U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft assigned to the 555th Fighter Squadron, Aviano Air Base, Italy, KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft assigned to the 100th Air Refueling Wing, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England conducted a joint training mission over the Black Sea, January. 14, 2020.
The training mission occurred in international airspace within the Black Sea and was designed to train U.S. forces to integrate, operate and communicate while executing surface and air operations.
Participating units conducted training scenarios that included tactical maneuvering and communications.
As noted by the U.S. Air Force, military operations in the Black Sea enhance regional stability, combined readiness and capability with NATO allies and partners.
In an era of great power competition and in line with the National Defense Strategy, training missions like this are crucial to the readiness of U.S. military forces by demonstrating a capability to integrate platforms across all domains.
