Airforces

http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #367 OCTOBER 2018 // 73

Top Aces. Simulating MiG-21s in

the exercise, the Alpha Jets are

part of a two-year trial contract

to investigate the benefits of

such a programme. Alpha Jet

pilot Steven Nierlich, a former

Canadian CF-18 aviator, explained:

“The Alpha Jet is a very cost-

effective solution to have a blip

on the radar and something to

fight with after the merge. You

try not to use a Hornet or Super

Hornet to be Red Air which will

cost four times as much to fly.”

The contracted Red Air proved its

worth in the exercise, highlighting

mistakes that pilots can ill afford

if push comes to shove. In one

of the melees that occurred,

a Learjet chalked up a kill of a

generation 4.5 fighter belonging

to a major participant – a lesson

that will probably not be forgotten

by the crew for quite some time.

Coalition partners

Interoperability being the name

of the game, the exercise

provided a level playing field

for participating air forces to

build relationships that will be

beneficial for any future coalition

operations. Pitch Black offered

each nation present the chance

to assume the role of package

commander, giving their crews

valuable exposure in planning and

leading an international formation.

Due to a chronic shortage of local

training airspace, the Republic

of Singapore Air Force (RSAF)

maintains multiple permanent

training detachments in Australia.

Having first taken part in the

exercise series in 1990, the RSAF

relishes the available opportunities.

Lieutenant Loh Yin Onn ‘Odin’ is

an F-15SG pilot who was making

his inaugural participation at Pitch

Black. He said: “Working with

almost 20 times the airspace

available around Singapore, we

get to have a better look at our

tactical execution. There are times

when we have to evaluate based

on longer ranges and the vast

airspace here allows us to do just

that.” Five F-15SGs crewed by 149

Squadron attended the exercise

and employed multiple GBU-31

and GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack

Munitions (JDAMs) during LFE

missions. These jets flew alongside

six F-16C/Ds from 143 Squadron

and single examples of the G550

Conformal Airborne Early Warning

(CAEW) and KC-135R tanker.

While the Armée de l’Air has been

a regular Pitch Black participant

with the French Armed Forces

in New Caledonia CN235, the

deployment of three Rafales

this year was its first fast jet

contribution since 2004, when

its Mirage 2000s made the trip

Down Under. The deployment was

conducted under the Pégase 2018

banner, which also saw visits and

exercises in regional countries.

After a ten-year hiatus, F/A-18D

Hornets of the Royal Malaysian

Air Force’s No 18 Skuadron made

their return to Pitch Black, this

time post-upgrade. Known as the

25X Software Configuration Set

Upgrade, the effort, completed in

2015, brought them closer to the

Super Hornet Block I standard

with Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing

System (JHMCS), AIM-9X and

JDAM capabilities, among others.

Pitch Black also proved to be

a memorable meeting ground

between No 18 Skuadron and

VMFA(AW)-242. The relationship

goes back a long way, with the

initial cadre of Malaysian pilots

having been trained by the ‘Bats’

22 years ago. A mission at the

exercise had both units working

together – No 18 Skuadron

flying OCA to clear the skies for

the ‘Bats’ to conduct CAS.

The puzzle pieces of Plan Jericho

• the RAAF’s strategy to transform
  into the world’s first ‘fifth generation’
  air force – are evidently coming to

fruition. The imminent entry into

service of the F-35A and other

force-multiplier assets will bring

a step change to the warfighting

capabilities of the air arm. With

its well-regarded airspace, training

grounds and international coalition

environment, Pitch Black has

secured itself as the ideal platform

for the RAAF to explore and exploit

these new capabilities at the Top

End for a long time to come.

Exercise Pitch Black

2018 participants

Operator Type Qty

Royal Australian

Air Force

F/A-18F 10

EA-18G 3

F/A-18A/B 15

C-130J 2

C-17A 1

C-27J 2

E-7A 1

PC-9/A 2

KC-30A 1

Royal Canadian

Air Force

CC-130TT 1

French Air Force Rafale B 3

CN235 1

Indian Air Force Su-30MKI 4

C-130J 1

Indonesian Air Force F-16C 8

Royal Malaysian

Air Force

F/A-18D 5

A400M 1

Republic of

Singapore Air Force

F-15SG 6

F-16C/D 5

G550 CAEW 1

KC-135R 1

Royal Thai Air Force JAS 39C/D 6

US Air Force F-16C/D 12

B-52H* 2

US Marine Corps F/A-18C/D 10

KC-130J 2

MV-22 8

Various contractor

support

Learjet 35 8

Alpha Jet 3

* long-range fl ight from Andersen

AFB, Guam

Major Agus Aryanto from the

Indonesian Air Force’s Skadron

Udara 3 returns from a mission.

Eight Indonesian F-16Cs

participated in the exercise,

including F-16C Block 52 TS-1634.

Commonwealth of Australia

Armée de l’Air Rafale B348 ‘4-FO’ taxis back into the dispersal after a Pitch Black sortie. The jet wears the markings of

ETR 3/4 ‘Acquitaine’, the Rafale operational conversion unit and deployed to the Indo-Pacifi c as part of Pégase 2018.

AFM

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