A picture of the Lebanese Army Super Tucano aircraft after crashing, May 18, 2023. (Courtesy of: Michel Hallak)
BEIRUT — A Lebanese Army Super Tucano aircraft crashed on Thursday in the town of Hamat near Batroun due to "sudden damage," a source from the Lebanese Army told L'Orient Today.
Nobody was hurt in the crash.
According to the source, the aircraft crashed upon its departure from the army airbase in North Lebanon. Only the front of the aircraft faced damage, and it was later transported back to the airbase.
In 2021, Lebanon’s cash-strapped armed forces attempted to secure sorely-needed cash by selling off multimillion-dollar equipment, including five fighter jets and three firefighting helicopters. None of the aircraft were operational due to the state's failure to maintain them.
Reporting contributed by Michel Hallak