Page 36 - Defence Industry Guide #57

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ADM’s Defence Industry Guide 2023 | Edition 57 | www.defencesuppliers.com.au
during the exercise, which involved complicat- ed offensive counter air (OCA) and defensive counter air (DCA) scenarios being played out.
“Several countries are participating in Pitch Black for the first time and we welcome them to the exercise and the magnificent Northern Territory,” AIRCDRE Alsop said.
The exercise involved both day and night missions which took advantage of the vast training area available in the relatively empty skies of Australia’s Top End.
al platform to complicate the air picture. Control for the exercise was provided by the ground controllers of the RAAF’s 114 Mobile Control and Reporting (MCRU) unit and single examples of an RAAF E-7A Wed- getail and Republic of Singapore Air Force Gulfstream 550 airborne early warning
(AEW) aircraft.
Such was the impact of Pitch Black 2022
that before the exercise had concluded,
Germany’s Luftwaffe indicated its intention to participate in the 2024 event and the Philippines’ Depart- ment of National Defence (DND) announced it will partici- pate for the first time with a number of KAI KA-50 fighters. A detailed look at each of the Pitch Black 2022 participants is available on ADM’s website and an in-depth look at the exer-
cise appeared in the November issue of the print magazine. ■
One aspect missing largely from Pitch Black 2022 how- ever was the Air-Land Integration piece evident in recent iterations and instead this year’s event concentrated on the air combat role. The only airlifter to take part in fact was a single Airbus CN235 from the French Air Force, which played the role of a high value asset (HVA) insertion/remov-
“PITCH BLACK IS A LARGE FORCE EMPLOYMENT EXERCISE DRIVEN
BY FIGHTER COMBAT SCENARIOS”
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT:
RSAF F-16Ds taken at Exercise Pitch Black 2022. A Luftwaffe Eurofighter taken at RAAF Base Darwin, departing for a Pitch Black mission.
A RAAF E-7A Wedgetail from No.2 Squadron, taken at RAAF Base Tindal.
An IAF Su-30MKI at Exercise Pitch Black 22.
A RAAF EA-18G at Exercise Pitch Black 22.