Japanese F-35A stealth fighters are flying training missions over Australia for the first time as part of Exercise Pitch Black, a multinational military exercise held every two years. The 2026 iteration runs from July 20 to August 7 and features around 100 aircraft.

This deployment is viewed by experts as part of a broader strategic pivot to bolster U.S. and allied resilience against Beijing in the event of a Taiwan contingency. The exercise follows closely on the heels of the inaugural Southern Cross drills, where Japanese, U.S., and Australian F-35s trained together.

Southern Cross also introduced a new trilateral logistics arrangement allowing the three air forces to share fuel and equipment, facilitating sustained coalition air power far from home bases. Together, these developments indicate a shift in allied air power strategy, with northern Australia becoming a critical rear area for coalition operations. This location enables partners to train, sustain operations, share logistics, and build industrial capacity necessary for prolonged conflict.

Given Beijing's expanding missile reach across the first island chain, northern Australia offers coalition forces a safer zone to refuel, rearm, and relaunch aircraft, keeping them farther from potential conflict zones.

Timothy Heath, head of defense research firm Perceptum, noted that such interoperability "can also improve the survivability of allied forces since they can relocate and operate from other bases more easily."

Sources

South China Morning Post World by Gabriel Dominguez, published July 31, 2026.