Indonesia Military Plane Crash Puts Focus on Aging Aircraft
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The loss of at least 150 lives in the crash of an Indonesian cargo plane raises fresh questions about the military’s reliance on old aircraft and on spending that has prioritized the army over the air force.
The 51-year-old Lockheed C-130 Hercules smashed into a hotel Tuesday in a residential area of Medan, the nation’s fourth-largest city, two minutes after takeoff. The air force, with two squadrons of the workhorse aircraft, has grounded some of its Hercules and de Havilland planes while it investigates the cause, including potential engine failure.