SLAF China Bay is a Sri Lanka Air Force base located at China Bay, Trincomalee

Trincomalee

Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...

. The airbase is situated close to the coast and has a long runway which is believed to be able to handle most modern aircraft. Established by the British as RAF China Bay in the 1920s, the base was attacked by the Japanese during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

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During the time the Indian Peace Keeping Force

Indian Peace Keeping Force

Indian Peace Keeping Force was the Indian military contingent performing a peacekeeping operation in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990...

 was in Sri Lanka, China Bay Airport had to operate a number of India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n aircraft including IL-76s. This based played a vital role in government's war operation against Tamil Tigers, which lasted for almost 30 years.

In addition to the military facilities, there are sport complexes attached to the Air Force base. http://www.airforce.lk/news.php?news=862

Lodger Squadrons

• No. 1 Flying Training Wing
  No. 1 Wing SLAF
  No. 1 Flying Training Wing currently based at SLAF China Bay, carries out basic pilot training of the Sri Lanka Air Force. Its the oldest flying formation in the SLAF.-History:...
  
  
• No. 14 Squadron
  No. 14 Squadron SLAF
  No. 14 Squadron is a training squadron of the Sri Lanka Air Force. It currently operates the Hongdu JL-8 from SLAF China Bay for advanced jet training.-External links:**...
  
  
• No. 112 Surveillance Squadron
• No. 03 Air Defence Radar Squadron

Air Force Academy

Today this base houses the Sri Lanka Air Force Academy. Established in 1976, the academy is where the Sri Lanka Air Force conducts its initial officer training

Officer training

Officer training refers to the training that most military officers must complete before acquiring an officer rank. A potential recruit becomes an officer cadet, someone in training. An officer in training can either be trained in a military college like West Point, or taken from the enlisted ranks...

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Presently there are three lodger formations carrying out training.

• Junior Command & Staff College
• Combat Training School