SLAF announced.
The Pilot Officer ADPL Gunarathe and Pilot Officer RT Weerawardana became the first Lady Officers to be awarded the prestigious Flying Brevet and be the pioneering female military aviators of Sri Lanka.
The commissioning of the 53 Officer Cadets as Commissioned Officers of the Sri Lanka Air Force which included two Lady Officers being commissioned as Pilots of the General Duties Pilot Branch for the first time in the History of the Sri Lanka Air Force.
The next highlight was during the awarding of Flying Brevets and trophies for special achievements.
Pilot Officer RT Weerawardana was awarded the prestigious “Sword of Honour” presented by Group Captain NR Raheem. The sword of honour is awarded to the Officer Cadet who has achieved the highest results in both academic and professional studies, and who has shown the best all-round performance throughout the course. This is the first occasion in the history of the Sri Lanka Air Force when a Lady Officer has been awarded the “Sword of Honour”.
The Chief Guest at this prestigious occasion was the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence,Major General (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne.
