Breaking News... 20 of our soldiers were martyred! Ministry of National Defense announces: All C-130 flights grounded

The Ministry of National Defense (MSB) has issued a new statement regarding the crash of a C-130 military transport aircraft in Georgia, which resulted in the martyrdom of 20 soldiers. The announcement from the Ministry stated that all C-130 flights have been temporarily suspended following the accident.

The MSB statement included the following: “As of November 12, 2025, the flights of our aircraft have been suspended as a precautionary measure. Flights of aircraft that have completed their inspections after detailed technical examinations and checks will resume.”

The following information was shared in the statement from the Ministry:

Our President spoke yesterday regarding the necessary actions concerning disinformation efforts about our crashed C-130 aircraft. Furthermore;

In such incidents where we have martyrs, our Ministry primarily conducts search and rescue operations; following the recovery of the remains of the martyred personnel, a delegation including medical personnel simultaneously informs the family members (mother, father, and spouse, if married). This procedure is standard for all similar incidents.

In this context, to ensure accurate information is provided regarding the incident and to prevent potential negative consequences due to the sensitive emotional state of the family, the martyr's identity information is not shared with any person or institution until the family has been informed. No mother or father should learn of their child's martyrdom, no spouse of their partner's, and no child of their mother's or father's martyrdom through social media or television.

While search and rescue activities, initiated in coordination with Georgian and Azerbaijani authorities following the plane crash on November 11, 2025, are ongoing, it has been observed that some social media users are sharing the identities of our martyrs, obtained through illegal means, before any official statement has been made by our Ministry.

Accounts that shared the identities of our martyrs before official statements were made have been identified, and criminal complaints have been filed against them.

It is unfortunately a fact that sanctions against such social media opportunists, who race to be the first to share information about martyrs without even caring about the pain of the martyrs' families, are insufficient.

BACKGROUND OF THE INCIDENT

On November 11, our C-130E transport aircraft with tail number 68-1609, belonging to the 12th Air Transportation Main Base Command of the Air Force Command, took off from Kayseri at 09:02 for a mission to transport personnel and equipment to Ganja, Azerbaijan, and landed safely in Ganja at 11:06.

It took off again with a total of 20 personnel at 13:15 to transfer to the 5th Main Jet Base Command (Merzifon) to bring back a 10-person maintenance team for our F-16s flying in Azerbaijan as part of Victory Day events, along with various aircraft maintenance materials.

LOSS OF CONTACT WITH OUR AIRCRAFT

After takeoff, the final radio contact was established with the Tbilisi Air Traffic Control center at 13:50; after this time, radio and radar contact with the aircraft was lost. Subsequently, no response was received to calls made by the Tbilisi Air Traffic Control center.

At 14:34, information was received that our aircraft, with call sign TUAF 543, had crashed for reasons yet unknown on the Azerbaijan-Georgia border, south of Tbilisi.

SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS

Upon learning of the incident, search and rescue operations were immediately initiated in coordination with Azerbaijani and Georgian authorities, and simultaneously, one of our unmanned aerial vehicles was sent to the region. The wreckage of the plane was reached by Georgian search and rescue teams at 15:02, and the area was secured at 17:00 for our accident investigation board to conduct an examination.

Our Minister held meetings with the Minister of Defense of Georgia, the Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan, and the Chief of General Staff of Azerbaijan regarding the wreckage search and rescue operations.

Our search and rescue and accident investigation team, which was deployed to the region, began work at 06:30 on November 12 in coordination with the Georgian search and rescue teams, who mobilized all their resources and showed a rapid reaction to the search and rescue activities at the wreckage of our crashed plane.

RECOVERY OF OUR MARTYRS AND TRANSPORT TO OUR COUNTRY

The examination revealed that our 20 heroic comrades-in-arms on the plane were martyred. The sacred remains of our martyred heroic comrades-in-arms have been recovered, and it is planned to bring them to our country today.

Following the ceremony to be held after the sacred remains of our martyrs are brought to our country, they will be sent to their burial sites.

The cause of the incident will be clarified after the detailed examination by the accident investigation team. Our efforts are ongoing to obtain the results as soon as possible.

We thank the Georgian and Azerbaijani authorities for their rapid reaction and for mobilizing all their resources during the wreckage search and rescue operations.

We once again pray for God's mercy upon our sacred martyrs who lost their lives in this incident that has plunged us into deep pain and sorrow; we extend our condolences and patience to their grieving families, the Turkish Armed Forces, and our noble nation.

ALLEGATIONS AND ANSWERS REGARDING THE CRASHED AIRCRAFT

1. Was ammunition being carried on the plane?

Our aircraft was carrying personnel and aircraft maintenance materials. There was no ammunition on the plane.

2. Is there any evidence regarding the cause of the plane's crash?

It is too early to say anything on this matter at the moment. The cause of the incident will be clarified after the ongoing accident investigation.

3. Is it true that a helicopter was detected in the region on radar records at the same minutes?

That was a Georgian helicopter that went to the region after our plane crashed and attempted to establish contact with our aircraft.

4. Is it true that the plane was purchased after being decommissioned by Saudi Arabia?

The aircraft in question was purchased from Saudi Arabia on January 21, 2012, and was added to the inventory in 2014 after its maintenance was completed. It was modernized and put into service starting in 2022.

It has been used in service with regular maintenance from that date to the present. However, it is not an aircraft decommissioned by the user country as alleged, but rather an excess aircraft. C-130 aircraft continue to be used by Saudi Arabia as well.

5. Was the crashed plane old and was its maintenance insufficient?

There are no old planes, only poorly maintained ones. The maintenance of the aircraft in question is carried out regularly by our country. C-130 aircraft are currently actively used in more than 70 countries.

When the maintenance history of the crashed plane is examined;

- It has been determined that the Erciyes Avionics modernization was applied to the aircraft, and planned airframe, engine, and propeller maintenance were performed on time,

- Its last maintenance was performed between September 11 and October 12, 2025.

6. Is it true that the black box was brought to our country for examination?

The FDR (FLIGHT DATA RECORDER) and CVDR (COCKPIT VOICE DATA RECORDER) devices, known as the black box of our crashed plane, have been brought to our country for examination and are being analyzed in Ankara.

7. Will the other C-130 aircraft in the inventory continue their flights?

The flights of our aircraft have been suspended as a precautionary measure as of November 12, 2025. Flights of aircraft that have completed their inspections after detailed technical examinations and checks will resume.