From Brize Norton to Darwin: Inside the 14,000km journey to Ex Pitch Black

RAF personnel and equipment crossed continents and oceans on their journey from the UK to northern Australia for Exercise Pitch Black.

The deployment travelled through Alaska and Guam before reaching Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley in Queensland.

From there, personnel continued almost 2,850km across Australia to RAAF Base Darwin in the Northern Territory – a distance equivalent to travelling from London to Glasgow more than four times.

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Darwin lies more than 14,000km from the UK, making the movement of personnel, aircraft and equipment a significant logistical operation in its own right.

The RAF contingent includes engineers, logistics specialists, planners, aircrew, chefs and refuellers, alongside other personnel needed to support flying operations.

Their journey ended in the Northern Territory, where Exercise Pitch Black is being held from 20 July to 7 August.

Hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force, the exercise brings together more than 100 aircraft from 21 countries for three weeks of multinational air combat training.

Aircraft are operating from RAAF bases at Darwin, Tindal and Amberley, with missions taking place across Australia's vast military training areas.

The exercise uses complex combat scenarios to test how aircraft and personnel from different countries operate together, from mission planning and engineering to logistics and flying operations.