This morning we recorded another significant French Air Force presence over the Black Sea, marking the third operation involving French assets in only four days.
Once again, an Airbus A330 MRTT (reg. F-UJCH, callsign FAF4098) entered the area providing air-to-air refuelling support. As usual, the tanker’s activity suggests that French fighters were also operating somewhere in the region, even though they remained untracked on open-source platforms. The A330 MRTT performed multiple refuelling patterns over Romania and later near the Black Sea before returning westbound.
At the same time, a French Beech King Air 350ER/ALSR (reg. F-RACH, callsign CAMA25) carried out an ISR mission over the western Black Sea. This aircraft has become a regular presence in the area, especially during periods of heightened tension.
A US Navy P-8A Poseidon was also active over the central and eastern part of the basin, operating close to the approaches to Novorossiysk. This is Russia’s main naval base on the Black Sea and has been of increasing interest since yesterday’s Ukrainian attacks on targets in the area.
Today’s combined activity once again highlights the growing attention of NATO and allied forces to the dynamics in the region, with French assets playing an increasingly prominent role over the last few days.
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