An Indian Air Force contingent is participating in Exercise Pitch Black 2022 being held from 19 Aug 22 to 08 Sep 22 in Darwin, Australia.
- This is a biennial, multi-national exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). It will focus on Large Force Employment warfare.
- The last edition was conducted in 2018. The 2020 edition of the exercise was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- This year’s exercise will see the participation of over 100 aircraft and 2500 military personnel from various air forces.
- The IAF contingent, led by Group Captain YPS Negi, comprises over 100 air warriors, deployed with four Su-30 MKI fighter and two C-17 aircraft.
- They will undertake multi-domain air combat missions in a complex environment and will exchange best practices with the participating air forces.
- The exercise hosting up to 2500 personnel and up to 100 aircraft from around the globe including participants from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, India, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, UAE, US and UK. Significantly, Germany, Japan, and the Republic of Korea will be participating fully for the first time.
