Turkey announced on Wednesday that 20 of its soldiers died in a military transport aircraft crash in Georgia the day before, marking the country’s deadliest military incident since 2020. The C-130 cargo plane departed from Azerbaijan en route to Turkey and went down in Georgia on Tuesday, scattering wreckage across a grassy area. While Ankara did not disclose the cause of the crash, Turkish and Georgian authorities initiated investigations at the crash site in the Sighnaghu municipality of Georgia’s Kakheti district early Wednesday.
Videos circulating on social media showed the plane disintegrating mid-air and descending in flames towards the ground. The Turkish Defence Ministry released the names of the 20 soldiers who lost their lives in the crash. The Georgian aviation authority reported that contact with the plane was lost shortly after it entered Georgian airspace, without issuing a distress signal.
C-130 military cargo planes are extensively utilized by the Turkish armed forces for various operations. Turkey and Azerbaijan maintain strong military ties. Leaders from Azerbaijan, Georgia, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte expressed their condolences, along with U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, showing solidarity with Turkey after the tragic incident.
Lockheed Martin, the U.S. company that manufactures the C-130 Hercules aircraft, extended condolences and pledged support to Turkey during the investigation. The C-130 Hercules is a versatile military transport aircraft capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings. Despite its reliability, some analysts have pointed out that Turkey’s aging C-130 fleet may require renewal, as evidenced by the footage indicating a mid-air breakup of the aircraft. FlightRadar24 and Turkish defense analysts confirmed that the crashed plane was 57 years old and had been in service with the Turkish Air Force since 2010.
