First international tanker refuels F-35 Lightning II

An Italian Air Force KC-767A aerial refueling tanker successfully completed its first US Air Force F-35A boom receiver certification refueling flight on July 29 over California's High Desert region.

Italy's KC-767A is the first international tanker to undergo refueling certification trials with a US aircraft. During the flight, the KC-767A and its military aircrew completed 25 boom contacts with the F-35A and successfully offloaded 16,000 pounds of fuel.

Italy operates a fleet of four KC-767A tankers, a derivative of the Boeing 767 commercial aircraft, which are stationed at Pratica di Mare Air Base, near Rome.

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