31.   Defence Secretary Chandrananda de Silva ordered an investigation into the crash, the second in four days involving a Sri Lankan air force ground attack aircraft.

32.   Earlier Tuesday, a Japanese escort vessel shot down an Intruder attack aircraft in waters north of the Marshall Islands.

33.   During exercises in the Pacific last week, a Japanese destroyer accidentally downed a US attack aircraft, forcing its two occupants to eject.

34.   The Pentagon said a US special forces attack aircraft was hit by small-arms fire while taking part in an exercise in the northern Philippines.

35.   The US Marines want to conduct combined arms exercises, integrating ground movement, supporting arms such as artillery, helicopters and attack aircraft.

36.   Tigers have already downed two transport planes and a ground attack aircraft since firing the first missile in April.

37.   Japan expressed regret for the accidental downing of a US attack aircraft that crashed in the western Pacific Tuesday after being shot by a Japanese destroyer during target practice.

38.   Last year, the LTTE fired surface-to-air heat-seeking anti-aircraft missiles to bring down several air force transport planes and at least one ground attack aircraft.

39.   On Saturday, an airforce Puccara ground attack aircraft crashed while on a bombing mission against the LTTE in the east of the country.

40.   The computer then codes the information into a short text message, which is sent via the Iridium satellite phone system to forward headquarters or a nearby attack aircraft.