The purpose of this multilateral training is not just a competition between the fighters of each country, but a large-scale air campaign in cooperation with the participating countries, with the aim of improving the overall fighting capabilities.
From 7 September 2022, the Royal Australian Air Force exercise “Pitch Black 22” takes place around Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory, in northern Australia. In addition to Japan and other Asian countries, many countries from as far away as Europe are participating, bringing the total number of countries to 17.
Fighters from each country are deployed to Darwin Air Force Base and Tyndall Air Force Base in the Northern Territory, but the maximum number is said to be about 100 and they train together, flying across national borders for about three weeks.
This time, five F-2 fighters belonging to the 3rd Squadron under the 7th Air Wing belonging to Hyakuri Air Base were dispatched from Japan. It was the first time for the Air Self-Defense Force to participate in this training and it also attracted attention from foreign media.
The term “joint exercise” has been heard in the news before and is often conducted in Japan with US forces in Japan. North” and “Red Flag Alaska” held in Alaska are also multilateral training exercises in which Air Self- participates.
However, little has been said about the specifics of education. Therefore, this time Major Yuino was asked what kind of mission the Air Self-Defense Force fighters participating in ‘Pitch Black 22’ had during the training. Wing Commander).
The greater purpose is to be able to clear the shipment
Training is basically divided into “Blue Air” and “Red Air”. Simulated missions will be carried out according to the scenarios and situations we have set.
When you think of aviator training, you probably think of piloting and operating the ship’s equipment. However, it is only one method in fighter warfare and the primary objective is the big picture of the overall air battle. In training, instead of just piloting a fighter plane, a battle scenario is created to match the actual situation and a simulated aerial battle is played out with the distribution of forces between allies and enemies accordingly.
Also, in ‘Blue Air’ and ‘Red Air’, it is said that the fighting style will change depending on the plans that are set. In the case of “blue air”, the F-2 fighters can show their capabilities to the maximum and fight, but in the case of “red air”, you have to play the role of a completely different fighter opponent, to create the situation in which it is supposed to be part of education.
And this is because the purpose of this multilateral training is not just a competition between the fighters of each country, but a large-scale air campaign in cooperation with the participating countries, with the aim of improving the overall fighting capabilities.
First of all, the ultimate goal of fighter pilots is not the individual victory of shooting down an enemy plane, but the achievement of a complete mission for the formation to which they belong. It can be said that, this is not only true for this multilateral exercise, but also for all military aircraft training.
The training itself is essentially the same as what we do in Japan. The purpose of this training was not only to improve our own skills, but also to improve our interoperability with the RAAF (there was also an in-flight refueling mission by an RAAF flying tanker plane) and to deepen mutual understanding with the participating air forces.
In this training, pilots and maintenance personnel from each country not only perform their missions together, but also interact regularly outside the flight. They seem to deepen their friendship, because there is a need for an international safety framework and it can be said that the foundation for this is grassroots liaisons between SDF personnel.
When it comes to fighter pilots, we sometimes have the image of a lonely existence, just pursuing victory due to the influence of movies. However, what is required of real fighter pilots is not only their own piloting skills, but also a great insight into how they should be used. And as people operating in the same “heavenly world”, it may be the ability to communicate that creates connections with other countries.
