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Exhibit | Aug. 3, 2021

USAF C-130

This exhibit recounts the history of the Soviets' shooting down an American reconnaissance aircraft on September 2, 1958. Soviet MiG-17 pilots shot down the USAF C-130 when American pilots strayed into restricted airspace over Soviet Armenia. It was supposed to fly a "race track" pattern between the Turkish cities of Trabzon and Van essentially parallel to the Armenian border. Initially, the Soviets denied shooting down the aircraft, claiming the plane and its 17 crew members "fell" into their territory. It was not until the end of the Cold War that they released previously classified documents indicating that all 17 U.S. personnel had died in the crash. An Air Force C-130 was refurbished and painted to match the markings of the down aircraft, #60528. It was flown to Fort Meade and dedicated at the National Vigilance Park on September 2, 1997.