 |
|
LATEST
GALLERY
Images from Exercise Pitch Black 04
|
Exercise
Pitch Black, the Royal Australian Air Force's largest exercise,
concluded on 5 August 2004. The exercise allowed men and women of
the Royal Australian Air Force to train together with Air Force
representatives from Thailand, France, and Singapore. It also provided
participants with high complexity Air Combat training opportunities.
Chief
of Air Force, Air Marshal Angus Houston, AFC AO, officially announced
the conclusion of Exercise Pitch Black held at RAAF Base Darwin.
"I
would like to congratulate and thank the entire Pitch Black team,
the organisers, and the participants and the exercise controllers
at Glenbrook, for a very safe and very effective exercise,"
Air Marshal Houston said.
"We
have successfully introduced many new initiatives into the exercise
this time around and all of our successes demonstrate that we
are well on the way to creating the networked air force of the
future.
As
the Joint Force Air Component Commander, Air
Commodore John Quaife was responsible for the overall command
and control of the exercise. About 120 personnel at the Combined
Air Operations Centre at RAAF Base Glenbrook in Sydney conducted
Pitch Black 2004 operations.
During
the closing ceremony, Air Commodore Quaife thanked international
personnel from the Republic of Singapore Air Force, the Royal
Thai Air Force and the French Air Force who participated in the
multi-national exercise. Approximately 1600 sorties were flown
during Exercise Pitch Black, providing vital training for pilots
and ground crews.
"Exercise
Pitch Black has provided an invaluable opportunity for us to strengthen
ties with our international friends," Air Commodore Quaife
said.
"The
training we have conducted here has been challenging and has given
us a chance to test our skills against some of the best pilots
in the world.
"It
is important to remember that an exercise like this is not just
about the pilots and simulated combat in the air.
"The
effort that is required to make all this happen is tremendous.
Aircraft Technicians, Support staff, Mission Planners, Air Traffic
Controllers, Fighter controllers, Ground Based Air Defence staff
and Logistic staff all had a vital role to play in making Exercise
Pitch Black work."
Air
Commodore Quaife also extended his thanks to the Northern Territory
community for their ongoing support of vital Defence training
activities essential for defending Australia and its national
interests.
"We
have received many calls from the public offering their support
for the Exercise. Most people want to know when the jets will
be taking off so that they can be in the best position to watch,"
he said.
Exercise
Pitch Black involved over 1500 personnel and about 75 aircraft
from four different air forces, as well as members from the Australian
Army, and injected approximately $7 million into the Northern
Territory economy over the course of the exercise. The exercise
started on Sunday 18 July 2004.
Participating
personnel included:
-
Australian personnel drawn from Bases across Australia representing
Air Combat Group, Surveillance and Response Group, Combat Support
Group, Air Lift Group and the Australian Army.
-
About 190 Republic of Singapore Air Force personnel at RAAF
Darwin.
-
Approximately 120 Royal Thai Air Force personnel at RAAF Darwin,
and
-
About 80 French Air Force personnel, also at RAAF Darwin.
