Exercise Pitch Black 2024
Story and photos by Dion Makowski, material first published in aviationreportdownunder.wordpress.com
With Exercise Pitch Black 2024 now winding up we will place it in its context with some informed observations and quotations.
Air Force ensured media had access to aircraft and personnel for the first week of operations. This allowed photography opportunities as well as the ability to interview key members of the international contingent here for the exercise.
We were permitted airside and RAAF control tower access (operated by 452 Squadron – an ex-WWII Spitfire squadron). We also joined members of the public for the Mindil Beach flypast display. Statistics have been restated many times, a few additional ones were revealed by Air Force: Exercise Pitch Black 24 – the largest in the exercise’s 43-year history. It brought together 20 participating nations and over 140 aircraft from around the world, with approximately 4,435 personnel participating. Nations participating for the first time include Brunei, Fiji, Italy, Papua New Guinea (Brining their PAC750 utility aircraft), the Philippines (KAI FA50 Light combat aircraft) and Spain (EF2000). “It’s about shared values for security and stability, people and prosperity in the region”, said a media panel moderator from the New Zealand contingent. “Darwin community support is outstanding and much appreciated”. RAAF 13 Squadron performs the base support role at Darwin. 350 personnel helped organise PB2024 plus, some 67 augmenters from around Australia. There were 52 foreign forces members embedded in logistics. Fuel – in the first week (a relatively quiet one) 1 million litres was pumped per day for the 140 aircraft attending. In that first week alone they had unloaded about 318 tons of cargo, 150 aircraft pallets, 60 shipping containers whilst catering serves up some 6,000 meals per day across the base in that first week. This year’s exercise was conducted primarily from RAAF Base Darwin and RAAF Base Tindal in the Northern Territory; with additional aircraft operating from RAAF Base Amberley, located near Ipswich in Queensland.
Key participants this Pitch Black are the Italian Marina Militaire (Navy) with the ITS Cavour Carrier Strike Group (CSG) and Aeronautica Militaire (Air Force) as a joint effort of their defence capacity brought to the exercise.
Rear-Admiral Giancarlo Ciappina, Commander, ITS Cavour Strike Carrier Group (comprising ITS Cavour (Pennant CVH550) a Short-Take Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) aircraft carrier and the European Multi-Mission Frigate Alpino (F594), gave us his valuable time and offered some detail: This carrier is the flagship of Navy CINCNAV – Commander in Chief of the Navy Fleet (and therefore the Italian navy flagship). The frigate, a powerful vessel in its own right, is an ASW type as well as anti-air, fielding variable-depth sonar for long-distance underwater threat identification. The CSG was initially escorted by Spain’s Frigate Numancia and France’s Aconit. A “Multi-national footprint”. When transiting the Red Sea, the Eisenhower Carrier Group would work alongside.
This marks the CSG’s first participation in the Indo-Pacific region with this deployment of over 5 months “This is a very important deployment”, according to the Rear-Admiral, because Italy wishes to prove their ability to project sea-power and air-power across the globe and to demonstrate their country’s commitment to regional security in this immensely important part of the world. It is a multi-national deployment with participation in the CSG by Spanish and French ships. Italy also brought to the “fight’, several Eurofighter EF2000 Typhoon fighters, “Kay-EW”- the Gulfstream E-550A CAEC and a KC-767A.
The detachment brought on its embarked air group of 7x AV-8 Harriers (six single-seaters and the last two-seat Harrier operational in Europe) and F-35B. 6x Navy -B Models with two F-35B from the Aeronautica Militaire (to join Cavour after the exercise) make 15 aircraft (plus 3x SH-90A (NH90-NFH) naval utility helicopters) which would be based at Darwin for a large part of the exercise. F-35B is on track to declare Initial Operational Capability (IOC). AV-8B+ (Harrier II) aircraft were also flown over from Cavour and later recovered to operate from the deck for the second part of the exercise. Home ported at Taranto, Cavour was moored at Kuru Wharf, HMAS Coonawarra Naval Base Darwin for the first week of PB.
There was an Interesting comment by LTCOL Brandon Pope, the Squadron commander, U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey-equipped Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 268, (reinforced) “Red Dragons”. LTCOL Pope stated that the squadron was “excited to work with the Italians, landing on the ITS Cavour, as well as the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship (RFA) Lime Bay while here (a sister ship to RAN Bay-Class ship HMAS Choules L100). (This unit sits under Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 24, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) from Marine Corps Base Hawaii, which form part of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 2024 Air Combat Element (ACE).
Projecting combat power from the air, said General Commanding Aeronautica Militaire Detachment Darwin, General B.A. Filippo Nanelli, is the aim. The first milestone was integration of the Italian Navy and Air Force F-35 force. “a milestone integration, our aircraft flown together” (each by their own pilots of course) but we plan together and brief together. They utilise a joint command structure. As part of the F-35 community Italy are ready to move forward with their partners, favouring to train here with Australia’s F-35A operators but also US and other users. After PB further training and exercises will occur throughout the Pacific. Last year, 4x F-35s were deployed to Japan within 72 hours. “We want to emphasise the very high commitment made in numbers of people and assets”.
Perhaps a year of pre-planning has gone into this including working with the F-35 partners in advance of the deployment. The maintenance side, the corporate knowledge, procedures, experience and spare parts, are also shared. They produce a mission profile inside the F-35 community itself.
They are off to exercise with Japan following this exercise. “It’s about building capability”, said R-A Ciappina. The opportunity to fly with or engage dissimilar aircraft types builds capability for all participants, again a common theme among participants.
On the AV-8B+ as manufactured for Italy by Boeing, the Rear-Admiral stated had commenced with operations on the (aircraft carrier) Garibaldi (now leaving service) and operated for 35 years. They are used for fleet defence and to protect the contiguous Esercito Italiano (army) Infantry Brigade when they conduct amphibious operations.
The US retiring their AV-8s means it becomes difficult to support the Italian Navy’s own platform. We had the opportunity to interview one of their pilots, indeed the same guy who flew in the memorable Mindil Beach display this year (which saw AV-8 and F-35B both in the hover “with flair”!). Fabio Bugane, “Booger” is his callsign and he’s a high-time AV-8, and now F-35B pilot. He described the AV-8 as having a STOL and V/STOL capability. It can launch a short takeoff with payload (bombs, missiles and fuel) and then conduct a vertical landing on recovery to the carrier. They may conduct defensive and offensive counter-air for fleet defence or airborne interdiction – strike missions. Harrier featured 7x underwing/belly/fuselage hard points for defensive missiles, precision guided munitions (GPS or laser-guided bombs), laser targeting pod and guns. The Italian Defence ministry gives further data: The version adopted by the Italian Navy is armed with a 25mm gun with 300 rounds, installed in a pod under the fuselage, AMRAAM medium-range, radar-guided missiles and AIM-9L Sidewinder IR-guided missiles in close range engagements. In air defense missions, its multi-mode radar is capable of ensuring the target lock-on, while in attack missions it carries out terrain mapping, target detection and tracking in adverse weather conditions.
“Booger” is at pains to state that the F-35B can do all of this plus, SEAD (Suppression & Destruction of Enemy Air Defences), surveillance with just one jet. He then discussed flying the jet, stating he prefers conventional takeoff which the 24,000-lb thrust fully-loaded AV-8 can do (say 36,000lbs all-up weight) if the ship is into the wind and producing 25 wind knots over the 300-foot flight deck. Depending on the load, AV-8 can takeoff fully loaded with no catapult, midway down the deck. The jet has no tailhook and the carrier has no wires to catch. Fully loaded, they don’t do vertical takeoffs, for instance, with no weapons and 5,000lbs of gas and landing is vertical as limited deck space is available – take THAT US Navy.
Echoing the Italian statements, in a media panel we were addressed by Lt-Colonel Fabian, German Air force Deputy Detachment Commander, Darwin. Germany were this year part of the Pacific Skies with the French and Spanish. (Last year’s deployment was named “Rapid Pacific”). “This has been the largest and longest employment ever done by the postwar Luftwaffe” he said. Their main goal is “To improve and enlarge our capabilities in terms of strategic deployment all around the world – for Pitch Black 2024 itself, we want to train with different nations here in Australia, gain a common understanding of how they train in order to enhance our interoperability skills in a training environment and be able to react flexibly and succeed in a highly dynamic setting, both day and night, air-to-ground and air-to-air”.
“We bring in 5x Typhoons from GAF, said Shrokl, route Germany-Alaska-Japan-Australia, 2x A400M and parts (3 A330-MRTT aircraft) of MMU (the NATO Multinational Multirole Tanker Unit based in Eindhoven Airport, Netherlands and currently deployed to Amberley to save on ramp space at Darwin)”. We participate in five exercises while we are deployed in the Pacific”.
Moving to RAAF Base Tindal, the “secret” Australian air base referred to in the press as “Katherine” (the nearby town and also name of the civil airport on the shared airfield). Tindal is the base for RAAF’s reformed 9 SQN MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Here, we were to experience the F-35A and visiting F-22 Raptor, together representing the best of the 5th-generation jets now in service worldwide. Fifth-gen jets combine stealth, advanced sensors, information fusion and network connectivity – all within a supersonic, long-range, highly maneuverable fighter. We spoke with 75 Squadron RAAF and USAF (US Air Force) 27th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron “Black Falcons”.
Squadron Leader Andrew Nielsen (callsign “Fiddy”) is Commanding Officer, 75 Squadron, which has for decades effectively been our nation’s frontline defence in northern Australia. We have followed 75 during their operations with the F/A-18 Classic Hornet, now with F-35A Lightning II. For 2024, 75 supports Pitch Black with limited capacity because concurrently, they are preparing personnel, equipment and jets for their first F-35 deployment to exercise Red Flag Alaska. They do field some jets for the morning and evening mission sets, blue and red air (defender and aggressor) but no night flying. Of F-22 integration, as with other partners, it’s about the relationships and networking now and for future interactions, and the very great advantage of seeing how other nations “do business”, debriefs to take away lessons learnt are incredibly important. “Fiddy” told us planning starts 3-4 hours ahead of the mission, from the formation down. After this, there’s an hour to prepare – suit up, check equipment etc. Blue force is very scripted in mission terms. Missions are mostly flown for over an hour and a half depending on fuel taken on during the flight. Debrief would start 2-3 hours after the mission lands. The guests, being the F-22A squadron the 27th EFS, use the same briefing rooms and spaces as 75. These rooms are preserved for visiting forces and this contributes to networking interactions as well as helping reduce traffic at Darwin.
Out at the runway, we were shown departures from some of the aircraft currently on base, including F-35As, F-22s and Growlers. Among those, are six F-22s from Joint base Langley- Eustis AFB, Va. There, the 27th are domiciled with the prestigious 94th FS “Hat in the Ring” of WWI fame, also equipped with F-22A. B-Course, ex-Eglin is also now housed there. We spoke with Lt-Colonel Ryan “Trip” Nicoll, CO, 27th EFS. The F-22 squadron has the role of PB2024 support – the very first time F-22s have been involved in this exercise. This unit is also quite debrief-focussed and demonstrates the importance of PB to all participants as a learning exercise. The 27th are flying blue or red like everyone else. Says “Trip”, “We’ve proven our capability to generate the airpower we need regardless of where we go – for us it’s just normal ops”. In response to our question re squadron readiness for any regional emergency, he wouldn’t speculate on tactical or operational elements such as sharing maintenance, equipment or stores, but offered that they are “always highly trained and ready to go”. Interestingly, other queries elicited that the 27th was substituted for the 94th – the squadron originally intended to deploy. In PB terms, F-22s are available to the mission commander as part of joint force. Just like all other partner countries there is a mix of first timers and experience, flying a lot of hours. In preparation for their participation, “Trip” discloses that US Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) has seen the inter-transfer of project officers between units. This allows for leveraging of what is termed “gouge”, the tips and tricks of the trade, from the other PACAF units who were here previously. They seek to train their new guys on integration with foreign governments and shared objectives “True allied partner integration is based on trust – this is how we build trust”.
They debrief with the exercise teams in Darwin to co-ordinate and check that they are meeting objectives and training outcomes.
We would like to conclude with an Australian story. On our first air refuelling flight out of Tindal in the tanker, callsign WINDSOR2, I was offered the jump seat for landing. Our boom operator or “Boomer”, was FLGOFF Ethan, 33 Squadron. I spoke with him at his station. He has been in the role for two years but only based at Tindal for a week, which cuts the flight times which are around 9-10 hours out of Amberley. Ethan had relatives in aviation, he always wanted to fly. He first tried for pilot but found a niche role in Air to Air refuelling (AAR). He says it’s the best thing that ever happened to him, joining the RAAF. He loves the opportunities including for overseas duties. Subsequent events that week made me appreciate the professionalism of all areas of Air Force and the challenges involved in protecting our nation from external aggression. In the words of a serving airman, “these guys do a great job, so well we take it for granted but as we can see, it doesn’t take long for events to go real-world”.
We leave the final comment with a quote from Lieutenant Kobayashi, Darwin detachment, Japanese Air Self-Defense Force: “The international community is facing the greatest trial…we have entered a new era of crisis”.
Aviation Report thanks RAAF Base commanders and squadron commanders who made themselves available for interview, the pilots and crews, international partner nation’s air force detachment commands, specifically the Italian Aeronautica and Marina Militaire for their kindness and ramp access, BASO Darwin, Air force Security, RAAF Air Movements, the Pitch Black Media team and all our PAOs for their kind assistance in providing many superb opportunities for us during the media week. We have reached out to those who have assisted us personally, with thanks.
A Gallery of RAAF Super Hornets and Growlers:
