The Pitch Black exercise of today is a far cry from its humble beginnings. Originally just a three-day exercise involving RAAF Bases Williamtown, Amberley and Richmond, in 1983 it was moved to RAAF Base Darwin in the Northern Territory (NT) and took place over four days.
The exercise now lasts 3 weeks and this year involved RAAF Bases Darwin, Tindal and Amberley with participants from 20 nations, more than 140 aircraft, and around 4,500 personnel, making it the largest in its 43 year history.
Air Commodore Pete Robinson, Officer Commanding the Exercise, said the exercise delivered the training and engagement goals of all participating nations and strengthened relationships and friendships. “The feedback from all international partners and our own people alike was that Exercise Pitch Black 24 was a world-class air combat training activity,”
“More than 1700 missions were flown in the exercise across an exercise area about the size of Great Britain.
“The value of this exercise comes in the experience we’ve built with international partners, and the friendships and relationships we’ve created with them on the ground and in the air.”Air Commodore Robinson said.
First-timers to Pitch Black 24 included aircraft and personnel from Italy (Air Force, and Navy), Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Spain.
Nations making a welcome return visit with participating aircraft were France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Canada, Fiji, Brunei, and New Zealand also contributed with embedded personnel.
The Royal Air Force’s Eurofighter Typhoons came from the XI (F) Squadron, based at RAF Coningsby. They are from one of two Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) stations in the UK and are the world’s oldest dedicated fighter unit. Formed in 1915, they served on the Western Front, then Burma during the 2nd World War, and Libya in 2011.
The United States Air Force’s F-22 Raptor, 09-4174 has been operating out of RAAF Base Tindal. This aircraft was the flight lead for the first group of Raptors to cross the border into Syria in 2014. This makes it the first Raptor to go into combat.
The European Pacific Skies mission arrived at RAAF Base Darwin on the afternoon of Saturday 20th July. Made up of aircraft from France, Germany, and Spain they took part in multiple international exercises including Pitch Black 24. Squadron Commander Fernando Rojas Sevillano of the Spanish Air Force shared, “It’s not only about flying,… it’s about logistics…. how to combine maintenance with Germany, how to combine everything with France. How to combine our strengths to be able to do such a project of this magnitude.”
Air Commodore Pete Robinson, rounded up by saying, “The only thing to do is to look forward to Pitch Black 2026. We say it won’t be bigger, but it probably will be. We look forward to getting back to the top end for what is an iconic and amazing exercise.”
ASO media team members were given incredible access to many activities, including the Community Open Day, runway side photo opportunities for mass aircraft launches at both Darwin and Tindal, as well as being invited to join air refueling missions.
We wish to express our sincere gratitude to the Defence Media team for being excellent hosts and laying on an amazing media program.
The photos below capture some of the highlights from the exercise, the community open day, and the Mindil Beach flypast.
Until 2026…..
