Sri Lanka’s air force will receive 10 Bell TH-57 Sea Ranger helicopters that formerly served with the US Navy.
The helicopters, derivatives of the Bell 206, will serve in the training and disaster response missions, according to the US government’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
The DSCA notes that Sri Lanka’s response to Cyclone Ditwah in November 2025 was hindered by a lack of helicopters for evacuations and search-and-rescue missions.
The cyclone caused considerable destruction in Sri Lanka and resulted in nearly 700 deaths.
The first batch of TH-57s will reach Sri Lanka in February.
The US Navy is replacing the TH-57 with the Leonardo TH-73A Thrasher, which is derived from the AW119Kx light-single.
Cirium, an aviation analytics company, indicates that prior to the arrival of the TH-57 Sri Lanka’s air force had an inventory of 52 helicopters, comprising 16 helicopters from Bell and 36 from Russian Helicopters. The average age of the fleet is 27.4 years.
The most numerous helicopter type in Sri Lankan air force service is the Mi-171E/V, with 19 examples in service.
