Pitch Black 2008

If you are wondering what the noisy jets around Darwin's Top End are doing at all hours of the day and night, it is the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) are hosting an international contingent of aerial units for the biennial Pitch Black air combat training exercises, this year held jointly with Malaysia, United State, Thailand, Singapore and France.

Up to 3000 service men and women from Australia and countries including the United States, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and France will support the exercise, with ground crews and aircrews operating some of the most sophisticated military systems employed in the world.

An additional 60 aircraft from the RAAF and participating Forces will deploy to RAAF Base Darwin and RAAF Base Tindal, near Katherine. Fighter, strike, early warning, air-to-air refuelling and transport aircraft will combine with selected surface forces and systems to simulate and evaluate operational planning and tactics in war-like conditions.

Gallery

A Royal Thai Air Force F-16 arrives at RAAF Base Darwin in preparation for Exercise Pitch Black 08.

More Darwin and Territorian information can be found here.