Allied soldiers in street brawl

Their countries may be longstanding allies but Australian and American soldiers have been involved in a Darwin brawl that put a police officer in hospital.

A crowd of more than 300 gathered on Mitchell St, in the centre of town, to watch the fracas on Saturday morning.

Twenty-one police officers and at least 12 security workers were needed to break up the fight involving about 30 men, including members of the United States armed forces and Australian Defence Force.

Police said they were forced to use pepper spray to subdue the brawlers, with one officer taken to Royal Darwin Hospital with a head injury.

Two American soldiers have been charged over the incident while another four have been summonsed to appear in court.

About 1500 soldiers from the US and Australia are in Darwin for a joint military exercise called Exercise Talisman Sabre. It's aimed at improving combat readiness and operational and tactical inter-operability.

- AAP