ISSUE
Friday, August 22, 2025
Volume 16 . Issue 73
Indian Air Force C-17 had landed at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base Darwin this morning to participate in Pitch Black - the largest Air Force exercise in the Southern Hemisphere.
This is maiden participation by Indian Air Force in biennial Pitch Black, which is slated to take place from July 27 to August 17, conducted from RAAF bases in Darwin and Tindal in Australia’s Northern Territory.
The three-week multinational exercise envisages honing up the large force employability and interoperability across foreign multiple nations Air Force.
According to an estimate, there would be participation of around 4000 military personnel and up to 140 aircraft from countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Germany, Netherlands, Canada, France, and the United States.
India’s participation is of further diplomatic significance as it is happening against the backdrop of India’ very recent rejection of Australian request to be involved in the three-nation Malabar naval exercise.
It is believed within strategic circles that India’s repeated rejection to Australia’s request for participation in the three-nation joint naval exercise involving Japan and the United States (US) might be driven by the temptation of not giving any overt anti-Chinese grouping.
This is despite India coming together with Australia, Japan and the US late last year to revive and re-establish four nations-Quad (called as quadrilateral security dialogue, primarily to engage with an increasingly assertive China in the larger Indo-Pacific region).
A forty strong Indian contingent also arrived with IAF C-17 this morning to participate in the air combat exercise. Boeing C-17 is a transport aircraft.
It is expected that the IAF will be bringing further four Sukhoi Su-30MKI multirole fighters, an Ilyushin Il-78 tanker, a Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 stretched Super Hercules, as revealed in an earlier press release from the Ministry of Defence.
“During the flight from India to Australia and back, Su-30 MKI will carry out air to air refuelling with IL-78 tankers,” the earlier Indian MoD had stated.
Indian Air Force C-17 had landed at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base Darwin this morning to participate in Pitch Black - the largest Air Force exercise in the Southern Hemisphere.
This is maiden participation by Indian Air Force in biennial Pitch Black, which is slated to take place from...
Indian Air Force C-17 had landed at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base Darwin this morning to participate in Pitch Black - the largest Air Force exercise in the Southern Hemisphere.
This is maiden participation by Indian Air Force in biennial Pitch Black, which is slated to take place from July 27 to August 17, conducted from RAAF bases in Darwin and Tindal in Australia’s Northern Territory.
The three-week multinational exercise envisages honing up the large force employability and interoperability across foreign multiple nations Air Force.
According to an estimate, there would be participation of around 4000 military personnel and up to 140 aircraft from countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Germany, Netherlands, Canada, France, and the United States.
India’s participation is of further diplomatic significance as it is happening against the backdrop of India’ very recent rejection of Australian request to be involved in the three-nation Malabar naval exercise.
It is believed within strategic circles that India’s repeated rejection to Australia’s request for participation in the three-nation joint naval exercise involving Japan and the United States (US) might be driven by the temptation of not giving any overt anti-Chinese grouping.
This is despite India coming together with Australia, Japan and the US late last year to revive and re-establish four nations-Quad (called as quadrilateral security dialogue, primarily to engage with an increasingly assertive China in the larger Indo-Pacific region).
A forty strong Indian contingent also arrived with IAF C-17 this morning to participate in the air combat exercise. Boeing C-17 is a transport aircraft.
It is expected that the IAF will be bringing further four Sukhoi Su-30MKI multirole fighters, an Ilyushin Il-78 tanker, a Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 stretched Super Hercules, as revealed in an earlier press release from the Ministry of Defence.
“During the flight from India to Australia and back, Su-30 MKI will carry out air to air refuelling with IL-78 tankers,” the earlier Indian MoD had stated.
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