RSAF fights together with F-35s & other top guns at multinational air combat exercise

In a mass war game, air forces from some 20 nations gather to plan a Large Force Employment mission.

They break up into teams at Exercise Pitch Black and work together to face threats from enemy fighter jets and surface-to-air missiles.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is part of the roll call, having been a regular participant in the biennial exercise in Darwin, Australia.

Fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets from the Royal Australian Air Force and Italian Air Navy and Air Force are deployed as well, bringing advanced sensor capabilities to the battlefield.

There is significant advantage in having the F-35s on board in a mission, said F-15SG Weapon Systems Officer (Fighter) Captain (CPT) Hannah Teo, who flew alongside the aircraft.

“They have very complex avionics and superior sensor integration. These help to enhance our situational awareness in the mission and…(also) help the fourth-generation fighters maintain air superiority in the fight,” said the 29-year-old from 149 Squadron (SQN).

F-16 pilot CPT Nyang Bing Ru agreed, saying that the F-35 can locate and track moving targets on the ground more quickly.

“This allows us to achieve mission success in a shorter time period – enhancing the survivability of not only the F-35 but the entire package with the F-15s and F-16s as well,” he said. The 33-year-old is from 143 SQN.

Bringing together 20 different national and organisational cultures is the joy of Exercise Pitch Black, said RAAF Exercise Director Air Commodore Pete Robinson to media on 23 Jul.

“We need to work through what is different between each nation, understand what the strengths are… And when you put those strengths together, what you get…is very powerful.” 

Air Commodore Robinson, 56, added that the Singapore and Australian air forces have worked closely together in not only Exercise Pitch Black but also other exercises.

On sharing operational knowledge of the F-35 aircraft with Singapore, he said: “Australia has been operating the F-35 for a number of years now and we look forward to operating with…our friends in the region.

“The lessons we have learnt to bring the F-35 to service, are lessons we want to share with our close allies.”

Earlier on 22 Jul, RSAF Exercise Director Colonel Lee Mei Yi, 39, also said that the operational value of Exercise Pitch Black was training in the vast air space there – 10 times the size of Singapore – and with a large number of participating aircraft from different nations.

The RSAF’s Ground-Based Air Defence systems have also returned to take part in the exercise series for the first time since 2016. These assets play an important role in air-to-ground strikes and defence.

Flying with foreign nations

For Italian Air Force F-35 pilot Mirko, participating in Exercise Pitch Black was important “to test (their) skills and work with partners and friends in a huge exercise”. Italy is making its debut at the exercise this year.

He added that he had worked with the RSAF during the planning and execution phase of a mission.

“They had (a) wide (variety of) skills and it was really nice to work with them. We had the opportunity to share information and some experience about the missions we flew here, like defensive missions – we simulated being attacked and having to work together in order to defend our land.”

As part of Exercise Pitch Black, the RSAF’s F-16s dropped their Joint Direct Attack Munition, or JDAMs, for the first time in Australia. The aircraft had only deployed the bombs while training in the United States previously.

The RSAF’s A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport also conducted air-to-air refuelling with other nations’ fighter jets, such as the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force Typhoons and the French Rafales.

The tanker also refuelled two RAAF F-18 jets at the same time during a mission on 22 Jul, through port tanking at either of its wings.

This operation cannot be done with the RSAF’s own fighters as its F-16 and F-15SG receives fuel through a single boom, at the belly of the aircraft.

Fast pace for both air & ground crew

The back-to-back missions at Exercise Pitch Black makes for a higher training tempo for the ground crew as well.

“The training has been very hectic compared to day-to-day training in Singapore… (It makes me learn) to be more effective in my operational competencies,” said 1st Sergeant (1SG) Chua Jia Jun, 23, an Air Force Engineer (AFE) from 805 SQN.

The night flying also makes for longer days for the ground crew, added fellow AFE Military Expert (ME) 1 Sakthi Jesh s/o Muruganatham.

“Our work stretches till longer into the night…until after the aircraft lands and we have to recover it,” said the 24-year-old, who works on the F-16 fighter jets in the same squadron.

“We overcome this by proper planning – to make sure ground crew gets sufficient rest for the next day.”

ME1 Sakthi added: “It’s a different training environment and the operations are always higher-paced here. So this helps us mentally prepare ourselves better in terms of war preparation and also for future detachment, and I think we improve as air force engineers.” 

Watch the RSAF crew preparing for and flying in day and night missions at Exercise Pitch Black!