Turkey C-130B/E Fleet Update

On November 11, 2025, a Turkish Air Force Lockheed C-130E Hercules (registration 68-1609) crashed near the Georgia-Azerbaijan border, killing all 20 military personnel. The 57-year-old transport aircraft was cruising at 24,000 feet when it experienced a rapid descent exceeding 19,000 feet per minute. ADS-B data and visual evidence suggest a catastrophic in-flight structural failure, with the cockpit and empennage reportedly separating from the fuselage. The aircraft, originally delivered in 1968, had served Turkey since 2010. Authorities have recovered the flight data recorder to investigate the cause of the breakup, focusing on potential structural fatigue or mechanical failure.

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