India to participate in Exercise Pitch Black 2026 in Australia

Key facts

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) will participate in Exercise Pitch Black 2026, hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
• The exercise is scheduled to take place in Australia’s Northern Territory from 20 July to 7 August.
• The drill involves over 100 aircraft and thousands of personnel from 20 nations, including India, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Fiji, Finland, France, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom, and United States.
• The exercise focuses on large force employment missions and complex combat-like scenarios, with a particular emphasis on night-time flying.
• The IAF previously participated in the 2018, 2022, and 2024 editions, with the 2024 contingent deploying Su-30 MKI multirole fighters, a C-17 Globemaster, and an IL-78 air-to-air refuelling aircraft from the RAAF Base Darwin.