For the first time, the German Air Force, known as the Luftwaffe, is participating in the multi-national Pitch Black warfare exercise in north Australian skies.
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Travelling to Australia as part of the Rapid Pacific deployment, the Luftwaffe arrived in the Northern Territory earlier this month with more than 200 personnel, six Eurofighter Typhoons, three A330 multi-role tanker transports and an A400M transport aircraft.
Chief of the German Air Force Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz said this was the first time the German and Australian air forces would be training together.
"The Indo-Pacific is of great importance to Germany," Lieutenant General Gerhartz said.
"We share the same values with many partners in this region."
"Defending those values in case of a war emergency and being able to support our partners is something that needs to be practised."
En route to Australia, one of the highly anticipated Eurofighter Typhoon, the 'Air Ambassador' with special livery, experienced a hydraulic fault, which necessitated urgent repair in the United Arab Emirates.
The German Eurofighter is a multi-role aircraft employed in air-to-air as well as air-to-ground combat - both at close range and from a long distance.
Only recently, the German government agreed to procure F-35 aircraft to replace the Tornado weapon system, with Pitch Black providing an opportunity to integrate more closely with Australia's F-35A.
"The F-35 aircraft will further expand the broad spectrum of our capabilities," Lieutenant General Gerhartz said
"Since the Royal Australian Air Force is already flying this combat aircraft, we will be able to learn from them as well."
Following Exercise Pitch Black, the Luftwaffe will participate in Exercise Kakadu before continuing their Rapid Pacific deployment to Japan and the Republic of Korea.
Lieutenant General Gerhartz is set to fly in a Eurofighter himself during Exercises Pitch Black and Kakadu, and through to Japan following the exercises.