Papua New Guinea (PNG)’s young, burgeoning air force got a major boost by participating in the massive Pitch Black war games in Northern Australia last week.
PNG flew with top-of-the-line American and Australian jets, strengthening their air force and regional partnerships.
“We are becoming an air force. Flying in Papua New Guinea is a must,” said Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Vavar, the commanding officer of PNG Air Wing, in a recent interview with Reuters. “Eighty percent of the population live in rural areas – so the only way you can get access to them is to fly.”
The inclusion of PNG in these war games aligns with recent defense pacts with Australia and the United States, which aim to bolster security ties as geopolitical dynamics in the Pacific intensify.
China’s growing interest in the Pacific Islands has fueled the region’s competition in recent years.
“Papua New Guinea is one of our key allies in the region,” stated Fiona Pearce, a senior Australian Defence Force officer for RAAF Tindal. “Their survival and our survival is interdependent,” she added, emphasizing the strategic importance of these growing partnerships.
Young Force on the Rise
As previously stated, the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) is a relatively young force, having been established in 1973.
Despite its size of around 2,100 personnel, it fulfills a vital role in national security.
The PNGDF consists of three branches: the Land Element (army), the Air Element, and the Maritime Element. Each plays a crucial role in external threat defense, internal security, and national development tasks.
The PNGDF relies on partnerships with countries like Australia and the United States to maintain its capabilities. These partnerships provide training and equipment support.
Training and Tactical Integration
PNG’s trainee pilots have been actively participating, flying alongside some of the most advanced aircraft in the world, including the US F-22 Raptor and Australian Joint Strike Fighter jets.
Major Randall Hepota, one of the six PNG Air Force pilots, described the experience as invaluable for the growth of their relatively young air force. “It is a learning experience for us as a small air force and it helps to build our air force,” he noted.
During last week’s exercise, the PNG pilots maneuvered three P-750, a rugged and versatile single-engine turboprop aircraft made in New Zealand.
Perfect for Papua New Guinea’s rugged terrain, the P-750 turboprop thrives in challenging environments. Its powerful Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 engine enables short takeoffs and landings (STOL) on even the most limited airstrips, making it ideal for the country’s mountainous landscape.
The PNG P-750s also played a vital role in delivering aid following the Enga landslide disaster in May, demonstrating their capability to reach areas inaccessible to larger aircraft.
A P-750 XSTOL on an Air Demonstration Flyby, 2012. (Wikimedia Commons)
By Far the Largest War Games Yet in the Pacific
Exercise Pitch Black is a biennial war game hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in Northern Australia.
This year, it will run from July 12 to August 2 and is said to be the largest since it began 43 years ago, with 20 nations participating, including:
Australia
Canada
France
India
Indonesia
Germany
Japan
Malaysia
New Zealand
Singapore
South Korea
Thailand
United Kingdom
United States (with Brunei, Fiji, Italy, Spain, PNG, and the Philippines)
The three-week exercise will also feature the Italian Navy’s ITS Cavour, the first aircraft carrier to participate, and more than 140 combat jets and over 4,000 personnel participate.
A Showcase of Emerging Capability
The PNG Air Force’s participation in such high-level military exercises underscores its evolving capabilities and strategic importance in the Pacific theater.
With the support of established military powers and the ability to handle both military and humanitarian missions, Papua New Guinea is rapidly becoming a significant player in regional security dynamics.
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