French Images Show Italian F-35B Refueling Over Poland
Photographs released by the French Air and Space Force show an Italian Navy F-35B taking fuel mid-air during NATO exercises.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Military
The French Air and Space Force released photographs showing at least one Italian Navy F-35B receiving fuel in flight from a French A330 MRTT tanker. The refueling took place during October's Neptune Shield military exercises.
Why it matters
The images document allied aerial refueling during a NATO training activity, illustrating how member-nation aircraft integrate during joint exercises. Geolocation of the mission to a specific Polish range highlights the role of Central European training facilities in alliance readiness.
The official images show at least one F-35B (4-07, reg. MM7459) receiving fuel from a French tanker, and were geolocated to the Nadarzyce range by matching the Zalew Nadarzycki reservoir and a polygon-shaped tactical target facility. The exact number of aircraft involved and the specific mission date remain unconfirmed in the available material.
The players
French Air and Space Force
The French Air and Space Force is the aerial and space branch of France's armed forces, which released the photographs.
Italian Navy
The Italian Navy is the naval branch of Italy's armed forces, whose F-35B aircraft appear in the images.
The details
Independent geolocation matched the photographs against satellite imagery, identifying a distinctive elongated reservoir and a polygon-shaped tactical aerial target facility to the north. The refueling was geolocated to the Nadarzyce military training area in Poland's West Pomeranian region, part of the Central Air Force Training Range complex.
Timeline
October 2026: Neptune Shield exercises and the refueling mission take place over Poland.
November 7, 2026: The French Air and Space Force releases the photographs.
Big Picture
The Nadarzyce range sits within the Central Air Force Training Range complex, which the source describes as one of NATO's most important air-to-ground training facilities in Central Europe. The newly released images show allied fighters from different nations training together inside that complex during Neptune Shield.
For readers following allied defense developments, the images offer a concrete view of how multinational fighter aircraft practice mid-air refueling during NATO training. The released material is primarily useful for understanding exercise conduct rather than any immediate change in policy.
The takeaway
Allied training exercises increasingly rely on shared logistics such as mid-air refueling between member nations. Images like these offer a visible record of that cooperation at NATO's Central European training sites.
Further reading
Explore more on Military developments shaping NATO operations.
Source note: This article includes information reported by ItaMilRadar.
