Exercise Pitch Black 2026, the Royal Australian Air Force’s premier multinational air combat exercise, will take place from 20 July to 7 August across northern Australia, bringing together 19 participating nations, nearly 100 aircraft, and over 2,500 personnel.
The biennial exercise will feature air forces from India, the United States, Japan, France, Germany, Singapore, South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Spain, and others, alongside embedded personnel from several partner nations. Conducted across RAAF Bases Darwin, Tindal, and Amberley, the exercise aims to strengthen interoperability, enhance high-end combat readiness, and reinforce defence cooperation among Indo-Pacific partners through realistic multinational training scenarios.Friday, July 17, 2026
