Chief of Staff of the Air Force has been the title of the second in command of the Sri Lanka Air Force. The post is held by a regular officer of the rank of Air Vice Marshal and is the second most senior position in the Air Force. Chief of Staff is charged with assisting the Air Force Commander in both operational and administrative aspects, functioning as the Acting Air Force Commander in his absences or incantation. Chief of Staff is assisted by the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force.
| Chief of Staff of the Air Force | |
|---|---|
| Sri Lanka Air Force | |
| Type | Very senior post |
| Abbreviation | COS |
| Reports to | Commander of the Air Force |
| Residence | Colombo |
| Seat | Air Force HQ |
| Nominator | President of Sri Lanka |
| Appointer | President of Sri Lanka |
| Term length | Not fixed |
| Formation | 1949 |
| Deputy | Deputy Chief of Staff |
List of chiefs of staff
edit| No | Chief of staff | Took office | Left office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wing Commander A. E. Dale | ||||
| Wing Commander Rohan Amerasekera | May 1955 | December 1960 | Wing Commander Rohan Amerasekera was appointed as 3th Commander of the Air Force and promoted to Air Vice Marshal. | |
| Group Captain Paddy Mendis | December 1969 | Wing Commander Paddy Mendis was appointed as 4th Commander of the Air Force and promoted to Air Vice Marshal. | ||
| Air Commodore Harry Goonatilake | 13 October 1976 | Air Commodore Harry Goonatilake was appointed as 5th Commander of the Air Force and promoted to Air Vice Marshal. | ||
| Air Commodore Dick Perera | 30 April 1981 | Air Commodore Walter Fernando was appointed as 6th Commander of the Air Force and promoted to Air Vice Marshal. | ||
| Air Vice Marshal Walter Fernando | 1981 | 30 April 1985 | Air Vice Marshal Walter Fernando was appointed as 7th Commander of the Air Force and promoted to Air Marshal. | |
| Air Vice Marshal Terry Gunawardena | 31 July 1990 | Air Vice Marshal Terry Gunawardena was appointed as 8th Commander of the Air Force and promoted to Air Marshal. | ||
| Air Vice Marshal Oliver Ranasinghe | 16 February 1994 | Air Vice Marshal Oliver Ranasinghe was appointed as 9th Commander of the Air Force and promoted to Air Marshal. | ||
| Air Vice Marshal Anslem Peiris | ||||
| Air Vice Marshal Jayalath Weerakkody | 5 March 1998 | Air Vice Marshal Jayalath Weerakkody was appointed as 10th Commander of the Air Force and promoted to Air Marshal. | ||
| Air Vice Marshal Donald Perera | December 1998 | 15 July 2002 | Air Vice Marshal Donald Perera was appointed as 11th Commander of the Air Force and promoted to Air Marshal. | |
| Air Vice Marshal WDRMJ Goonetileke | 10 June 2006 | Air Vice Marshal WDRMJ Goonetileke was appointed as 12th Commander of the Air Force and promoted to Air Marshal. | ||
| Air Vice Marshal Harsha Abeywickrama | 2011 | 27 February 2011 | Air Vice Marshal Harsha Abeywickrama was appointed as 13th Commander of the Air Force and promoted to Air Marshal. | |
| Air Vice Marshal Kolitha Gunathilake | 27 February 2011 | 27 February 2014 | Air Vice Marshal Kolitha Gunathilake was appointed as 14th Commander of the Air Force and promoted to Air Marshal. | |
| Air Vice Marshal Gagan Bulathsinghala | 2014 | 14 June 2015 | Air Vice Marshal Gagan Bulathsinghala was appointed as 15th Commander of the Air Force and promoted to Air Marshal. | |
| Air Vice Marshal Sumangala Dias | 1 October 2016 | 28 May 2019 | Air Vice Marshal Sumangala Dias was appointed as 17th Commander of the Air Force and promoted to Air Marshal. | |
| Air Vice Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana | 2019 | 1 November 2020 | Air Vice Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana was appointed as 18th Commander of the Air Force and promoted to Air Marshal. | |
| Air Vice Marshal Prasanna Payoe | 9 March 2021 | |||
| Air Vice Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa | 12 September 2022 | 29 June 2023 | ||
| Air Vice Marshal RS Wickremeratne | 9 July 2023 |