TOP END OF THE GAME

摘要

For much of August, Territorians - as the residents of Australia's Northern Territory are known - experienced the thunderous reverberations of fast jets. During the three weeks from July 27 to August 17, the skies over the region played host to the southern hemisphere's largest air combat manoeuvres and the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF's) premier exercise. Named after the inky nights in the Outback, this year's Exercise Pitch Black was the biggest and most complex yet. Some 4,000 personnel from 16 nations were involved, nine of which contributed a total of around 140 aircraft. These comprised host Australia, exercise regulars Singapore, Thailand and the United States, plus Canada, France, Indonesia, Malaysia and newcomer India.