DARWIN – The young air force of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is participating in significant war games alongside advanced stealth fighter jets, strengthening defence ties with Australia and the United States. Papua New Guinea’s trainee pilots are queuing for take-off with U.S. F-22 Raptor and Australian Joint Strike Fighter jets in northern Australia this week as part of the 20-nation Pitch Black war games.
“This is a learning experience for us as a small air force, and it helps to build our air force,” said Major Randall Hepota, one of six PNG Air Force pilots flying three small P-750 turboprop aircraft. At home, the New Zealand-made plane is vital for taking off and landing in short spaces and transporting supplies and troops to border areas in treacherous mountain terrain.
Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Vavar, the commanding officer of PNG Air Wing, highlighted the value of Pitch Black for exposing PNG to the world’s best pilots and aiding in learning integration with a large coalition force. “We are becoming an air force. Flying in Papua New Guinea is a must,” he said in an interview at RAAF Base Darwin. “Eighty percent of the population lives in rural areas – so the only way you can get access to them is to fly.”
The PNG air force played a crucial role during the Enga landslide disaster in May, delivering aid closer to the site than larger Royal Australian Air Force planes could. “We have been training with the Royal Australian Air Force for several years, and the Enga landslide was the first time we had to deploy,” Vavar noted.
During Pitch Black, PNG’s small planes have been landing in remote Jabiru to deliver supplies and at RAAF Tindal Base, home to Australia’s F-35 fighter jets. Australia’s Governor General, Sam Mostyn, inspected one of the PNG aircraft at the RAAF Darwin base open day.
Australia and the United States secured defence deals with PNG last year, amid strategic competition with Beijing in the Pacific Islands. “Papua New Guinea is one of our key allies in the region,” said Fiona Pearce, senior Australian Defence Force officer for RAAF Tindal. “Their survival and our survival is interdependent,” she added.
This engagement is part of PNG’s broader effort to bolster its military capabilities and enhance regional cooperation and security.