Old Friends forging the 5th generation in Pitch Black 2026.

 

U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightnings descend on Australia’s Top End for Exercise Pitch Black 2026.

 

Article: Jaryd Stock

Images: Ryan Imeson

 

Exercise Pitch Black has been supported by the U.S. Pacific Air Forces since the second iteration of the exercise held back in 1943, and this year the tradition continues as old friends return to Australia for this years exercise.

 Six U.S. Air Force (USAF) F-35A Lightning II aircraft and 275 personnel from the 355th Fighter Squadron (355thFS) have deployed from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, to Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Tindal in the Northern Territory to participate in Exercise Pitch Black 2026, reinforcing the close operational partnership between the United States and Australia.

The 355thFS, assigned to the 354th Fighter Wing at Eielson Air Force Base, is one of the USAF frontline F-35A units and it becomes the first deployment of a F-35A Lightning II aircraft from the USAF to Australia.

U.S. Air Force Colonel Joseph Gilpin 354th Maintenance Group Commander and Detachment Commander for the USAF deployed forces based at Tindal and Darwin for the exercise spoke to APD about this years deployment to Tindal to work along side RAAF No.75 Squadron.

“We’ve pooled people from Eielson and also some from Yokota in Japan to come here for both exercise Southern Cross and Pitch Black.”-Col Gilpin stated.

Initial planning stages for an exercise like Pitch Black start at least a year to six months irout from commencement of the exercise and gradually ramp up closer to start date. Teams of U.S. Pacific Air Forces personnel came to Brisbane, Darwin and Katherine where RAAF Base Tindal is located to liaise and work with their RAAF counterparts.

“We key personnel fly out to Australia for planning conferences and walk the line here at Tindal months ago, and back home around three months ago we selected the aircraft and personnel and those plans accelerated until execution.” -stated Col Gilpin.

“It is a long expansive logistics tail to bring F-35’s from Eielson to Tindal consisting of varying Air Mobility Group from tanker support to C-5’s and C-130’s and it is apart of a extreme complex plan to get the equipment and personnel here to Australia.”

The goal for this years deployment of the 355thFS is to strengthen tactical interoperability and integration with RAAF’s No.75 Squadron which also operate the F-35A Lightning II aircraft at Tindal.

A unique feature of this year’s deployment is the opportunity for U.S. Air Force F-35 pilots to fly Royal Australian Air Force F-35A Lightning II aircraft. The cross-flying initiative allows pilots at this stage from the USAF to gain firsthand experience flying Australian aircraft and understand local operating procedures, further strengthening tactical interoperability and mutual understanding between the two air forces.

 

While the aircraft are virtually identical in capability, operating within another nation’s maintenance logistics and mission planning systems provides valuable experience that cannot be replicated through simulation alone.

Its a desired outcome for RAAF F-35 pilots to fly USAF F-35 aircraft and the vision for at least the USAF is to have ultimate tactical interoperability between its teams and coalition partners.

Col Gilpin stated, “We have had some opportunities to cross service aircraft between USAF maintenance team and RAAF aircraft which has been great and so we will continue to nurture and build on that capability.”  

The deployment also demonstrates the increasing maturity of the Australia-United States F-35 partnership. Shared training, common tactics and seamless integration in the air and on the ground enable both air forces to rapidly combine capabilities during exercises and potential future operations.

As both nations continue to expand their fifth-generation fleets, opportunities such as Pitch Black provide an ideal environment to refine combined combat employment in complex and contested scenarios as 355thFS carry out a range of mission sets throughout the exercise.

For the 355th Fighter Squadron, the deployment represents another step in building enduring partnership with their Australian colleagues continuing a old friendship that stretches over a century while enhancing readiness alongside one of the United States’ closest allies in the Indo-Pacific.