1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,480 Speaker 1: I think that most of us understand that Exercise Pitch 2 00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:05,200 Speaker 1: Black is well and truly underway at the moment. And 3 00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:07,640 Speaker 1: joining me in the studio is the officer in charge 4 00:00:07,680 --> 00:00:11,200 Speaker 1: of Exercise Pitch Black, air commodore Tim Alsop. Good morning 5 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 1: to you, timok great have you in this studio. Now 6 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:17,119 Speaker 1: we know that exercise pitch Black it's moving into a 7 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:20,079 Speaker 1: new phase this week, most notably for Darwin and Catherine. 8 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:22,079 Speaker 1: It does mean that there is some night flying. 9 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:24,919 Speaker 2: Talk us through what's planned. Yeah, that's right. 10 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 3: So we're into week two of the three week activity 11 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:30,920 Speaker 3: and people will have noticed that we've shifted our days, 12 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:34,080 Speaker 3: so we're now into an afternoon and night cycle where 13 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:36,720 Speaker 3: where we're starting to bring in some of the complexity 14 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:38,919 Speaker 3: of doing this really complex training at night. 15 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:41,559 Speaker 1: How is that then for the pilots and what does 16 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:44,360 Speaker 1: it mean for everybody that's involved in the exercise. 17 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:48,279 Speaker 3: Well, we train to operate at night as a standard thing, 18 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:50,280 Speaker 3: but it does bring all sorts of complexity. So you 19 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:53,280 Speaker 3: still need to get a vast volume of aircraft out 20 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 3: into the training airspace and get them back safely when 21 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 3: it's dark, but you get too employ all sorts of 22 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:03,840 Speaker 3: other technology that we have so things like night vision 23 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 3: goggles or, in the case of the F thirty five, 24 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:10,840 Speaker 3: a pretty astounding three hundred and sixty degree system that 25 00:01:10,959 --> 00:01:15,560 Speaker 3: projects the environment into your visor to the point where 26 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:18,399 Speaker 3: you can look down at your legs and you see 27 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:18,880 Speaker 3: the ground. 28 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 2: That's wild. Let's see, it's pretty freaky. 29 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:24,479 Speaker 1: The first time you do it, most of us can't 30 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 1: even imagine what that would be like. It sounds like 31 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:29,039 Speaker 1: a computer game, but definitely not real life. 32 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 2: That's right. 33 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:31,720 Speaker 3: It looks a bit like an eighties video game. It's 34 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:33,959 Speaker 3: all green because that's sort of optimized for the way 35 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:36,800 Speaker 3: your eyes work. But it's but it's pretty staggering and 36 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:38,480 Speaker 3: you get used to it really really fast. 37 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 1: Yeah right, What is it like when you're trying that 38 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 1: new sort of technology and doing that kind of thing 39 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:44,119 Speaker 1: for the first time. 40 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 3: We do a lot of our training, particularly F thirty five, 41 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:48,560 Speaker 3: A lot of the training is done and simulate it 42 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:51,880 Speaker 3: because there are only one seat versions of this aircraft. 43 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:54,880 Speaker 3: There's no two seat training versions. So the first time 44 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:58,040 Speaker 3: our pilots fly this thing, it's by themselves, which is 45 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:00,760 Speaker 3: pretty cool. But by that stay, they will have done 46 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 3: probably a couple of months of simulator training where they're 47 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:06,680 Speaker 3: really good at the systems. They know what to do 48 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:09,640 Speaker 3: if it goes wrong, they can manage all of the 49 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 3: procedures and stuff. 50 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 2: So really you're just applying that knowledge into the real world. 51 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 1: Wow, so a couple of months you know, training before 52 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 1: you even get up in the air. 53 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:18,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a fabit to learn. 54 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:21,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, there would be. And yet it sounds like it'll 55 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:25,000 Speaker 1: be incredibly interesting. Also, you know, I guess you'd be 56 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:27,320 Speaker 1: slightly nervous going up the first time too. Although you 57 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:28,079 Speaker 1: guys are used. 58 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:32,639 Speaker 3: To it, you're still nervous. It's more excitement though, Yeah, 59 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 3: and I've been flying fighters for twenty something years, but 60 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:42,679 Speaker 3: still it excites me. And I was very lucky to 61 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 3: do a conversion on of the new jet a couple 62 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 3: of years ago, and that was it's sort of so 63 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:51,240 Speaker 3: energizing because it's all new again, and you are nervous 64 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:54,280 Speaker 3: because you've got so much knowledge to sort of assimilate 65 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 3: and then apply, and you're conscious that you sometimes come 66 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:01,240 Speaker 3: in with some of your old biases. 67 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 2: Or your old habits. 68 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:05,960 Speaker 3: And it's really fascinating to watch some of the new crew, 69 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:08,840 Speaker 3: how sort of younger aircrew that are coming through that 70 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:13,360 Speaker 3: have never flown anything but this, and they apply it 71 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:15,320 Speaker 3: really differently, They think differently, and it's better. 72 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:18,240 Speaker 2: Do you have to be a bit of an adrenaline junkie, 73 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:18,799 Speaker 2: do you reckon? 74 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:19,679 Speaker 1: No? 75 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 3: You probably want to enjoy being challenged and exciting stuff. Yeah, 76 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 3: but you also want to be able to harness that 77 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:29,000 Speaker 3: a little bit. So we don't want people who are 78 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:32,360 Speaker 3: reckless to you want people who who think quickly and 79 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:33,760 Speaker 3: apply knowledge and can. 80 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 2: Reprioritize quite quickly. 81 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 3: But the skills and stuff we teach very very slowly 82 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:41,480 Speaker 3: from it from a start of zero. We build them 83 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:42,400 Speaker 3: up over a couple of years. 84 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:42,760 Speaker 1: Yeah. 85 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:43,160 Speaker 2: Wow. 86 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:45,520 Speaker 1: Now with the night flying that is going underway at 87 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 1: the moment there are it does mean that obviously people 88 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:50,960 Speaker 1: can hear those jets a bit later in the night. 89 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 2: What time is it happening? 90 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:56,400 Speaker 3: Usually the waves are getting away from about seven or so. 91 00:03:56,440 --> 00:04:00,240 Speaker 3: It's spaced out, so you'll notice that there'll be an 92 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:04,200 Speaker 3: initial launch of some of the tankers, which it really 93 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 3: is no different to the airline traffic you get at Darwin, 94 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 3: and then you'll get generally two distinct waves of fighters 95 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:15,160 Speaker 3: around about that seven thirty eight o'clock at night. The 96 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:18,919 Speaker 3: challenge we have is to get all the aircraft airborne 97 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:22,320 Speaker 3: really quickly, because as soon as the first fighters are airborne, 98 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:25,719 Speaker 3: they're starting to burn the time they have available. Yeah, 99 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 3: so you've got to compress, get everyone down there, get 100 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 3: them through the tankers, get the training done, which is 101 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 3: the block of training is usually. 102 00:04:31,160 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 2: About an hour and a half, which is way down south. 103 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:36,440 Speaker 3: It's down as far south as about Tenant Creek because 104 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:39,840 Speaker 3: you're covering the distance pretty fast, and then get them 105 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 3: all back in an orderly and safe fashion. 106 00:04:42,279 --> 00:04:45,120 Speaker 1: And what kind of activities are they doing, like to 107 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:47,280 Speaker 1: you know, to our regular people out there listening who've 108 00:04:47,279 --> 00:04:50,280 Speaker 1: got absolutely no idea, what kind of activities are they doing? 109 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:54,120 Speaker 3: So the best way to describe it is we call 110 00:04:54,160 --> 00:04:58,000 Speaker 3: it large force employment, which really describes it. It's taking 111 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:02,000 Speaker 3: the skills that each of us learned individually, and each 112 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 3: of the countries have done where they've trained the individual pilots, 113 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:09,240 Speaker 3: and then formations, smaller formations, and then squadron sizes. But 114 00:05:09,279 --> 00:05:11,479 Speaker 3: then to bring that all together. So now you've got 115 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:14,960 Speaker 3: eighty aircraft at once and they're all trying to get 116 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:19,320 Speaker 3: after a common problem. So yesterday's problem that I was 117 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:24,200 Speaker 3: involved with, for example, we had a heavily defended notional 118 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:30,040 Speaker 3: area that had a series of forty or fifty notional 119 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:33,800 Speaker 3: targets had to be struck. We also, at the same 120 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:39,520 Speaker 3: time had to get a relatively slow moving transport aircraft 121 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:43,960 Speaker 3: French transport aircraft to go in and insert paratroopers, but 122 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:45,800 Speaker 3: had to defend it the whole way, and it takes 123 00:05:45,839 --> 00:05:47,440 Speaker 3: a long time for it to get all the way 124 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:50,800 Speaker 3: to Delamere and back again. And all this time you've 125 00:05:50,839 --> 00:05:54,800 Speaker 3: got Red Air, who are providing the training for us, 126 00:05:55,080 --> 00:06:00,240 Speaker 3: replicating and again a notional adversary trying to pick our 127 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:03,520 Speaker 3: plan apart. So the challenge is to make sure that 128 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:07,000 Speaker 3: you've got enough layers of protection and you can you 129 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:10,840 Speaker 3: can defeat that problem and not then have everyone run 130 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:14,960 Speaker 3: out of fuel very end and leave the transport plane. 131 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 1: Wow. 132 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:16,040 Speaker 2: So protected. 133 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:20,040 Speaker 1: It's pretty interesting, but very much you know scenarios that 134 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:21,919 Speaker 1: at some point you know you may or may not 135 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:22,279 Speaker 1: be in. 136 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:26,960 Speaker 3: That's right, and the scenarios themselves are almost irrelevant. What 137 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:29,600 Speaker 3: we're trying to do is create very very complex problems 138 00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:31,359 Speaker 3: because the challenge of this, what we're really doing is 139 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:36,040 Speaker 3: training humans, training humans to be able to pick apart 140 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:39,440 Speaker 3: that complex problem, come up with a plan that's simple 141 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:41,720 Speaker 3: enough and robust enough that when it changes, because it 142 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:45,440 Speaker 3: always does, that we've got options we can we can 143 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:48,480 Speaker 3: make it work. So yesterday was led by the Indian 144 00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:52,640 Speaker 3: Air Force and it was just it was beautiful to watch, 145 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:55,400 Speaker 3: really really cleverly. 146 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:58,040 Speaker 2: Planned and the way it was executed was fantastic. 147 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:00,760 Speaker 1: And I tell you what, the community has been very 148 00:07:00,800 --> 00:07:03,440 Speaker 1: much behind Exercise Pitch Black. I mean I think they 149 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:06,799 Speaker 1: always are, but this time around, you know, the public 150 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:10,520 Speaker 1: events have been absolutely fantastically attended. 151 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:11,760 Speaker 2: How does that make you know? 152 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:13,560 Speaker 1: All of you guys that are taking part. 153 00:07:13,400 --> 00:07:15,520 Speaker 2: Feel it's really great. 154 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:18,560 Speaker 3: I mean, we put so much work into planning this, 155 00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:21,600 Speaker 3: and we put a lot of work, particularly into Mindle. 156 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:22,200 Speaker 2: Beach for example. 157 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:26,080 Speaker 3: The plan behind that was very deep because you've got 158 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:29,600 Speaker 3: to make it happen quickly and safely and have it 159 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:32,119 Speaker 3: effective for everyone. But to go down to the beach 160 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 3: and see that seven or eight thousand people, they're all smiling, 161 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:39,680 Speaker 3: and then to talk to a lot of particularly young people. 162 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:43,800 Speaker 3: I was talking to a young a young teenage guy 163 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:45,800 Speaker 3: who'd come up with his mum from Bathurst just for 164 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:48,480 Speaker 3: that and the open day, and then to talk about 165 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:49,760 Speaker 3: talk to a lot of other locals. 166 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:51,920 Speaker 2: It was just really nice, ah, good stuff. 167 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:53,680 Speaker 1: Now I know that there are still some people out 168 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:55,440 Speaker 1: there who might be trying to put their babies to 169 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:57,000 Speaker 1: bed at night and that kind of thing, so it 170 00:07:57,120 --> 00:07:59,040 Speaker 1: is a little bit louder for them, But there are 171 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 1: different things that are in play to try to minimize 172 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:02,080 Speaker 1: that noise, isn't there. 173 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:02,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. 174 00:08:02,760 --> 00:08:06,880 Speaker 3: So to be honest, we're actually almost looking at the 175 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:09,560 Speaker 3: end of the exercise. The last flying is actually next Wednesday, 176 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:14,720 Speaker 3: but night flying will happen tonight Thursday. We won't do 177 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:18,520 Speaker 3: any flying Friday night or over the weekend, and then 178 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:21,160 Speaker 3: we wrap up next Wednesday night. So we try to 179 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:25,000 Speaker 3: condense it into the smallest duration possible to achieve the 180 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:31,080 Speaker 3: aims and the departures they're probably louder just because we 181 00:08:31,120 --> 00:08:34,079 Speaker 3: need to get everyone out quickly, and then for the 182 00:08:34,160 --> 00:08:36,680 Speaker 3: recoveries we deliberately bring people back on what's called us 183 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:42,000 Speaker 3: straight in approach, so slow and on a very controlled path, 184 00:08:42,160 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 3: just like an airliner, to make sure that that's as 185 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:48,120 Speaker 3: as nondisruptive as possible. 186 00:08:48,679 --> 00:08:51,800 Speaker 1: Well, tim it sounds like it's a very interesting time 187 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:54,160 Speaker 1: for you guys, a very busy time for you guys, 188 00:08:54,160 --> 00:08:56,200 Speaker 1: as well, I really appreciate you coming in this morning 189 00:08:56,200 --> 00:08:57,439 Speaker 1: and telling us a bit more about it. 190 00:08:57,480 --> 00:08:59,040 Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, thank you.