U.S. Air Force Airmen participating in Exercise Pitch Black 2024 in Australia concluded operations Aug. 2, marking the end of the largest iteration of the Royal Australian Air Force's biennial capstone exercise.
Pitch Black, held July 12 to Aug. 2 primarily at RAAF Bases Tindal and Darwin in northern Australia, focused on the tactical execution of advanced air combat capabilities with multi-national partners. It aimed to enhance interoperability between the air forces of 19 nations - United States; Australia; Singapore; Italy; Indonesia; India; Japan; United Kingdom; France; Germany; Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Thailand; Philippines; Spain; Brunei; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Fiji; and Canada.
"This year we worked with so many countries to integrate capabilities and maximize every country's individual strengths," said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Ryan Nickell, Pitch Black detachment commander. "The interactions personally and professionally couldn't have been better."
With more than 140 aircraft and 4,000 members from multiple continents and geographic regions, Pitch Black 24 provided participants an ideal opportunity to share their expertise and learn from each other.
Building long-standing working partnerships among nations is one of Pitch Black's greatest achievements, with those alliances allowing greater integration across the spectrum of operations.
"The U.S. has a long-standing relationship with Australia dating back 80 years to the establishment of the Far East Air Forces, which has only improved since we began participating in Pitch Black in 1983," said Gen. Kevin Schneider, Pacific Air Forces commander. "With the scope of Pitch Black, we're hoping to bring many more countries into these types of events to continue building a worldwide network of specialists to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific."
During this year's Pitch Black, U.S. Air Force members capitalized on the opportunity to work alongside other nations. As an example, F-22 Raptors flew approximately 80 sorties during the exercise, integrating with the 19 other countries throughout.
"We successfully integrated with every participating country during these past few weeks, demonstrating the capabilities of the F-22," Nickell said. "One of the biggest highlights of the exercise was sharing our unique strengths as a force multiplier for our allies and partners."
Pitch Black stands to leverage the unique size and favorable weather of Australia's Northern Territory to invite other countries with an opportunity to work and fly together.
"Forty-three years of Pitch Black for the Royal Australian Air Force, and the U.S. has been part of it the last 41 years," said U.S. Air Force Col. Ty Bridge, PACAF Pitch Black lead planner. "This was the biggest iteration yet, and we plan to continue being a part of it as it grows, to build a network of nations that keep the region safe, secure, and prosperous."
