Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker

The readiness to activate contingency plans for the evacuation of US nationals from Israel and Lebanon is the primary reason that a large number of US military transport aircraft have been transferred to Crete Air Base at Souda Bay in recent days.

Aircraft from the United States Air Force (USAF) and the Hellenic Air Force (HAF) conducted aerial refueling drills on June 20.

The Hellenic Air Force participated with 50 flights by F-16 fighter jets with two KC-135s of the 134 Refueling Wing of the USAF based with the 110 HAF Combat Wing at the Larissa military airport.

The Hellenic Armed Forces (HAF) participated on Wednesday in a military exercise organized by the French military, called "Anaximandre-23," in the Nicosia FIR. French air and naval units also took part in the exercise.

The Turkish military air-force made violated Greek national airspace on two separate occasions Monday. Two F-4 fighter jets and a KC-135 refueling aircraft flew at 22,000 feet over the northeast side of the island of Lesvos, while another couple of F-16 fighters flew over the isle of Oinousses northeast of Chios earlier.