Through the Lens: Pitch Black 2024.
Article: Jaryd Stock
Images: Jaryd Stock, Daniel Vorbach, Ryan Imeson and Joel Thomas.
Exercise Pitch Black 24 concluded on August 2nd 2024, after three weeks of high-intensity training in the skies over Australia’s top end.
Pitch Black is the Royal Australian Air Force’s premier international engagement activity, the exercise involved approximately 4400 personnel and 140 aircraft from 20 nations which for the first time included a Carrier Strike group from Marina Militare (Italian Navy).
It was the biggest Pitch Black in the exercise’s 43-year history with missions of more than 50 aircraft at a time in one of the world’s largest military training areas, on the first day of Pitch Black over 140 movements of aircraft were recorded at RAAF Base Darwin alone.
Air Commodore Pete Robinson, Officer Commanding the Exercise, said the exercise delivered the training and engagement goals of all participating nations and strengthened relationships and friendships.
“The feedback from all international partners and our own people alike was that Exercise Pitch Black 24 was a world-class air combat training activity,” Air Commodore Robinson said.
“More than 1700 missions were flown in the exercise across an exercise area about the size of Great Britain.
“The value of this exercise comes in the experience we’ve built with international partners, and the friendships and relationships we’ve created with them on the ground and in the air.”
Air Commodore Robinson saved special praise for his staff who activated their safety and emergency training when an Italian Air Force pilot ejected from a Typhoon aircraft on July 24.
“We train for these scenarios as part of our safety planning, and I was pleased to see the calm, professional and quick work by our teams to ensure this positive outcome – I couldn’t be happier with how they all performed.”
Exercise Pitch Black 24 highlights included first-time participation by aircraft and personnel from Philippines, Spain, Italy, and Papua New Guinea as well as embedded personnel from Fiji and Brunei.
The exercise also involved aircraft from France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States; and embedded personnel from Canada and New Zealand.
The exercise was conducted predominantly from RAAF Bases Darwin and Tindal in the Northern Territory and RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland.
We will publish more articles from the exercise featuring interviews from crews that participated, but for now here is a selection of images from the three week exercise.
Jaryd picked up a camera at a young age and has never looked back. He now combines photography and writing to highlight "Downunder" aviation; especially U.S. DoD units. Jaryd uses Nikon cameras and lenses.