Exercise Pitch Black returns to the Top End from 20 July to 7 August, creating an opportunity for over 100 aircraft and personnel from 19 allied and partner nations to exercise together, and strengthen regional and global interoperability.

This is the Royal Australian Air Force’s largest international exercise featuring complex, combat-like scenarios across one of the largest military training areas in the world over a three-week period.

Alongside the exercise the Northern Territory community will once again have the opportunity to see participating aircraft in the air and on the ground, and meet military personnel from Brunei, Canada, Fiji, Finland, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States..

These opportunities will be at the two free community events, starting with the Mindil Beach Flying Display on Thursday 23 July, followed by the RAAF Darwin Open Day on Saturday 1 August.

Head of Air Shows for the Royal Australian Air Force, Air Commodore Micka Gray, said the Flying Display and the Open Day provide great opportunities for residents and visitors to see a wide array of military aircraft and equipment.

“The Pitch Black Flying Display and the RAAF Darwin Open Day have been fixtures on the exercise calendar since 2012, and allow exercise participants to thank the community while showcasing an impressive selection of military capability,” Air Commodore Gray said.

“These events are fantastic opportunities for Northern Territory families, visitors and aviation enthusiasts to meet highly-skilled aviators and see some incredible aircraft up close.”

Pitch Black 26 Exercise Commander, Air Commodore Matt McCormack, said Exercise Pitch Black strengthens our relationships with our allies and partners through air combat integration in challenging scenarios.

“Exercise Pitch Black 26 is vital for the preparedness and collective security of both Australia and the region”, Air Commodore McCormack said.

“By training together in complex scenarios, we enhance our shared preparedness and ability to operate together, while also demonstrating our collective commitment to maintaining regional stability and security.”

The Mindil Beach Flying Display on Thursday 23 July is on from 5pm to 6:30pm, and is a free, non-ticketed community event.

The RAAF Darwin Open Day on Saturday 1 August is also a free community event with pre-booked tickets required for event entry and park-and-ride bus transfer. Tickets must be pre-booked through TryBooking, noting no tickets will be available at the event.

Media note

Further information regarding the Pitch Black Mindil Beach Flying Display and the RAAF Darwin Open Day is available on the Exercise Pitch Black website.

Ticket bookings for the free RAAF Darwin Open Day are available from 12:00pm ACST Monday 15 June through www.trybooking.com/DLTSP.

Imagery/vision from previous iterations of Exercise Pitch Black are available from the Defence Image Gallery.

Participating nations and aircraft are subject to change, based on individual nation operational requirements.

Media contact

Media outlets and Defence correspondents are requested to note their Expressions of Interest to attend Pitch Black media activities by emailing pb.media@defence.gov.au.