India’s Sukhoi fighter jets set to roar Australian skies during Exercise Pitch Black

Darwin, July 11: India's Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jets will be seen in action during Exercise Pitch Black -- Australia's biggest international air combat training activity -- that begins at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) bases in Darwin and Tindal from Friday.

With approximately 140 aircraft and over 4000 personnel from 20 nations participating, this year's iteration of Exercise Pitch Black is the largest participation in its 43-year history, the RAAF announced on Thursday. Held every two years, the exercise focuses on large-force employment missions involving large numbers of international aircraft.

The last edition of the exercise held in 2022 saw the participation of an Indian Air Force contingent that included four Su-30 MKI and two C-17 aircraft. For the first time, aircraft and personnel from the Philippines, Spain, Italy, and Papua New Guinea and embedded personnel from Fiji and Brunei will participate in the exercise.

In addition, aircraft from France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, the United Kingdom, United States; and embedded personnel from Canada and New Zealand will also participate.

Aircraft will operate from the RAAF bases Darwin and Tindal in the Northern Territory, with additional tanker and transport aircraft at RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland.

"Exercise Pitch Black is our premier activity for international engagement, held every two years to build stronger ties with like-minded nations.”