Following on from their inaugural participation in Pitch Black 2024, the Philippine Air Force has returned for the 2026 event, bringing with them four KAI FA-50PH Fighting Eagle fighter jets from the 5th Fighter Wing – the ‘Bulldogs’, and 166 personnel.
While it’s only the second time they have brought combat jets to Darwin, the PAF is no stranger to the exercise, having sent observers to every event since 2008.
“In 2024 it was a very challenging experience for us, because we were neophytes and it was our first time,” PAF Lieutenant Colonel Mario Mendoza told ADM.
“Not just in terms of interoperability during the exercise, but also the planning. The FA-50 doesn’t have the endurance to fly from the Philippines straight to Darwin, so we had to make a stop in Indonesia for refuelling and there was a lot of bilateral coordination required.”
Since 2024 the PAF’s FA-50PH fleet has received an avionics update, which includes the installation of Link 16, which allows the pilots greater levels of situational awareness and derive more training value as a result.
“It changes the way we can contribute to the total force package,” LTCOL Mendoza said. “And the level of aircraft survivability (in the simulated combat) is higher.”
This year the PAF will also be providing the Mission Commander for missions during the Large Force Employment (LFE) phases of the exercise. Which will be undertaken over the next two weeks
Also for 2026, the PAF hasn’t just deployed aircraft and ground support staff, but it is also embedding Air Battle Managers (ABMs) with the Royal Australian Air Force’s Darwin-based 114 Mobile Control and reporting Unit (MCRU).
Another of the PAF’s objectives during Pitch Black 2026 according to LTCOL Mendoza, is the observation of air-to-air refuelling procedures to both build up a cadre of experience, but also to inform the acquisition of their own tanker aircraft in the near future.
“Also new for 2026, we have embeds for AAR. Although we don’t have those aircraft in our inventory today, they are on the horizon,” LTCOL Mendoza said. “That’s why we’re taking the opportunity for our personnel to observe the operations of those kinds of assets. Not just building experience, but also the knowledge that comes from those exchanges we can use as we actually decide which AAR aircraft is best for the Philippines. It’s actually a two-fold objective.”
LTCOL Mendoza said the PAF personnel would be flying with the US Air Force, aboard their KC-135R tankers and the Royal Air Force and NATO Multinational Multi-role Tanker Transport Fleet’s (MMF) similar Voyager and MRTT aircraft.