On February 11 the French Air Force carried out a new edition of the exercise Dark Dune.

Helicopters EC725 (H225M) Caracal from the 1/67 "Pyrenees" special operations squadron performed aerial refueling qualifications from a KC-130J Hercules tanker aircraft from the 2/61 "Franche-Comté" Squadron.

French pilots used Spanish and American KC-130 tankers in the past for these training exercises but in 2016 the Armée de l'Air ordered two of this valuable assets.