Germany sends aircraft to Australia for multinational military exercises
- 13 German planes to take part in Pitch Black drills, which start on Friday
- Berlin is stepping up engagement in the region as it shifts away from a Beijing-centred Asia policy
Six Eurofighter jets, four A400M multirole aircraft and three A330 tankers left Germany’s Neuburg Air Base on Monday for a flight to Singapore, according to the German Air Force.
The German planes will then fly to Darwin in Australia for the Pitch Black multinational military drills, which will start on Friday and continue until September 9, according to the Australian defence department.
“The Indo-Pacific is of great importance to Germany. We share the same values with many partners in this region,” German Air Force Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz was quoted as saying.
“Defending those values in case of a war emergency and being able to support our partners is something that needs to be practised.”
The 13 aircraft are Germany’s largest peacetime deployment in the Indo-Pacific and the first to take part in the joint drills, which involve 17 countries, including the United States, Britain and Canada as well as Southeast Asian nations.