Throughout mid-August, combat aircraft and associated support assets from a host of global air arms have deployed to Australia in preparation for Exercise Pitch Black – a large-scale force employment exercise hosted biennially by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), which returns after a four-year hiatus.
This year’s event will see up to 100 aircraft and approximately 2,500 personnel from 17 different nations – comprising Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, India, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the UK and the US – train together from August 19 to September 8. Exercise Pitch Black 2022 also marks a major milestone for the biennial event, as it will welcome Germany, Japan and South Korea as full participants for the first time.
Pitch Black is the RAAF’s largest international exercise, which aims to develop and enhance military relationships with allied and partner nations at all levels through integration and training. It features a range of realistic, simulated threats that can be found in the modern battlespace and provides an opportunity for participating nations to test and improve force integration tactics and pr…
