(Reuters) - Hurricane Rafael, the ninth hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic season, formed on Monday, about 560 miles south of Bermuda, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory.

Reports from the air force and a hurricane hunter aircraft indicate that Rafael has strengthened, and its maximum sustained winds are now near 75 miles per hour (120 km per hour)

Rafael was moving north at 10 mph (17 kmph), the NHC said.

(Reporting by Naveen Arul in Bangalore; Editing by Gary Hill)