Exercise Pitch Black 2017

Introduction Date/Time: 6 October 2017 Location: Timor Sea A renewed Asian arms race has been underway for many years and both Australian and Indonesian forces have contined to receive new platforms as orders are fulfilled by foreign suppliers. By 2017 Indonesia has gone deeply into debt to keep up with her northern and southern neighbours' capabilities. EX PITCH BLACK 2017, the latest of many annual joint exercises between the ADF and TNI, is about to commence on 8 October and an Indonesian air and naval task force has assembled off the coast of Nusa Tenggara Timor (NTT). The Indonesian forces include a full squadron of Sukhoi aircraft from Russia and F-16C Blk 32 aircraft from the United States. Meanwhile Australia has recently commissioned the first Air Wafare Destroyer (AWD) HMAS Hobart and the HMAS Canberra LPH into service.