U.S. F/A-18Fs and Italian F-35Bs carried out simulated CAS operations over the Black Sea and into Romanian coaching areas throughout NATO’s Neptune Strike 25-2.
As the usGerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and its Service Strike Group (CSG) sail within the Mediterranean Sea, U.S. Navy F/A-18F Tremendous Hornets and Italian F-35B Lightning IIs carried out simulated close-air help operations over the Black Sea and into Romanian coaching areas throughout NATO’s premiere enhanced Vigilance Exercise, Neptune Strike 25-2. The coaching exercise was introduced by NATO’s Allied Joint Pressure Command (JFC) Naples in a submit on social media.
The JFC acknowledged these actions reinforce NATO’s presence within the Black Sea Area and exhibit pressure projection capabilities from the Mediterranean Sea in coordination with NATO’s Black Sea Nations. On the identical time, it emphasised that these missions have been carried out in worldwide airspace and in accordance with worldwide legal guidelines.
Sustaining Presence
🇺🇸U.S. F/A-18F Tremendous Hornets and 🇮🇹Italian F-35B Lighting II Fighter Jets✈️ below the authority of NATO, with aerial refueling help of an U.S. KC-130 Multi-Function Tanker, carried out simulated close-air help operations over the Black Sea and into Romanian… pic.twitter.com/kGyjljBzLQ
— NATO JFC Naples (@JFC_Naples) August 1, 2025
Aside from the F/A-18s and F-35s, a U.S. KC-130 additionally supported the mission offering aerial refueling help. No pictures and movies have been launched about this mission, and the video included within the X submit is from actions of the earlier days with U.S. F/A-18Es, E-2Ds, KC-46s, Portuguese F-16s and Finnish F/A-18s.
Topping off! ⛽
1️⃣ A Service Air Wing 8 F/A-18E Tremendous Hornet connected to Strike Fighter Squadron 37 flies over a T-058 Royal Netherlands Air Pressure Multi-Function Tanker Transport plane and two Finnish Air Pressure F-18s flying in formation. 🇺🇸🇳🇱🇫🇮
2️⃣ Tremendous Hornets conduct an… pic.twitter.com/Nr9uOrbz4I
— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) July 29, 2025
Neptune Strike 25-2 and Ford CSG
The Ford CSG arrived within the Mediterranean in mid-July and joined Neptune Strike 25-2, which is able to see the CSG and supporting Allied nations conducting long-range strike missions throughout NATO’s areas of operations to incorporate the Baltic and Black Sea Area. In actual fact, few days earlier, U.S. F/A-18Es additionally operated along with Finnish F/A-18Cs an Portuguese F-16s over the Baltic Sea and Lithuania.
“Gerald R. Ford Service Strike Group’s participation in Neptune Strike enhanced vigilance exercise strengthens our Alliance’s collective resolve, readiness, and operational integration capabilities below NATO command,” stated Rear Adm. Paul Lanzilotta, commander of Service Strike Group Twelve. “This exercise supplies the framework for purposeful multinational maritime integration, and is a transparent expression of our continued dedication to the protection of the Alliance, peace, and regional safety and stability.”
In a press release, NATO stated the Neptune Strike sequence is a long-planned vigilance exercise, which is intentionally deliberate and dynamically executed in help of NATO’s deterrence goals, guided and directed by NATO’s Supreme Allied Headquarters Europe (SHAPE). In complete, 14 Allied Nations are participating within the maneuvers, that are outlined as defensive, over the complete Europe: Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Slovakia, the UK, and the USA.
“Our Neptune Strike enhanced vigilance actions signify vital alternatives to coordinate and make use of a variety of fight forces all through the European theater and exhibit our mixed functionality to reply to crises and supply collective protection to the Alliance,” stated Vice Adm. J.T. Anderson, commander of STRIKFORNATO. “This reaffirms our continued dedication to high-end warfighting excellence in addition to the unity of the Alliance.”
The united statesGerald R. Ford, together with the 9 embarked squadrons of Service Air Wing Eight, Destroyer Squadron Two’s Bainbridge and USS Mahan (DDG 72), and USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), left Virginia in June, transiting the Strait of Gibraltar on July 19, 2025. Service Strike Group Twelve is on scheduled deployment within the U.S. sixth Fleet space of operations, the place it should proceed to work alongside NATO Allies and different companions, specializing in strengthening partnerships, deepening interoperability, and supporting theater safety and stability.
Joint operations
As testimony of those joint operations, an Air and Sea Formation passed off within the Adriatic Sea on July 29, 2025. Italian and U.S. plane carried out a flypast over the usGerald R. Ford (CVN 78), which was accompanied by Italian Navy ITS Rimini (M 5561), Turkish Navy TCG Gelibolu (F-493), and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Bainbridge (DDG 96), USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), and USS Mahan (DDG 72).
Allied ships and plane from 🇮🇹🇹🇷🇺🇸 come collectively in excellent formation as #STRIKFORNATO 🔱 takes command and management of the usGerald R. Ford, the biggest and most superior plane provider on the earth, and its formidable Service Strike Group as a part of #NeptuneStrike 🔱. pic.twitter.com/ZeibXkjL2j
— STRIKFORNATO (@STRIKFORNATO) July 30, 2025
Among the many U.S. plane concerned have been virtually every type employed by Service Air Wing Eight: F/A-18E/F Tremendous Hornets, an EA-18G Growler and an E-2D Hawkeye. Italy deployed F-35B Lightning IIs of the Navy, in addition to F-35A Lightning IIs and F-2000A Typhoons of the Air Pressure.
