IAF contingent landed at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Darwin, Australia for participating in Exercise Pitch Black 2024.
Exercise Pitch Black 2024
IAF contingent landed at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Darwin, Australia for participating in Exercise Pitch Black 2024. The exercise is scheduled to be conducted from 12 July 24 to 02 August 24. Exercise Pitch Black is a biennial, multi- national exercise hosted by the RAAF.
“Exercise Pitch Black 24 will be the largest in the exercise’s 43-year history. It will bring together 20 participating nations and over 140 aircraft from around the world, with approximately 4,435 personnel participating,” according to the website of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The name ‘Pitch Black’ was derived from the emphasis on night time flying over large un-populated areas.
The exercise will be focusing on Large Force Employment warfare aimed at strengthening international cooperation and shall facilitate experience enhancement with the IAF Su-30 MKI operating alongside the F-35, F-22, F-18, F-15, Gripen and Typhoon fighter aircraft. The IAF contingent comprises of over 150 highly skilled Air Warriors including pilots, engineers, technicians, controllers and other subject matter experts, who will be operating the formidable Su-30 MKI multirole fighters, with the C -17 Globemaster and the IL-78 Air-to-Air Refueling aircraft in combat enabling roles.
The exercise provides an excellent opportunity for strengthening the ability of the participating nations to deploy over large distances, support integrated operations in the Indo-Pacific region and building strong aviation associations in a highly challenging environment. The IAF has previously participated in the 2018 and 2022 editions of this exercise.
History Of Exercise Pitch Black
•The biennial Pitch-Black exercise started as a bilateral air combat exercise in the mid-1980s between Australia and Singapore and was named for the dark nights found over Australia’s sparsely populated north. •For the first time, the IAF had deployed fighter aircraft for the exercise in 2018 which it had then stated would “provide a unique opportunity for exchange of knowledge and experience with these nations in a dynamic warfare environment”.
Other Exercises B/W India And Australia
•Ex AUSTRA HIND
•Ex AUSINDEX
•Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX)
•EX KAKADU (Multilateral)
•Ex MILAN (Multilateral)
•Ex Malabar (Multilateral)
