Feature: ‘Pitch Black’ 2026 tests coalition interoperability and new capabilities
Australia’s multinational air combat exercise ‘Pitch Black’ 2026 yielded operational lessons for participants, enabling them to test new capabilities, build coalition frameworks, and develop their ability to lead large-scale combat packages, senior officers said.
Conducted primarily in northern Australia from 20 July to 7 August, the exercise involved 21 countries, including NATO members that participated in or observed air combat and multi-domain scenarios.
Data provided to journalists by the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) at the event showed that nearly 3,400 personnel and more than 100 aircraft operated from Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Bases Darwin, Tindal, and Amberley for the exercise. The DoD said the activity provided high-intensity day-and-night training intended to build combat readiness in complex battlefield environments.
Although ‘Pitch Black’ 2026 involved fewer aircraft than in previous iterations, Janes observed RAAF and international contingents deploying new or upgraded platforms to assess their capabilities across three broad operational and strategic areas: interoperability, including the integration of fourth- and fifth-generation platforms; expeditionary and agile combat employment concepts; and the development of common air tactics for future coalition operations.
The exercise aimed to “create a training environment that allows aircrews, ground crews, and support personnel from each of the countries to develop their skill sets and become better at what they do”, said RAAF Air Commodore Matthew McCormack, commander of the exercise and head of Australia’s Air Combat Group (ACG), during a media panel at the event.
He added that the exercise also sought to “forge professional working relationships between our team members to make sure that we understand each other, our strengths and our weaknesses, and that should we be called upon in the future to operate and fight a conflict together, that we are much more proficient”.
A Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) KF-16 approaches Darwin during Exercise 'Pitch Black' 2026 in July 2026. Image credit: South Korea Ministry of National Defense
New capabilities
Janes estimates that the RAAF and international contingents generated between 1,100 and 1,500 sorties during the three-week exercise.
According to the Australian DoD, the missions included air defence and air interdiction, high-value asset protection, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and force-multiplier support provided by air-to-air refuelling (AAR) and airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) assets.
“The whole purpose of ‘Pitch Black’ is to have all the countries engage with large numbers of aircraft in the same mission at the same time, which creates a level of complexity,” Air Cdre McCormack said.
This infographic shows the number of platforms and personnel deployed by 21 countries during Exercise ‘Pitch Black’ 2026. Image credit: Australian Department of Defence/Janes
The scenarios divided participants into ‘red’ and ‘blue’ force teams comprising aircraft with disparate capabilities. This allowed different combinations of platforms, scenarios, and tactics to be tested.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) deployed Dassault Rafale EH/DH aircraft to ‘Pitch Black’ for the first time. An IAF officer told Janes that the detachment demonstrated the aircraft's capabilities in beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air combat and close-in dogfighting. However, the Rafale’s lack of Link 16 prevented it from exchanging tactical data directly with other Link 16-equipped participants.
Link 16 enables participating forces to exchange near-real-time tactical data and secure voice communications.
The IAF detachment commander, Group Captain Parijhat Jha, described the Rafale’s lack of Link 16 as the aircraft’s “only limitation”.
This prevented Rafale crews from obtaining “the full situational picture”, said Gp Capt Jha. He added, however, that “as the Rafale is NATO compliant”, it operated effectively alongside other platforms in the exercise.
Two Indian Air Force (IAF) Dassault Rafales refuel from an IAF Ilyushin Il-78M aerial tanker during their transit flight to Australia in July 2026. Image credit: Indian Ministry of Defence
The Royal Thai Air Force’s (RTAF’s) contingent of five Lockheed Martin F-16A/B fighters also lacked Link 16, according to detachment commander Gp Capt Nattavut Duangsungnaen.
Between 2012 and 2018, 18 of the RTAF’s nearly 50 F-16 Block 15/20 aircraft underwent a mid-life upgrade to Block 50/52 standard under the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme. Link 16 was not included in the upgrade.
The absence of Link 16 meant that RTAF aircrews had to rely on “radio and spatial co-ordination with the fighter controller” during operations, Gp Capt Duangsungnaen said.
Air Cdre McCormack said the absence of Link 16 from some aircraft benefitted training. “It provides some really good training for us when there are players out there that are not on the tactical network,” he said. This allowed aircrews to simulate disruptions to network connectivity in combat situations, he added.
Several participants described Link 16 as a critical force enabler because it provides access to a shared information environment. They included the Philippine Air Force (PAF), which operated four Link 16-enabled FA-50PH fighters during ‘Pitch Black’ 2026, according to the detachment commander Lieutenant Colonel Mario Mendoza.
The FA-50PHs made their ‘Pitch Black’ debut in 2024, but their Link 16 terminals were inactive because of restrictions, Lt Col Mendoza told Janes. Their inability “to fuse their data with other players” reduced the detachment's overall situational awareness and restricted it to a strike role, he added.
Activating Link 16 for the 2026 exercise represented a “significant upgrade” and allowed the detachment to undertake defensive counter-air (DCA) and counter-offensive missions in addition to strike operations, Lt Col Mendoza said.
The Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) also deployed six upgraded KF-16V fighters equipped with Link 16, according to detachment commander Colonel Ha Jungmi. Col Ha said that RoKAF's KF-16 fleet lacked Link 16 before the upgrade. Their active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars also provided enhanced capabilities, she said.
The upgrade programme aimed to add Mode 5 identification friend and foe (IFF) and datalink enhancements to the RoKAF’s estimated 133-strong KF-16C/D Block 52 fleet, according to information published by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) in 2020. The South Korean MND has not announced if the fleet-wide upgrade has been completed.
The Link 16 terminals, IFF avionics, and upgraded radars likely improved the contingent's ability to integrate with coalition partners and lead multinational formations.
Mission commander roles were rotated among contingents, Janes understands from detachment commanders. RoKAF flight leads served as mission commanders for multinational formations on two occasions, overseeing missions from planning to execution, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense (MND) said.
According to the MND, RoKAF officers also staffed the 24-hour Mission Planning Centre (MPC), co-ordinating multinational missions while analysing and evaluating each country's capabilities.
RoKAF personnel also served as mission commanders for the ‘red’ force, which simulated adversary air power, the MND said. “During the exercise, the six KF-16 fighter aircraft conducted various joint formation missions, including air interdiction, and DCA,” the ministry added.
Several countries also employed new weapons during the exercise, although few details were disclosed because of operational-security concerns.
A Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) F-16C takes-off from RAAF Base Darwin for a night mission during Exercise 'Pitch Black' 2026. Image credit: NZDF
Operational Tempo
The exercise built gradually towards high-tempo operations by increasing the number and complexity of sorties over its three weeks. According to Air Cdre McCormack, the first week prioritised smaller packages such as one-on-one basic fighter manoeuvres to acclimatise participants.
Air Cdre McCormack said the first week allowed small groups of aviators to plan, execute, and debrief missions before progressively larger formations became involved during weeks two and three.
He added, “The real focus, however, is ensuring that everyone is comfortable with the procedures, so that weeks two and three are as efficient and effective as possible.”
“That also includes things like post-mission data, which requires gathering information from all the participants to put into a central debriefing IT system so... that everyone can get the maximum benefit out of putting so many expensive air assets in the air at once.”
Janes previously reported that the RAAF used Cubic Defense’s Simplified Planning, Execution, Analysis and Reconstruction (SPEAR) debriefing system in ‘Pitch Black’ 2026.
German Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft fly in formation prior to conducting air-to-air refuelling with a Royal Australian Air Force KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft on 22 July 2026. Image credit: Commonwealth of Australia
About half of all sorties during the exercise were conducted at night. According to Air Cdre McCormack, the night operations were intended to ensure participating forces can “operate effectively across a range of challenging conditions”.
Night operations included large-force employment (LFE) missions involving fighter aircraft, “ground command and control elements, air-to-air refuelling assets and support aircraft operating together in highly integrated scenarios, testing their ability to plan, coordinate and execute missions”, the DoD said.
“Without the benefit of daylight, crews [relied] on detailed mission planning, tactical awareness and trust in their systems and teammates,” the DoD added.
These missions likely required airborne and ground-based command-and-control systems to share sensor data and provide participants with a common operating picture. According to the DoD, coalition AEW&C aircraft and ground-based air-battle management systems (ABMS) co-ordinated to enhance participants' situational awareness.
This entailed co-ordination between the RAAF Boeing E-7A Wedgetail aircraft from No 2 Squadron and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s (JASDF) E-2D Hawkeyes, a Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) G550 and the RAAF’s No 114 Mobile Control and Reporting Unit (114MCRU), equipped with ABMS sub-units, according to the DoD.
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) deployed two Northrop E-2D Hawkeye from its Airborne Warning and Control Wing during the exercise. Image credit: Janes/Akhil Kadidal
“By combining airborne and ground-based sensors through datalinks, the three capabilities built a robust, clear and tactically useful common operating picture, allowing coalition forces to make timely and informed decisions,” the DoD said.
According to the DoD, personnel from the PAF and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) were also embedded in operations with 114MCRU during the exercise. The air and ground platforms provided a “comprehensive picture of the battlespace, helping co-ordinate aircraft from multiple nations” and ensuring that they could operate “as a single entity”, the DoD said.
The absence of commercially contracted adversary aircraft required Australian and international detachments to alternate as ‘red’ and ‘blue’ forces, according to Air Cdre McCormack.
“One of the agreements that we have with all participating flying nations is that when they come here to fly with us, a certain percentage of their missions will need to be dedicated to perform the ‘red air’ role... but that provides us the numbers of adversary air in the airspace that we need to measure”, he said.
He added that “it would be good to have a dedicated adversary force that is highly skilled in particular tactics and execution” as “they try to make it difficult for ‘blue’ forces to achieve their mission objectives”.
According to IAF Group Cpt Jha, the service’s Rafales operated solely in the air-to-air role during the exercise, flying as both ‘red’ and ‘blue’ forces. The scenarios involved simulated BVR and short-range, infrared-guided missiles, as well as guns.
An IAF officer, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly, told Janes that the Rafales used the prescribed tactics to achieve simulated kills against opposing forces.
“In BVR combat, a simulated long-range missile equivalent to the MBDA Meteor gave the Rafales an advantage, while in close-in combat, the Rafale’s maneuverability was an asset,” he said.
The IAF’s Rafale EH/DH fleet is armed with the Meteor AAM, which has an operational range more than 100 km.
For more information, please see Feature: ‘Pitch Black’ 2026 tests coalition interoperability and new capabilities
