ANKARA, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye has suspended flights of all C-130 military cargo aircraft following a crash earlier this week in Georgia that killed 20 Turkish soldiers, the Defense Ministry said Thursday.
In a statement, the ministry said the suspension took effect on Wednesday and that flights would remain grounded until detailed technical inspections are completed.
It said it is too early to determine the cause of the crash. Investigators are examining the aircraft's black box, which contains both flight data and cockpit voice recorders, after it was transferred to Ankara for analysis.
The ministry confirmed the plane was not carrying munitions at the time. "Our aircraft was carrying personnel and aircraft maintenance equipment. There was no ammunition on board," it said.
According to the ministry, the plane departed from Azerbaijan and was en route to Türkiye when it crashed in Georgia on Tuesday, about 40 minutes after its last radio contact.
The C-130 was carrying a 10-member maintenance team for Turkish F-16 fighter jets that had participated in Victory Day celebrations in Azerbaijan, along with the flight crew and equipment.
The aircraft was purchased from Saudi Arabia on Jan. 21, 2012, and joined Türkiye's fleet in 2014 after maintenance and modernization work. It was upgraded again and reentered service in 2022. The ministry said the plane had been regularly maintained, with the most recent maintenance completed a month ago.
The crash is one of the deadliest in recent years for Türkiye's armed forces.
Media reports said the Turkish Air Force previously operated 19 C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft, including six B models and 13 E models. It has also acquired 12 C-130J Super Hercules planes from the British air force, which are undergoing upgrades before entering service. ■
