Pitch Black 24 – Why the European air forces are Down Under

Hugs mingle with smiles and tired faces on the flight line at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) air base in Darwin. The German and Spanish Eurofighters, French fighters and A330 MRTTs of the Multinational MRTT Unit, responsible for air-to-air refuelling operations, have just arrived from Japan.

Spanish, French and German aviators, the three nations participating in the Pacific Skies deployment - 4 continents, 58,000 kilometres, a month and a half expedition - have trained in Alaskan airspace alongside the Americans and, after a quick stop in country of the rising sun, are ready for their next challenge in northern Australia: Exercise Pitch Black.

Even if it is on the other side of the world, it can affect us

Organised by the RAAF since 1981, Pitch Black is one of the world’s largest military air exercises. Never before has it been on a larger scale than this year’s, with 140 aircraft from 20 countries and more than 4,400 military personnel involved. 

“We are in a global environment, in which anything that happens, even if it is on the other side of the world, can affect us, our interests, European interests and Spanish interests,” explains colonel Jesús Margaretto of the Spanish Air and Space Army, participating in the exercise for the first time with four Eurofighter aircraft. 

“The deployment of the air forces of these three countries, together or even autonomously, sends a message of our commitment in the Indo-Pacific framework.” 

“Pitch Black is an exercise in which there are fourth and fifth generation aircraft. The scenarios are very complex and there are aerial platforms that we are not used to operating with,” adds the Spanish colonel.

Indian Su-30s, US F22s, Thai Gripen and Indonesian F16s are some of the platforms with which Spanish and German Eurofighters, French fighters, French and German A330 MRTTs and French A400M train realistic and simulated threats, in a modern combat environment.

An airspace almost as big as Germany

Colonel Björn Andersen from the German Air Force, Contingent Commander at Pitch Black, stresses from Australia the importance of the Indo-Pacific region for Germany, as well as the distinctive features of the exercise.

“The exercise Pitch Black provides us with a relatively unique exercise opportunity. The airspace here in northern Australia is almost as big as Germany. This gives us the opportunity to work in large joint operations with our multinational partners to practise air warfare here.,” he says.

“The German Air Force shows with this exercise its operational readiness worldwide.”

Germany participated in the exercise with 5 Eurofighters and 2 A330 MRTTs from MMU.

20 years of French participation

This year, the French Air and Space Force came to Australia from the east, with the Griffin Strike deployment, alongside the British, and from the west, with Pacific Skies, alongside Germany and Spain.

For France, the Indo-Pacific is key and this deployment demonstrates its ability to rapidly deploy and protect its overseas territories (New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Reunion) and to be a reliable and credible military partner in the region.

Pitch Black is nothing new for the French. They have been taking part for 20 years, and this time, in addition to the fighter jets and A330 MRTTs for refuelling and logistics missions, they have an A400M as a tactical aircraft.

Besides France, Spain and Germany, Airbus military aircraft at Pitch Black 2024 include Eurofighters and A330 MRTTs from the United Kingdom, Eurofighters from Italy and A330 MRTTs from Singapore and Australia.