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Türkiye Pulls Entire C-130 Fleet After Georgia Military Plane Crash
(MENAFN) Türkiye has implemented an immediate operational suspension of its complete C-130 military transport fleet following a catastrophic aircraft accident in Georgia earlier this week that claimed the lives of 20 military personnel, the country's Defense Ministry confirmed Thursday.
The grounding order became effective Wednesday and will persist indefinitely until comprehensive technical examinations of all aircraft are finalized, ministry officials disclosed.
Authorities have declined to speculate on crash origins at this juncture, stating it remains premature to identify contributing factors. Technical specialists are currently scrutinizing the aircraft's flight data and voice recorders—collectively known as the black box—which were relocated to Ankara's laboratories for detailed analysis.
The ministry provided reassurance that the doomed aircraft carried no weaponry. "Our aircraft was carrying personnel and aircraft maintenance equipment. There was no ammunition on board," it said.
According to official accounts, the transport plane initiated its journey from Azerbaijan and was traversing toward Türkiye when it went down in Georgian territory on Tuesday, approximately 40 minutes after the final confirmed communication with flight operations.
The downed C-130 was transporting a 10-member technical unit responsible for servicing Turkish F-16 combat jets that had participated in Azerbaijan's Victory Day festivities, supplemented by aircrew members and requisite maintenance gear.
The aircraft entered Türkiye's operational inventory in 2014 following its procurement from Saudi Arabia on January 21, 2012, and underwent modernization work. The airframe received additional system upgrades and returned to active duty in 2022. The ministry stated the plane underwent routine servicing protocols, with its most recent inspection completed one month prior to the incident.
The incident ranks among Türkiye's most catastrophic military aviation disasters in recent memory.
Aviation sources indicated Türkiye's air force previously maintained a fleet of 19 C-130 Hercules transports—comprising six B-model variants and 13 E-model versions. The nation has additionally procured 12 C-130J Super Hercules aircraft sourced from the British air force, which are currently undergoing modernization before operational deployment.
The grounding order became effective Wednesday and will persist indefinitely until comprehensive technical examinations of all aircraft are finalized, ministry officials disclosed.
Authorities have declined to speculate on crash origins at this juncture, stating it remains premature to identify contributing factors. Technical specialists are currently scrutinizing the aircraft's flight data and voice recorders—collectively known as the black box—which were relocated to Ankara's laboratories for detailed analysis.
The ministry provided reassurance that the doomed aircraft carried no weaponry. "Our aircraft was carrying personnel and aircraft maintenance equipment. There was no ammunition on board," it said.
According to official accounts, the transport plane initiated its journey from Azerbaijan and was traversing toward Türkiye when it went down in Georgian territory on Tuesday, approximately 40 minutes after the final confirmed communication with flight operations.
The downed C-130 was transporting a 10-member technical unit responsible for servicing Turkish F-16 combat jets that had participated in Azerbaijan's Victory Day festivities, supplemented by aircrew members and requisite maintenance gear.
The aircraft entered Türkiye's operational inventory in 2014 following its procurement from Saudi Arabia on January 21, 2012, and underwent modernization work. The airframe received additional system upgrades and returned to active duty in 2022. The ministry stated the plane underwent routine servicing protocols, with its most recent inspection completed one month prior to the incident.
The incident ranks among Türkiye's most catastrophic military aviation disasters in recent memory.
Aviation sources indicated Türkiye's air force previously maintained a fleet of 19 C-130 Hercules transports—comprising six B-model variants and 13 E-model versions. The nation has additionally procured 12 C-130J Super Hercules aircraft sourced from the British air force, which are currently undergoing modernization before operational deployment.
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