Tyron Silvapulle

Wing Commander Tyron D. S. Silvapulle, PWV, RWP, RSP (also referred to as Tyrone Silvapulle, 22 July 1966 – 17 December 1999) was a Sri Lankan attack helicopter pilot. He distinguished himself as a capable helicopter pilot in the Sri Lanka Air Force during the Sri Lankan Civil War. Silvapulle was killed in action in northern Sri Lanka, and posthumously awarded the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya, the country's highest military award for gallantry. To date, he is the first and only recipient of the award from the Sri Lanka Air Force.

Early life and SLAF career Silvapulle was a Sri Lankan Chetty and was educated at St. Joseph's College, Colombo.

Silvapulle joined in the air force on 18 May 1986 in the Officer Cadet Intake 16 and was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the General Duties Pilot Branch with the enlistment number 01502. He served as a helicopter pilot in the No. 4 Squadron, flying Bell 212 and Mil Mi-17 transport helicopters, before he was assigned to the No. 9 Attack Helicopter Squadron to pilot the SLAF Mil Mi-24 Hind gunships.

The damaged aircraft crashed into the Kilali lagoon, killing Silvapulle, his co-pilot Flying Officer Chinthaka Prashan De Soysa and two gunners. Their bodies were later retrieved in a joint operation by the air force and army led by Flying Officer S. P. V. K. Senadheera. Some vital components of the gunship were salvaged, and the rest of the wreckage was demolished. He was married at the time of his death, with his wife expecting a child. and recommended for the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya. It was approved more than 12 years later, after the end of the war. The citation for his medal commends his actions on 17 December 1999 as follows:

His medal was awarded to his next-of-kin on 19 May 2012 by Mahinda Rajapaksa, the President of Sri Lanka, at the celebrations marking the third anniversary of the end of the war. Silvapulle is the first and only recipient of the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya from the air force.