It currently operates Mil Mi-17s from SLAF Anuradhapura for troop transport.

The squadron was formed on March 15, 1993 SLAF Katunayake with the arrival of Mil Mi-17s.

In 2014, Sri Lanka Air Force deployed an aviation unit, No.

6 Helicopter Squadron along with 122 personnel consisting pilots, engineers and other supporting staff.

[1] This was followed by a deployment to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.