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The first overseas contingents have arrived for Exercise Pitch Black 2026, with aircraft from the Philippines, Thailand, South Korea and Singapore all touching down in the Top End.
Four Philippine Air Force (PAF) FA-50PH Golden Eagles arrived at RAAF Base Darwin last week, followed by Thai F-16B fighters, Korean fighters and tankers, and a number of aircraft from Singapore. It comes ahead of the exercise’s commencement early next week.
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“We are excited to have finally arrived in Darwin and thank the RAAF for its warm welcome and outstanding support as we join Exercise Pitch Black 2026,” said the PAF contingent commander, Colonel Thomas Ryan Seguin.
“The Philippine Air Force is proud to once again contribute to this world-class exercise, and we remain committed to learning, collaborating and flying safely throughout the mission.”
Around 100 fighter jets and 2,500 personnel from 20 nations will train at RAAF Bases Darwin, Tindal and Amberley between 20 July and 7 August, with the Philippines taking part for the second time in the biennial capstone exercise.
“This reflects the growing strength of the Australian-Philippines defence relationship, built on a shared commitment to regional security, professionalism and close cooperation,” said Wing Commander Rowan Paice, the senior ADF Officer at RAAF Base Darwin.
“We are also proud to host the contingent in a city with a vibrant and valued Filipino community whose enduring contribution to Darwin helps make this partnership especially meaningful.”
According to Air Commodore Matthew McCormack, Exercise Commander of Pitch Black 26, the exercise is “an excellent opportunity to understand, and get to know professionally, our regional partners”.
“The main purpose of Exercise Pitch Black is to expose our aviators in Australia and the aviators from the 19 international partners that are participating to complex air combat experiences and scenarios,” he said.
“What this does is it contributes to the continuum of training which all aviators undertake to make sure that they are at the pinnacle of their game.
“Having 19 partner nations work with us during Exercise Pitch Black is an excellent opportunity to make sure that we understand how the other air forces work. We learn a lot from the other air forces as well, which improves us as a part of the defence force.
“It allows us to understand how we work together in peacetime and training operations, so that if required, we’re effective and lethal if we need to go to combat together.”
Exercise Pitch Black was last held in 2024 and was the biggest in its history, involving approximately 4,400 personnel and 140 aircraft from 20 nations.
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