Why in News?
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is participating in Exercise Pitch Black 2026, hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) at Darwin, Australia, from 20 July to 7 August 2026.
Key Highlights
- Host: Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Australia.
- Venue: RAAF Base Darwin, Northern Australia.
- Frequency: Biennial (held every two years).
- Theme: Multinational air combat exercise with a strong emphasis on night flying over sparsely populated regions of northern Australia.
- History: Conducted for 45 years; one of the largest editions in terms of participating air forces.
Indian Air Force Participation
- Aircraft Deployed:
- Rafale multirole fighter aircraft.
- C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlift aircraft.
- IL-78 Air-to-Air Refuelling aircraft.
- Personnel: Pilots, engineers, technicians, controllers, and other operational experts.
- Previous Participation: 2018, 2022, 2024, and 2026.
Objectives
- Enhance multinational interoperability among participating air forces.
- Validate expeditionary air operations over long distances.
- Improve Large Force Employment (LFE) capabilities.
- Strengthen defence cooperation and operational partnerships across the Indo-Pacific.
- Exchange operational best practices in realistic combat scenarios.
[2025] With reference to India’s defense, consider the following pairs:
Aircraft type Description
1. Dornier-228 Maritime patrol aircraft
2. IL-76 Supersonic combat aircraft
3. C-17 Globe Master IIIMilitary transport aircraft
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
[A] Only one
[B] Only two
[C] All the three
[D] None