[2] Perera joined the Sri Lanka Air Force on 1 August 2004 and was commissioned as a pilot officer in July 2005.
He played a major role during the final phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War, having joined the jet squadron to fly the Kfirs in 2007.
Perera, who was promoted to the rank of flight lieutenant in 2010, had completed 450 air time hours and participated in 75 operations during his period of service.
He was posthumously promoted to the rank of squadron leader for his contribution to several Sri Lankan military operations during the civil war.
[4] The other pilot in the collision, Squadron Leader Vajira Jayakody, also ejected from his stricken Kfir and parachuted to the ground without incident.