Exercise PITCH Black

In Context

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) will join 16 other nations, including Quad partner countries for Exercise Pitch Black, the biennial exercise hosted by the Australian Air Force.

About

• The warfare exercise takes place once every two years and is hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
• The aim of this exercise is to practice Offensive Counter Air (OCA) and Defensive Counter Air (DCA) combat. The exercise takes place in a simulated war environment.
• The first Pitch Black exercise took place on June 15-16 1981 between the RAAF units.

Australia India Defence Relationship

• About:
  • Building on a long history of cooperation – including our shared experience in the trenches of World War I in Gallipoli and along the Western Front – Australia and India have a positive defence relationship, underpinned by the 2006 Memorandum on Defence Cooperation and the 2009 Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation.
  • The Australia–India defence relationship now encompasses almost every major function of the military: strategic dialogues, coordination, and information exchanges; military exercises involving ground, air and maritime forces.
• Strategic Dialogue:
  • In June 2020, Australia and India decided to upgrade their Secretaries 2+2 dialogue (Defence and Foreign Affairs) to the Ministerial level. 
• AUSINDEX:
  • Australia and India are committed to working together to enhance maritime cooperation and have had AUSINDEX since 2015.
• Shared Military Platform:
  • India and Australia both border the Indian Ocean and have a shared interest in the maintenance of freedom of navigation and trade.
  • Australia recognises India’s critical role in supporting security, stability and prosperity of the Indian Ocean region.
• IFC-IOR:
  • The Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region in Gurugram is an Indian initiative to boost maritime security and response through the exchange of information related to the ships in the Indian Ocean Region. Both countries are working together on this.
• Civil Nuclear Cooperation:
  • A Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement was signed in September 2014 which came into force in November 2015.
  • The deal ensures that Uranium mining companies of Australia can supply uranium to India for civil use.

Other Military Exercises of India 

• Malabar Exercise: Navies of India, USA, and Japan.
• JIMEX: India-Japan
• Ex-Desert Knight 21 exercise– It is a bilateral air exercise to be held between Indian Air Force and the French air and Space Force.
• Indra Dhanush-It is a joint air force exercise between the Indian Air Force and the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom
• Exercise Pitch Black- India and Australia.
  • The main aim of the exercise is to practice Defensive Counter Air combat and Offensive Counter Air Combat
• AUSINDEX is a bilateral naval exercise between the Indian Navy and the Australian Navy.
  • Both countries hold bilateral army exercises named  AUSTRAHIND.
• Dharma Guardian-The joint military exercise named “Dharma Guardian” between India and Japan.
• Aviaindra –India and Russia joint air exercise.
• Nomadic Elephant-India and  Mongolia joint exercise.

Source: TH