The German Air Force is continuing its tour of the Asia-Pacific region this year with major exercises in Australia, German Foreign Policy reported on July 30.
In addition, a short visit by a German military aircraft to New Zealand is planned. In Australia, five German Eurofighters and two tankers are training in air warfare against a fictional country called Malus (Latin for “bad”), which mainly uses Russian fighters.
The training area is located in the far north of Australia, which the US military considers a rear base for operations in a possible war against China. In recent years, the Bundeswehr has already gained experience in military exercises in Australia and is now starting to cooperate with New Zealand.
New Zealand has previously taken a more independent approach, not allowing nuclear submarines into its territorial waters. However, the current government, considered the most right-wing in recent decades, is taking an increasingly pro-US stance.
The Australian Armed Forces have conducted Pitch Black air exercises since the 1980s. The current exercises are the largest in the series to date, involving approximately 4,500 troops from 20 countries and 140 aircraft.
The German Air Force, which is participating in the exercise for the second time since 2022, deployed five Eurofighters and two A330 MRTT tankers. The exercises mainly involve those countries that side with the US in the fight against China, including Japan, India and the Philippines, as well as some European countries such as Great Britain, France and Spain.
For the German Air Force, the exercises are one of five it is conducting as part of a two-month global exercise tour. It has already completed exercises in Alaska and Japan; German fighters are currently training in Hawaii and will follow exercises in India.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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