The Indian Air Force (IAF) will participate in Australia’s premier multinational air combat exercise, Exercise Pitch Black 2026, scheduled to be held across northern Australia from July 20 to August 7, alongside air forces from 19 other nations.

Hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), the exercise will involve up to 100 fighter and support aircraft and more than 2,500 military personnel operating from Darwin, Tindal and Amberley bases. First conducted in 1983, Exercise Pitch Black is one of the Indo-Pacific region’s largest and most complex air combat training events.

The RAAF, in a statement, said that this year’s edition will bring together aircraft from the United States, Japan, India, Indonesia, Singapore, France, Germany, Spain, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea. Military personnel from New Zealand, Fiji, Canada, Brunei, Malaysia, Finland and Sweden will also participate in embedded roles.

Pitch Black 2026 will also mark the debut participation of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s F-35 Lightning II fighters and Indonesia’s T-50I Golden Eagle aircraft, it added.

Realistic combat scenarios

Exercise Commander Air Commodore Matthew McCormack said Pitch Black remained the RAAF’s largest collective training activity with partner and allied air forces, providing realistic and complex combat scenarios that enhance interoperability and strengthen defence cooperation.

He said the exercise built on lessons from the 2024 edition and continued to attract wide international participation due to Australia’s extensive military training airspace.

According to the RAAF, the exercise also supports the objectives of Australia’s National Defence Strategy by improving operational integration and reinforcing a shared commitment to regional peace and stability.

Exercise Pitch Black 2026 will conclude a high-tempo flying period in northern Australia that has also included Exercises Diamond Storm and Southern Cross.