Demise
In their military offensive in the north of the country the Sri Lanka Armed Forces have reported the capture of seven airfields used by the Tigers. Of these, three have been used as emergency landing strips, while two had been a frequently-used airfield with two hangars. On February 20, 2009 the government's predictions were proved wrong when two LTTE aircraft attacked the capital. The LTTE lost both of the Zlín Z 43 aircraft and two Air Tiger pilots during the attack. According to military analysts, there are no aircraft left in the Air Tiger fleet, although the LTTE have claimed that they have three aircraft remaining. On May 18, 2009, The Sri Lankan army defeated the LTTE and regained control over the entire island. Several missions were carried out by the Sri Lanka Army soldiers and none of the three aircraft which the tigers claimed to have kept were found.
The Sri Lanka Air Force has stated that its has plans to develop the two captured LTTE air fields in Iranamadu and Mullaittivu into operational SLAF air bases.
Read more about this topic: Air Tigers