Investigation launched after Nato military plane crashes in Georgia, killing 20 personnel
All 20 personnel aboard the Nato plane that crashed in Georgia's border region have died, the Turkish Ministry of National Defence has confirmed.
The C-130 Hercules suddenly plunged in eastern Georgia, near the border with Azerbaijan.
It marks Nato member Turkey's deadliest military incident since 2020.
According to Georgia's Sakaeronavigatsia air traffic control service, the aircraft disappeared from radar soon after entering the country's airspace. The pilots had not issued a distress call, they said.
Footage captured moments before the crash shows the aircraft spiralling towards the ground, trailing white smoke.
A towering black plume then rises from the hillside as it crashes.
In a post on X, Defence Minister Yasar Guler said: "Our heroic comrades-in-arms were martyred on November 11, 2025, when our C-130 military cargo plane, which had taken off from Azerbaijan en route to our country, crashed near the Georgia-Azerbaijan border."
The post featured photographs of the military personnel killed in the crash.
Offering his condolences in a speech, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was "deeply saddened" by the incident.
Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte conveyed "deepest condolences" to Turkey and to the families of those killed, while Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey, said "the United States stands in solidarity with our Turkish allies".
The cause of the crash is still unknown, and an investigation is underway.
The C-130, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, is widely used by Turkey's armed forces for transporting personnel and logistical operations.
The UK officially retired its fleet of military cargo planes in 2023, after 56 years of service.
It was replaced with the newer, larger, and more capable A400M Atlas. Delivery was hastened following heavy use of the C-130 in Iraq and Afghanistan, which consumed much of the airframe's fatigue life.
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