Ex-UK pilots lured to help Chinese military, says MoD

 Ex-UK pilots lured to help Chinese military, says MoD

It is claimed that former British military pilots are being taken to China with large sums of money to pass on their expertise to the Chinese military.

30 former British military pilots are believed to have gone to train members of China's People's Liberation Army.

Britain is issuing an intelligence alert to warn former military pilots against working for the Chinese military.

Western officials say efforts by headhunt pilots are ongoing and have only recently intensified.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said the training and recruitment of pilots does not violate any existing UK law, but authorities in the UK and other countries are trying to stop the activity.

"It is an attractive package that is being offered to the people," said a Western official. "Money is a strong motivator." Some packages are said to be as much as £237,911 ($270,000).

Retired British pilots are being used to help Western aircraft and pilots understand the way they operate, information that could be critical in the event of any conflict, such as over Taiwan.

"They are a very attractive body of people to pass on that knowledge to," said a Western official. "It is taking Western pilots of great experience to help develop the strategy and capabilities of the Chinese Military Air Force."

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Britain first became aware of some cases of recruitment of former military pilots in 2019, which were dealt with on a case-by-case basis. The COVID-19 pandemic slowed efforts when travel to China was nearly impossible, but efforts have now increased, prompting the alert.

"We have seen it grow very rapidly," a Western official told reporters. "It's an ongoing issue." Current serving personnel are being targeted but none are believed to have admitted.

The pilots have experience in fast jets and helicopters and come not only from the Royal Air Force but also from the Army. He has flown Typhoon, Jaguar, Harrier and Tornado.

F-35 pilots are not believed to be involved, although China is believed to be interested in them. Some pilots are in their late 50s and have left the military sometime back. Pilots from other Allied countries have also been targeted.

Officials said they were being recruited through intermediary head-hunters and cited a specialized flying academy based in South Africa as being involved.

There is no evidence that any pilots have violated the Official Secrets Act or that they have committed any crime. The purpose of the alert is to prevent activity and notify existing employees and industry partners, and to remind personnel of their obligations to protect sensitive information.

A Defense Ministry spokesman said: "We are working in the People's Republic of China to stop Chinese recruitment schemes trying to hunt down pilots from serving and former UK Armed Forces serving to train People's Liberation Army personnel." Taking decisive steps."

“All serving and former employees are already subject to the Official Secrets Act, and we are reviewing the use of confidentiality contracts and non-disclosure agreements in defense, while the new National Security Bill creates additional tools to address contemporary security challenges. shall - including this one."