‘Threat alert’ after China recruits RAF pilots to train military

Beijing hires 30 former British military pilots for a hefty annual salary of around £240,000

China has recruited as many as 30 former RAF pilots to pass on their expertise on ways to defeat western warplanes and helicopters, prompting the British defence intelligence to issue a “threat alert”.

Officials claim that Beijing has lured these retired military pilots, including those who flew sophisticated fighter jets, for a hefty annual salary of around £240,000.

Britain, however, has its hand tied as the recruitment does not violate any of the existing laws, including the Official Secrets Act which covers espionage and sabotage. But officials are ramping up efforts to deter the hiring due to the “threat” they pose to “the UK and western interests”.

“We are taking decisive steps to stop Chinese recruitment schemes attempting to head hunt serving and former UK Armed Forces pilots to train People’s Liberation Army personnel in the People’s Republic of China,” a Defence Ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying by the New York Times.

"They are a very attractive body of people to then pass on that knowledge," reported the BBC citing an anonymous source. "It’s taking Western pilots of great experience to help develop Chinese military air force tactics and capabilities."

China is reportedly using third-party headhunters, including a flying academy based in South Africa, to hire retired pilots.

The efforts to appoint these pilots began before the Covid-19 pandemic but were stalled due to the border restrictions imposed by China to contain the spread of the virus, said the officials, adding that the hiring process has gained momentum in recent months.

Though the total number of current and former military personnel being targeted by China is still unclear but “it is certainly more than just a trickle”, an official told Sky News.

Among those recruited by the PLA, none of the pilots have experience in the F-35, the most advanced British fleet, reported the New York Times, adding that those on the payroll have flown other Nato warplanes such as the Typhoon, Harrier, Jaguar and Tornado.

Pilots of the other allied nations are also a target of this recruitment process.

"It’s not training Chinese pilots on Western jets. It’s taking Western pilots of great experience to help develop Chinese military air force tactics and capabilities," a source told Sky News.

"It’s really the Chinese having an understanding of what the latest generation of tactics and approaches and capabilities would be, were the Chinese military to get into situations coming up against those types of assets."

The Ministry of Defence said the efforts are on to push for tighter security legislation as well as employment contracts to make it harder for China to hire more pilots.

"We are taking decisive steps to stop Chinese recruitment schemes attempting to headhunt serving and former UK Armed Forces pilots to train People’s Liberation Army personnel in the People’s Republic of China," an MoD spokesperson said.

"All serving and former personnel are already subject to the Official Secrets Act, and we are reviewing the use of confidentiality contracts and non-disclosure agreements across Defence, while the new National Security Bill will create additional tools to tackle contemporary security challenges - including this one."