| Sri Lanka Armoured Corps | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1955 - present |
| Country |  Sri Lanka |
| Branch |  Sri Lanka Army |
| Type | Armoured corps |
| Role | Tank warfare Armoured warfare |
| Size | 5 regular regiments, 1 volunteer regiment |
| Regimental Headquarters | Rock House Army Camp |
| Motto(s) | Whither the fates call |
| March | Quick -The Radetski March (traditional) Under the Double Eagle (modern) Slow -1st Dragoon Guards and 2nd Dragoon Guards Slow March |
| Engagements | 1971 Insurrection Insurrection 1987-89 Sri Lankan Civil War |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel Commandant | Maj Gen D B S N Bothota |
| Brigade Commander | Brig P A M Peiris |
| Centre Commandant | Brig W P Kariyawasam |
| Insignia | |
| Flag |  |
TheSri Lanka Armoured Corps (SLAC) provides the armour capability of theSri Lanka Army, with vehicles such as theT-55AM2main battle tank; theBMPinfantry fighting vehicle; and theBTR-80 andWZ551armoured personnel carriers. It comprises five regulararmoured regiments, avolunteer regiment, and aregimental band. It has an independentArmoured Brigade and is headquartered atRock House Army Camp,Colombo.[1][2]
TheCeylon Army was established in 1949. Under Prime MinisterColonelSir John Kotelawala, the Government of Ceylon decided on the need to add armour to support infantry elements of the newly established regular army. To this effect a cavalry arm was considered and the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron was established on 1 October 1955 under the command ofMajorD. S. Attygalle at theEchelon Barracks. Squadron moved to Ridiyagama for training withBritish Army advisers from theQueen's Dragoons Guards received fourBritishFerret unturreted scout cars along with twentyBSA M20 with side cars that were armed withBren light machine gun. The squadron expanded its number of personal and increased its training. In 1957, the squadron moved toAmpara on flood relief duties and in December moved toRock House Army Camp in Colombo, which became its regimental headquarters. In 1958, the squadron was deployed to counter thecommunal riots and on 15 December 1958 it was expanded to aformation reconnaissance regiment with two recce squadrons and had increased its fleet with BSA M21 motorcycles, eight Ferret Mk II Scout Cars and twoDaimler Armoured Cars. The 1st Reconnaissance Regiment became allied to and inherited the traditions of Queen's Dragoons Guards and it became the Ceylon Armoured Corps.[1]
The 1st Recce Regiment was deployed on several occasions in the 1950s and 1960s on flood relief and internal security operations. It was deployed for counter-insurgency operations in Kurunegala and Anuradhapura districts under the command of Lieutenant ColonelCyril Ranatunga during the1971 Insurrection against theJVP. In 1971, the regiment received twelve BritishAlvis Saladin armoured cars in May and tenSovietBTR-152armoured personnel carriers (APCs) in November to supplement its counter-insurgency operations with a third squadron. When Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972, the CAC became the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps. Following the insurrection, the regiment deployed a saber squadron to provide security for theCriminal Justice Commission from 1973 to 1976. A forth squadron was raised in 1974.[1]
The first volunteer (reserve) unit of the SLAC, the 2nd (Volunteer) Regiment, Sri Lanka Armoured Corps was formed in 1979 under the command of Lt. Col Eustace Jayasekara with troops from theCeylon National Guard.
With the escalation of theSri Lankan civil war, three saber squadrons were deployed in the northern and eastern provinces of the country, to provide fire support for infantry and for the protection of road convoys. The forth squadron was deployed in Colombo for the defense of the capital. The Armoured Corps Training Centre (ACTC) was established on 1 January 1984 at Kalattewa,Anuradhapura. The regiment received severalAlvis Stalwartamphibious vehicles in 1985 and thirty twoAlvis Saracen APCs in 1986. With the Saracens the SLAC was able to allocate two Saracens per troop providing assault troops to provide close combat support in the form ofmechanized infantry. In the 1980s the regiment supported all major military operations, notablyVadamarachchi Operation. Following the deployment of theIndian Peace Keeping Force in the North and East provinces, the regiment deployed a saber squadron each inJaffna andKilinochchi, while it deployed the remaining two squadrons inColombo andGampaha as the1987–1989 JVP insurrection started in the south of the island. In November 1988, the 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment was raised with Saladins, Saracens, Ferrets and a Stalwart. On 15 December 1988, the Armoured Brigade was formed under the command of BrigadierY. Balaretnarajah who became the firstArmouredBrigade Commander bring under it the 1st, 3rd Reconnaissance Regiments and the ACTC. Its expansion was limited since the Government of Sri Lanka face difficulties in precuring spares and new military equipment from its traditional suppliers in the United Kingdom and Singapore due to pressure from Western countries. The US government approved the sale ofCadillac Gage armoured cars without turrets and guns and the British government's refusal to supply spare parts for the Alvis Saladins and Ferret armoured cars. The SLAC received 10Type 63 (YW531) APC from China in 1988. The 2nd (Volunteer) Regiment was transferred to theSri Lanka Light Infantry as its 5th (Volunteer) battalion in 1989.[1]
Three saber squadrons from the two regiments were deployed for the first amphibious landings made by the army inOperation Balavegaya to break thesiege on Elephant Pass. The siege on Elephant Pass made it clear that the civil war had shifted from an insurrection into a conventional war. The army looked for new sources of heavier weaponry and found it in China and Czechoslovakia. It looked for tracked vehicles for better cross country movements and larger caliber guns. In 1991, Sri Lanka Armoured Corps received from China twentyType 85 light tanks, tenType 90 APCs, command vehicles and aType 86 armoured recovery vehicle which were assigned to the 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment replacing the British armoured cars. That year the SLAC introducedmain battle tanks with the formation of its firsttank regiment, the 4th Armoured Regiment at Clappenburg inTrincomalee equipped withT-55Amedium tanks andT 55 ARVs brought down from the Czechoslovakia. In 1992, SLAC deployed twentyType 86infantry fighting vehicles. The two T-55A tanks of the 4th Armoured Regiment captured by theLTTE in theBattle of Pooneryn in November 1993. One of these destroyed by the air force and the other was re-captured at the end of the war.[3]
The 5th Regiment raised in 1994 as an infantry role and converted to an armoured role as the 5th Reconnaissance Regiment with the arrival of Russian sixteenBMP-1 IFVs, followed by Chinese thirtyType 63 II APCs and a CzechT 54 AVLBbridge-layer. Many of the SLAC units deployed in theOperation Riviresa in 1995 and became the first units enter Jaffna. The 6th Regiment was raised in January 1997 and was initially deployed in an infantry role. In 1998, thirty threeBTR-80 APCs andBTR-80 A IFVs were added to the 'A' vehicle fleet shared between the 1st, 3rd, 6th recce regiments and were used inOperation Jayasikurui. In May 1998, the 7th Battalion,Sri Lanka National Guard was transferred as the SLAC as the 7th (Volunteer) Regiment in an infantry role. In 1999, the 8th Regiment was raised as areinforcement regiment in an infantry role. In 1998 the SLAC was presented with thePresident's Standard in recognition of the service it has rendered.[2]
In 2000, CzechT-55 AM IIMBTs,BMP-2,BMP-3 IFVs were added followed by the BMP-2 command vehicles in 2002. The regiments underwent reorganizing with new equipment, the 4th Armoured Regiment was reorganized in 2001 with three squadrons of T-55 AM II; 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment received one squadron of T-55A and the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment phased out its old British AFVs and was fully equipped with BTR 80s and BTR 80A.[2]
With the hostilities resuming in 2006, SLAC units deployed in offensive operations on all fronts. Its 4th Armoured Regiment lost six tanks in the keyBattle of Jaffna. The 6th recce regiment was disbanded in February 2007 with its personal and equipment transferred to the newly formedMechanized Infantry Regiment. In August 2007 a new 6th Reinforcement Regiment was raised followed by the 10th Reinforcement Regiment was raised in August 2008. In 2009 more ChineseWZ551 APCs were added and the 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment was re-designated as the 3rd Armoured Regiment as it was converted to a tank regiment. The army was negotiating the purchase of twentyAl Khalids from Pakistan when the war ended. Following end of the war, the 9th and 10th reinforcement regiments were disbanded and amalgamated with the 8th regiment in 2012.[1][2]
The Armoured Corps Training Centre (ACTC) was established in 1984 at the army camp at Kalattewa,Anuradhapura to train tradesmen needed to operate its fleet of AFV.
Its programs includes;
Armoured vehicle-launched bridges |
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| Preceded by First in Order of Precedence | Order of Precedence | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by First in Order of Precedence | Order of Precedence (with armoured vehicles) | Succeeded by |
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