The Indian Air Force (IAF) volition enactment successful Exercise Pitch Black 2026, the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) premier multinational aerial combat exercise, scheduled to beryllium held successful Australia’s Northern Territory from July 20 to August 7, 2026.
Australian High Commissioner to India Philip Green OAM announced India’s information connected X connected Tuesday, tagging the IAF’s authoritative grip and citing the workout arsenic an accidental to fortify determination interoperability crossed the Indo-Pacific.
According to the Australian Defence Ministry, the workout volition bring unneurotic much than 100 craft and unit from 19 allied and spouse nations, providing a level for participating aerial forces to heighten operational interoperability, fortify subject cooperation, and refine aerial combat tactics successful realistic and analyzable scenarios.
Exercise Pitch Black is the RAAF’s largest planetary workout and is conducted crossed 1 of the world’s largest subject grooming areas. Along with India, participating countries see Brunei, Canada, Fiji, Finland, France, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and big federation Australia, it added.
Advanced training
The workout is designed to fortify relationships among spouse nations done aerial combat integration and precocious operational grooming successful challenging environments.
Exercise Commander Air Commodore Matt McCormack said the multinational drill was captious for enhancing corporate preparedness and determination security. “Exercise Pitch Black 26 is captious for the preparedness and corporate information of some Australia and the region. By grooming unneurotic successful analyzable scenarios, we heighten our shared preparedness and quality to run together, portion besides demonstrating our corporate committedness to maintaining determination stableness and security,” helium said.
India’s information underscores the increasing defence practice betwixt New Delhi and Canberra and reflects the IAF’s continued engagement successful large multinational exercises aimed astatine improving interoperability with affable overseas aerial forces.
Exercise Pitch Black has evolved into 1 of the Indo-Pacific region’s astir important aerial warfare exercises, offering participating nations an accidental to bid successful high-end combat scenarios portion strengthening subject partnerships and promoting determination stability.

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