The Air Tigers (Vaanpuligal) is the air-wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE, who are fighting a civil war with the Government of Sri Lanka. The LTTE is the only rebel organization which has an air wing, without outside support. Though the existence of the Air Tigers had been the subject of speculation for many years, the existence of the wing was only revealed after an attack in March 2007.
There has been much controversy since as to the origin and provenance of the Tigers' tiny air force. Sri Lankan Government reports in the immediate aftermath of the March attacks suggested that the aircraft shown in trophy photos by the Tigers - Czech Zlin Z-143s - were smuggled into the country in pieces concealed in shipping containers marked as aid for victims of the Asian tsunami http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/BDCED416-507F-4C89-8DAA-0CDA370B1F3C.htm.
