A total of 100 aircraft and 2,500 personnel from 17 nations have descended on Australian Northern Territory for ‘Exercise Pitch Black.’
India, Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan, France, Germany, Indonesia, Singapore, New Zealand, Philippines, Netherlands, Malaysia, and other countries have partnered for the three-week training program.
Most participating nations are vocal advocates for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The multinational air combat exercise witnessed Indian Sukhoi-30 MKI (Russian-made) operate alongside the Eurofighter Typhoon jets. A Russian Sukhoi-30 and a UK Typhoon jet famously faced off in Estonia’s air space in July 2019.
The current exercise aims to achieve interoperability between partner nations and trains the staff with ‘realistic simulated threats.’ Aside from dealing with threats, the fighter jets were fuelled mid-air by planes from other countries.
Japan, South Korea, and Germany made their debut at ‘Exercise Pitch Black’ this year. Australia demonstrated the capabilities of the fifth generation fighter jet F-35.