UK transport plane down in Iraq
2005-01-30 18:12
London - Britain's ministry of defence confirmed on Sunday that a Hercules C-130 military transport plane had crashed north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
There was no immediate word on casualties, a spokesperson for the ministry said.
He said the crash occurred at about 17:25 local time (14:25 GMT), but had no further details.
A senior US military officer had earlier said the Hercules aircraft crashed about 40km northwest of Baghdad.
According to the Royal Air Force website, the Hercules is used primarily to carry troops, passengers and freight.
The maximum payload is 20 tons which can be carried over 3 200km.
It says the Lockheed C-130 Hercules is the most numerous transport aircraft in the west and has been in production longer than any other aircraft in history.
The prototype flew in August 1954 and since then over 60 nations have ordered the Hercules.
Those in use by the RAF are C-130K versions - known as Hercules C1 and C3 - and initial deliveries (of a total of 66 ordered) were made during the mid-1960s.
The RAF site says many are destined to remain in service for years to come, although about half of the fleet have been replaced by the updated C-130J - Hercules C4 and C5.
The site said the aircraft carries a crew of five or six and up to 92 or 128 troops, 64 paratroops, or 74 stretchers.
- AFP