An investigation into the recovery of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in Sri Lankan waters, believed to be a high-speed target drone belonging to the Indian Air Force, has revealed that the drone was not operated within Sri Lankan airspace, the Daily Mirror learns.
The Sri Lanka Air Force has appointed a three-member special committee following the recovery of the drone by a group of fishermen approximately 35 nautical miles off the Trincomalee coast on December 27, 2024.
It was earlier revealed that the drone is a target drone typically used by defence forces during training exercises.
Air Force spokesman Group Captain Eranda Geeganage said that the committee had submitted an initial report to the Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force after completing the investigation.
The committee reported that the drone posed no threat, as it contained no explosives, cameras, or GPS.
According to the committee, the drone may have drifted into Sri Lankan waters and could have been there for at least two weeks.
“We believe the drone was not operated in our air defence zone. If any country uses our air defence zone, they usually inform us. However, neither any defence forces nor we detected this type of drone operating in our airspace. Therefore, we think the training may have occurred far from our zone,” Group Captain Geeganage said.
The spokesman also said that they are in the process of verifying the country of origin of the drone.
However, it is questionable why no country or company has come forward to claim ownership of the drone.
The words Shikra and Target can be seen on the wings of the drone, while Anadrone appears on the tail fin.
Anadrone Systems Pvt Ltd is a defence company based in India, specializing in the design, development, and deployment of advanced unmanned aerial systems and defence technologies.
A similar type of aircraft was found by a group of fishermen near the Talapada estuary in August 2020, which was likely tested at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur.
Group Captain Geeganage said that the committee had recommended that relevant counterparts work on gathering additional information to facilitate the transfer of the drone.
It has been reported that once the final report is completed, local authorities will inform the Indian High Commission about the drone.
If the drone is confirmed to belong to India, the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) will hand it over to Indian authorities, the spokesman said.