Four Indian Air Force Rafale fighter jets and two C-17 transport aircraft have arrived in Darwin as Australia prepares to host one of the world’s largest multinational air combat exercises.
Exercise Pitch Black 2026 will run from July 20 to August 7 across RAAF Bases Darwin and Tindal in the Northern Territory and RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland.
Up to 100 aircraft and more than 2,500 military personnel from 20 nations will participate in the Royal Australian Air Force’s premier air combat exercise, conducting increasingly demanding missions across northern Australia’s vast military training airspace.
The Indian contingent includes more than 120 Air Warriors supporting four Rafales and two C-17 aircraft.
The High Commission of India in Canberra said the Indian personnel would fly alongside participating air forces to improve interoperability, sharpen combat-flying skills and build stronger professional relationships.
“The High Commission of India is proud to welcome the Indian Air Force contingent,” it said, describing the deployment as an opportunity to build lasting bonds with participating nations.
India will join aircraft contingents from Australia, the United States, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, Germany, France and Spain.
Personnel from New Zealand, Fiji, Canada, Brunei, Malaysia, Finland and Sweden will also be embedded in the exercise.
Pitch Black 2026 will mark the first participation of Japanese Air Self-Defense Force F-35 Lightning II fighters and Indonesian T-50I Golden Eagle jets in the exercise. Finland and Sweden will also be represented by embedded personnel for the first time.
Exercise commander Air Commodore Matthew McCormack said Pitch Black was the Air Force’s largest collective training activity with Australia’s international partners and allies.
“It’s where we plan together, fight together and learn together through realistic and complex training scenarios,” Air Commodore McCormack said.
He said the exercise would build on lessons from the 2024 event and allow participating forces to train in an unusually large military airspace that can accommodate complex missions involving many aircraft.
Air Commodore McCormack said the training supported Australia’s National Defence Strategy by improving integration with partner forces and showing their shared commitment to regional security and prosperity.
Pitch Black is designed to test how aircraft, aircrew, mission planners, ground personnel and command teams from different countries operate together during combat-like scenarios.
Flying activity will become more demanding during the three-week exercise, requiring participating forces to coordinate aircraft with different capabilities, procedures and communication systems.
For the Indian Air Force, the deployment provides an opportunity to operate the Rafale alongside advanced aircraft including the F-35, while the two C-17s will support the movement of personnel, equipment and other operational requirements.
India’s participation also reflects the growing defence relationship between New Delhi and Canberra, with the two countries increasingly training together through bilateral and multinational exercises across the Indo-Pacific.
Exercise Pitch Black was first conducted from RAAF Base Williamtown in New South Wales in 1981 before moving to Darwin for the first time in 1983. It has been held mainly in the Northern Territory since then and has operated biennially since 1988, except for its cancellation in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2024 exercise was the largest Pitch Black held at the time, involving 140 aircraft and about 4,400 personnel from 20 nations. More than 1,700 missions were flown across an exercise area described by Defence as approximately the size of Great Britain.
This year’s event will conclude a period of sustained military flying across northern Australia that has also included Exercises Diamond Storm and Southern Cross.
The RAAF will hold two public events to recognise the support of the Northern Territory community.
The free Mindil Beach Flying Display will be held in Darwin from 5 pm to 6.30 pm on July 23, with military aircraft from Australia and participating countries expected to appear over the coastline.
RAAF Base Darwin will also hold an open day on August 1, giving members of the public an opportunity to see aircraft and military equipment and meet Australian and international personnel. Entry is free, although visitors must obtain tickets in advance and use designated bus transfers.
Air Commodore McCormack said support from the Northern Territory was central to the exercise’s success, allowing international personnel to experience Australia both in the air and on the ground.
For India’s 120-member contingent, the next three weeks will place its Rafale fighters and aircrew inside a multinational training environment aimed at improving how partner air forces plan, fly and respond together during demanding operations.
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