A capacity crowd of 25,500 people have taken a rare opportunity to meet Australian and international military personnel and see operational aircraft from around the world up close at the Exercise Pitch Black 2026 RAAF Darwin Open Day today.

The free community event showcased the scale and diversity of one of the world's largest international air combat exercises, bringing together aircraft and personnel from 21 nations at Exercise Pitch Black 2026.

The Open Day gave the Top End community and visitors the opportunity to speak directly with aircrew, ground crew and support personnel from across the South-East Asia, Pacific, Europe and North America.

Head of Air Shows, Air Commodore (AIRCDRE) Micka Gray, said the Open Day was an important opportunity to connect the community with the people and capabilities that make Exercise Pitch Black possible.

"Today's Open Day gave thousands of Territorians and visitors a rare opportunity to meet the people and see the aircraft participating in one of the world's largest international air combat exercises,” AIRCDRE Gray said.

"Exercise Pitch Black brings together personnel and aircraft from 21 nations but it's made possible by the strong support we receive from the Darwin community and people right across the Territory.

"Public events such as today's Open Day allow the community to get up close to the aircraft and people participating in the exercise, ask questions, and learn more about why this training is so important."

Participating nations include Brunei, Canada, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The Open Day formed part of Defence’s commitment to thanking the Northern Territory community for its support of Pitch Black and other Defence activities conducted across the Top End.

In addition to military aircraft displays, visitors enjoyed performances by Defence bands, military working dog demonstrations, interactive exhibits, emergency services displays and opportunities to engage with participants from across the exercise.

Held in the Northern Territory since 1983, Exercise Pitch Black 2026 is the Royal Australian Air Force's biennial capstone international air combat exercise. 

The exercise involves more than 100 aircraft and up to 2,500 personnel operating from RAAF Bases Darwin and Tindal in the Northern Territory and RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland from 20 July to 7 August 2026.