The roots of the Sri Lanka Artillery goes back to 1888, when on 20 April 1888 Ceylon Artillery Volunteers was formed as a gun battery under the command of Captain C.E.H Seimans of the Royal Artillery. During World War I Ceylon Artillery Volunteers was mobilised along with Town Guard Artillery of Colombo for the defence of Colombo. In 1918 the Ceylon Garrison Artillery (CGA) was formed by amalgamating the Ceylon Artillery Volunteers and Town Guard Artillery, coming under the Ceylon Defence Force. During the colonial period the main responsibility of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery was the coastal defence of Ceylon, by manning Coastal artillery batteries. During World War II CGA was deployed outside Ceylon to support the Allied and Commonwealth forces in the Indian Ocean as well as defending Ceylon. Equipped with 6 inch Guns the CGA was deployed in defence of Seychelles and the Cocos Islands.

In 1949 CGA became the Ceylon Artillery with formation of the Ceylon Army under the Army Act of 1949. That year the 1st Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment (HAA) of the Ceylon Artillery was formed under the command of Lieutenant Colonel (later Colonel) F.C. de Saram OBE. In 1953 it was renamed the 1st Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (LAA), that same year the 3rd Field Artillery Regiment was formed. The 2nd Volunteer Coastal Artillery / Anti-Aircraft Regiment was formed in 1949, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel J.A.T. Perera ED, it was made up of officers and men of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery. In 1962 2nd Volunteer Regiment was disbanded and coastal artillery batteries decommissioned. The following year in 1963 the 1st Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment was amalgamated with 3rd Field Artillery Regiment and the 4th Regiment, Ceylon Artillery was formed, thus reducing the Ceylon Artillery to a single regiment. Years after amalgamation of the LAA, the air defence role of the Sri Lankan military was taken over by the Sri Lanka Air Force Regiment which it carries out to this day. The CA was renamed in 1972 as the Sri Lanka Artillery when Ceylon became a republic. Only in 1980 was a new volunteer regiment, the 5th (V) Artillery Regiment was formed.

At present the Sri Lanka Artillery has 9 regular regiments, 1 volunteer regiment, a School of Artillery and a regimental band. Since the start of the Sri Lankan civil war in the 1980’s the SLA has provided fire support for all most all military operations carried out by the Sri Lanka Army against terrorists, it also performs the target acquisition role to locate enemy guns . At times the SLA has been deployed one reguler [RFT] and one vol regiment in an infantry role to meet the shortage of infantry.

Units

Regular Regiments

• 4th Field Regiment SLA
• 6th Field Regiment SLA
• 7th Light Regiment SLA
• 8th Field Regiment SLA
• 9th Field Regiment SLA
• 10th Field Regiment SLA
• 11th Regiment [RFT] SLA
• 14th Rocket Regiment SLA
• 15th Field Regiment SLA
• School Of Artillery
• Independent Locating Bat

Volunteer Regiments

• 5th(v) Sri Lanka Artillery Regiment

Equipment

During the colonial period the Ceylon Garrison Artillery personnel manned British Coastal artillery batteries. After independence and establishment Artillery Regiment, the corps depended on its World War II-era British BL 6 inch coastal guns, 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, 3.7 inch heavy anti-aircraft guns and 4.2-inch heavy mortars. Later British Ordnance QF 25 pounder Mark III field guns and 76 mm mountain guns where introduced.

New sources of weaponry in the 1990s and 2000s included China and the Czech Republic. With the escalation of the Sri Lankan civil war 122mm, 152 mm, 130 mm howitzers and 120 mm, 82 mm mortars where introduced and in 2000 RM-70 Multiple rocket launchers where added increasing SLA’s fire power. Target acquisition systems are also operated by the corps to locate enemy guns. The air defence role has now been completely taken over by the Sri Lanka Air Force Regiment.

OFFICERS SERVED AT 1st ANTI AIRCRAFT CEYLON ARTILLERY AND 3rd FIELD REGIMENT CEYLON ARTILLERY

1st Anti Aircraft Ceylon Artillery

3rd Field Regiment Ceylon Artillery