The performance at the ‘Wings, Wheels and Wine’ show in Mudgee on 18 May will be a tribute to aerobatic teammate Glenn Collins, whose Pitts Special stunt plane nosedived into the ground in March.

The international IT shutdown in July 2024 — dubbed the world’s biggest ever — was caused by a bungled software update issued by the cyber security provider.

Chief of Joint Operations Vice Admiral Justin Jones announced the overseas debut during a visit to Igam Barracks in Lae on 23 April. It is the 11th iteration – and the first in its 22‑year history – to be conducted, in part, outside Australia.

The four-week deployment, announced late last month, will see the aircraft and crew carrying out airborne surveillance of the waters around east Asia to capture evidence of ship-to-ship transfers of resources used for the North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile programs.