China has recruited dozens of former British military pilots to train its military forces on how to take down western helicopters and warplanes, according to the officials.
A rare ‘threat alert’ from British defence intelligence warned by stating that the Chinese military has been attempting to employ serving and retired RAF jet pilots to assist in training its own air force, The Guardian reported.
Referring to this, officials voiced ‘concern and disapproval’ of these plans because they represented ‘a threat to UK and western interests’. Although it is not specifically prohibited, they want to ‘manage the risk’ by taking precautions.
Approximately 30 former British pilots are thought to have already taken advantage of China’s ‘very generous’ recruitment incentives to work for the nation’s air force via third parties, particularly a flying academy situated in South Africa.
According to one official, 30 pilots, mostly ex-fast jet but also some helicopter pilots, are now in China teaching pilots for the People’s Liberation Army on annual wages of about £240,000, Sky News reported. A defence analyst called this a startling security violation.
British ‘taking steps to mitigate this risk’
However, the warning, or threat guidance, will caution British pilots not to reveal any private information to the Chinese military.
Although there is currently no proof that any former RAF pilot violated the Official Secrets Act while delivering instruction to China, western authorities said that by releasing the guidelines, they were ‘taking steps to mitigate this risk’, The Guardian reported.
According to a spokesperson from the British Ministry of Defence, ‘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’.
Furthermore, the western official stated that Beijing is actively attempting to attract more current and former military pilots, as well as other experts, from the RAF, the Royal Navy, the British Army, and other western countries, The Sky News reported.
It is pertinent to mention that China has a significant interest in fast-jet tactics, methods, and procedures as it works to modernise its force and adopt NATO standards. According to a western official, there were also indications that it planned to hire helicopter workers as trainers.
According to a United States analysis published last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping planned to finish modernising the People’s Liberation Army by 2035 and have a ‘world-class’ force by 2049.