Arrernte women from Central Australia have held a smoking ceremony in Darwin for the warship that bears their name in the lead up to the Australian-American joint exercise Talisman Sabre.

Central Eastern Arrernte woman Teresita Turner said she and her mother Janet were proud to be involved in Saturday's ceremony, which is a way to connect to the land using smoking native plants to heal.

"I'm honoured to be standing here on the ship named after my land," she said.

The smoking ceremony used to be reserved for sacred business but has been made public by Aboriginal people, who use it to heal sores and sickness, and for safety and wellbeing.

"We hope it heals you and keeps the bad spirits away," Ms Turner said.

The ship Arunta is named for the Arrernte people, and Ms Turner said the Arrernte man who makes up part of its logo is "a black assassin, to us he's a ninja".

The sixth edition of the biennial Talisman Sabre exercise this year is the largest sea, land and air exercise undertaken by the Australian Defence Force with the US Marines stationed in the Top End.

It will involve about 30,000 people across the Northern Territory and Queensland.

Arunta is an ANZAC-class frigate, a long-range patrol craft and escort, said commanding officer Lieutenant Commander Kingsley Scarce.

"We're capable of doing any aircraft warfare, any service warfare, any submarine warfare; we're there to protect the other ships and do our bit to achieve the mission," he said.

The exercise's maritime activities will take place at Shoalwater Bay near Rockhampton and Fog Bay near Darwin, and may include clearance diving, replenishment at sea, anti-submarine warfare and firing guns and missiles, along with land and air exercises.

The ADF says Talisman Sabre is designed to train Australian and US forces to plan and conduct joint operations.