The Indian Air Force joined the ‘Pitch Black’ exercise in Australia with four Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jets and two C-17 heavy-lift aircrafts.

The 17-nation air combat exercise, being hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), comes amid the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict and China’s recent military exercises in the Taiwan strait following US Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island.

PITCH BLACK EXERCISE

The biennial exercise is considered to be RAAF’s “capstone" international engagement activity with air forces from strategic partners and allies. The last ‘Pitch Black’ was conducted in 2018 and the 2020 edition of the exercise was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.