An unprecedented and unauthorized flight by two US Air Force C-130 transport aircraft through Myanmar’s airspace on September 12 has reportedly thrown the military junta in Naypyidaw into a state of alarm. The incident, which saw the planes disappear from radar near a key military production region, has fueled speculation and fear among top-ranking officials.
According to sources in Naypyidaw, the two Lockheed Martin C-130 aircraft, identified on Flightradar24 as KANTO81 and KANTO82, crossed into Myanmar airspace near the Three Pagodas Pass at approximately 2:30 PM. The planes then vanished from tracking systems upon reaching the Bago Yoma mountain range, a region known to house a high concentration of the military commission’s weapons manufacturing facilities.
The unannounced incursion reportedly caused immediate chaos within the junta’s command center. A source close to senior officials in Naypyidaw stated, “The Commander-in-Chief and top air defense generals were in a frenzy because the two US transport planes entered without notice. They berated the air defense units, demanding to know why they weren’t detected.”
The disappearance of the planes near key military industrial zones in the Bago and Magway regions has raised concerns among military leaders about a potential connection with resistance forces. The junta is reportedly worried that the flight might be related to ongoing revolutionary activities, which could be a significant threat to their strategic assets.
For residents in the Three Pagodas Pass area, the appearance of the planes also caused a stir. A local resident remarked, “With the frequent battles in the Three Pagodas and Mon State, people were initially scared, thinking they were the military council’s reconnaissance planes.”
Military experts have noted that while US transport aircraft often fly over Myanmar’s airspace at altitudes above 30,000 feet, where they are less likely to be noticed, this particular flight was at a much lower altitude of around 24,000 feet, which made it easily detectable by flight trackers and observers on the ground.
The two aircraft, a C-130J Hercules and a C-130J-30 Super Hercules, are commonly used by the US military for transporting personnel and heavy military equipment. Their presence and subsequent disappearance in such a sensitive area has left the military commission and its supporters in a state of high anxiety.
