Army-Manufactured Mali-bound Unibuffels Ready for Shipment

Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, Commander of the Army after formal receipt of those vehicles and accessories at the Army HQ handed them back for onward shipping arrangements.

Those landmine-resistant vehicles and equipment, produced locally using the technical expertise of SLEME troops, save a large chunk of foreign exchange to the government and the Army as they have been produced using imported spares on par with international standards to match with UN specifications.

The SLEME has been instrumental in producing those vehicles, identical to the South African ones for several years.

Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, Commander of the Army said, imported WMAZ vehicles, each costing about Rs 40 million was purchased for UN troops which are very expensive adding those combat squadrons are generally supplied with those vehicles, but the skilled SLEME troops spending nearly one-fourth of that expenditure, managed to produce these vehicles in an impressive manner.

“These Unibuffels have similarities with those WMAZ vehicles but the numbers that can move in these Sri Lankan ones are more and they are fully air-conditioned as against imported ones sans air-conditioning in accordance with UN needs and specifications.", said the Army Commander.

Presently, 243 Sri Lankan UN Peacekeepers, including 20 officers and 223 other ranks, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Nihal Gallage, together with 65 vehicles are serving the Mali Combat Squadron.