Shirantha Goonatilake
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2020) |
Shirantha Goonetileke Air Commodore | |
|---|---|
| Unit | No. 1 Flying Training Wing, SLAF |
| Commands held | Commanding Officer Flying Training Wing |
| Battles/wars | Sri Lankan Civil War |
| Awards |  Rana Wickrama Padakkama  Rana Sura Padakkama |
Air Chief Marshal Harry Goonatilake the 5th Commander of the Air Force and the brother of the 12th Commander of the Air Force, Marshal of the Air Force Roshan Goonetileke
.
Early life
Shirantha Goonetileke completed his education at Royal College, Colombo and then he follow the footsteps of his father and elder brother to join the Sri Lanka Air Force.
SLAF career and death
In the 1980s Goonetileke took to flying
Squadron Leader and led the Red formation during the famed Operation Eagle
in 1990.
On 27 April 1995, an
MANPADS. His last words over the radio were "A missile is coming my way", giving the Air Force the first indication that the LTTE were using SAMs.[1] He was the Commanding Officer of No. 1 Flying Training Wing at Ratmalana
at the time of his death.
References
- ^ Harry Goonetilake, a true patriot Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine Daily News.lk - November 25, 2006