
To mark its participation in Excercise Pitch Black, the German Air Force painted one of its Eurofighters in a special livery that included the Australian and Japanese flags.

The modifications to the hangar, overseen by Defence industry partners Ventia and McMahons, also included installing “state-of-the-art” LED lighting, stands and aircraft access docking.

The three-week training program in the Northern Territory is conducted at Base Darwin and Tindal, with Base Amberley also included. It will include counterparts from 15 countries.

In an address to the National Press Club, Chinese ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian has called for a “reset” of diplomatic relations between Canberra and Beijing.

The UFO-like Spirit can carry nuclear weapons and is thought to be the most expensive aircraft ever made, valued at around $2 billion each.

Four Royal Australian Air Force PC-21 aircraft and two JTAC instructors are set to fly across the Tasman to take part in Exercise Raven Kahu — a combined training exercise with the Royal New Zealand Air Force.