An American-made Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft of the Ethiopian Air Force was shot down by militants of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Tigray. It is reported that the winged vehicle was carrying personnel and ammunition.
Photos and video materials from the crash site were published on the Network. After hitting the ground, the aircraft completely collapsed, after which numerous fragments caught fire.
According to preliminary data, all the people on board were killed. There is no data on what weapons were used yet, but it is likely that one of the portable anti-aircraft missile systems captured by the rebels was used.
The Air Force of this state received four aircraft of this model from the United States. There were also two L-100-30s, which are a civilian version of the C-130.
Such four-engine transporters can carry more than 90 military personnel or 19350 kg of cargo. The crew is 5 people.
And there have been incidents with this technique before. For example, one Hercules was written off after a hard landing made in August 2014. Then only two crew members survived, who were injured.
This year, information was received about the crash of the Mi-24 helicopter. In November last year, the Tigrays managed to shoot down a MiG-23 fighter.
Alexey Brusilov
