Blog Editor Note: We have been informed that the Norwegian Air Force C-130J-30 that crashed on 15 March 2012 was serial number 10-5630, c/n 5630.
On 15 March 2012, contact was lost to a Norwegian Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules military transport plane on route from Evenes to Kiruna. Based on radar and communications data, the plane is thought to have been lost in a large and sparsely populated area near the Kebnekaise mountain range. Five Norwegian officers were on board. A search effort led by Swedish rescue service is under way, but is affected by snow, wind and cloudyness impeding helicopter reconaissance. The aircraft was participating in the "Cold Response" military exercise, that also involved forces from Britain, Canada, France, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States.
According to a military spokesperson, the military does not "know the condition of the aircraft of those who are on board. But we're looking for a crashed airplane." The Norwegian Minister of Defence initially claimed that everyone on board had been killed, but later retracted his statement, as no wreckage has been yet found. According to a spokesperson, "It has been quite a long time now since we lost radio contact, so we don't have much hope now."