India joins 18 other nations for Australia’s Pitch Black air exercise in July

New Delhi: India will participate in Exercise Pitch Black 2026, the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) largest international air exercise, which returns to Australia’s Northern Territory from July 20 to August 7. More than 100 aircraft and personnel from 19 allied and partner nations will train together, with the exercise focusing on strengthening regional and global interoperability.

The exercise will be conducted across one of the largest military training areas in the world, with participating nations including Brunei, Canada, Fiji, Finland, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

India’s participation carries added significance this edition. Reports indicate that, in a notable upgrade from previous years, the Indian Air Force’s Rafale jets are likely to participate in the exercise at Darwin – a first for the type at Pitch Black. In the two previous editions, in 2022 and 2024, India deployed Su-30MKI multirole fighters alongside C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft and Il-78 aerial refuelling tankers in a support role. The possible deployment of the Rafale would signal a step-up in India’s engagement at the exercise, given the aircraft’s advanced sensor suite and beyond-visual-range capabilities.

The exercise will be conducted from RAAF Bases Darwin and Tindal in the Northern Territory, and RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland. Flying complexity will increase progressively over the three-week period, with missions building throughout in the Northern Territory military airspace. Pitch Black 2026 will close out a high-tempo flying period across northern Australia, preceded by Exercises Diamond Storm and Southern Cross.

Two community events are also planned alongside the exercise: a Mindil Beach Flying Display on July 23, running from 5pm to 6.30pm, and a RAAF Darwin Open Day on August 1 – both free events that will allow the public to view participating aircraft and meet military personnel from the 19 nations.

Exercise Pitch Black 26 exercise commander, Air Commodore Matt McCormack, said the exercise strengthens relationships with allies and partners through air combat integration in challenging scenarios, and that it is “vital for the preparedness and collective security of both Australia and the region.”

India has participated in Pitch Black since 2018, when it made its debut with Su-30MKI fighters. It sat out the 2020 edition, which was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, before returning in 2022 and 2024. With the Rafale now the most capable platform in the Air Force’s inventory, its potential deployment to Darwin would mark a qualitative leap in India’s contribution to the multilateral drill.

What is Exercise Pitch Black?

Exercise Pitch Black is the Royal Australian Air Force’s premier biennial air-warfare exercise and its most significant international engagement activity. It was first held from RAAF Base Williamtown in New South Wales in June 1981 as a three-day air-defence exercise, with “attacking” aircraft flying from RAAF Bases Amberley and Richmond. The exercise was modest by today’s standards – a purely domestic affair in which RAAF Mirage III fighters defended against F-111C strike jets in night-time scenarios. The name “Pitch Black” is believed to derive from the emphasis on night-time flying over large, unpopulated areas during those early exercises.

The exercise moved to RAAF Base Darwin for the first time in May 1983. It was also the first major RAAF exercise to be conducted in Darwin after Cyclone Tracy devastated the city in 1974. That year also marked a turning point: the exercise opened to its first international partner, the United States, in 1983. Singapore joined in 1990, and the exercise has since expanded steadily, drawing in air forces from across the Indo-Pacific and beyond. It has been held biennially since 1988, with the exception of 2020, when it was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Exercise Pitch Black focuses on large force employment missions involving large numbers of international aircraft. It ensures the Australian air force is responsive whenever the country’s government requires, and allows Australia to contribute to the sovereign security of participating nations. The exercise typically follows a red-force-versus-blue-force format, with one team defending designated airspace while the other prosecutes offensive missions. Scenarios grow progressively more complex over the three-week duration, eventually encompassing multi-domain, beyond-visual-range engagements in challenging conditions.

Exercise Pitch Black provides an environment for training and integration that directly supports participating nations’ requirements and their ability to support operations in the Indo-Pacific. At the individual level, the exercise builds strong relationships between aviators and personnel from across the Indo-Pacific region and further abroad in Europe.

The exercise’s scale has grown sharply in recent decades. The 2024 edition was its largest to date, involving 20 nations, over 140 aircraft, and approximately 4,400 personnel in high-intensity training across RAAF Bases Darwin, Tindal, and Amberley. The 2026 edition, with 19 participating nations and over 100 aircraft, continues in that vein.

Exercise Pitch Black also supports a concurrent International Observer Group programme, providing foreign forces an opportunity to observe how Australia prepares for and executes major military activities. Community engagement has become an integral part of the exercise calendar too, with air shows and open-day events offering the public a view of the military hardware on display.

For India, the exercise has become a key pillar of its defence partnership with Australia and its broader Indo-Pacific engagement strategy. Since its first participation in 2018, the Air Force has used Pitch Black to test long-range deployment capabilities, practice air-to-air refuelling over transoceanic distances, and integrate its fighters with some of the most advanced combat aircraft in the world. With the Rafale likely to feature in 2026, India’s engagement at the exercise looks set to deepen further.