Air Vice Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa has been appointed to the post of Air Force Commander.

The President’s Secretary, Mr. Saman Ekanayake, handed over the appointment letter to AVM Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (28).

In recognition of his exceptional service and in line with his new appointment as the Commander,  President Ranil Wickremesinghe has promoted Air Vice Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa, to the rank of Air Marshal, effective from tomorrow, the 30th.

As the 19th Air Force Commander of the country, Air Vice Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa proudly represents his alma mater, Ananda College, Colombo, being the first Air Force Commander to be appointed from Ananda College.

His journey began in 1988 when he joined the Kotalawala Defence College as a cadet, and subsequently, he excelled in flight training at the Anuradhapura Camp No. 01, achieving the distinction of being the best cadet in the 33rd Air Cadet Course.

With a combination of local and foreign training, he demonstrated outstanding performance as a flight officer. Prior to his current appointment, he held the second position of command within the Air Force, as the Chief of Staff, and now assumes the prestigious role of Air Force Commander.

Outgoing AF commander promoted

Meanwhile, President Ranil Wickremasinghe in his capacity as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces has also promoted Air Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana to the four star rank of Air Chief Marshal with effect from today (June 29).

Air Chief Marshal Pathirana took over as the 18th Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force on 03 November 2020 and will relinquish his command today at Air Force Headquarters.