Finland and Sweden sent official delegations to Exercise Pitch Black 26 for the first time, marking the two Nordic nations’ initial participation in Australia’s flagship multinational air combat exercise. The delegations traveled to Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Darwin to observe the exercise, which runs from July 20 to August 7, 2026 across Northern Australia. Officials sought to understand how Australia manages the coordination of fourth- and fifth-generation fighter aircraft within a large-scale, multinational exercise. He added that the Finnish team plans to bring lessons learned from Pitch Black back home to inform how Finland approaches similar exercises going forward. For the Swedish Air Force, Pitch Black offered a chance to observe how a partner nation operates and maintains aircraft at scale, across long distances and in demanding conditions.