Ex-UK Military Pilots Didn’t Share Classified Information With China, Alleged Intermediary Insists

A Typhoon jet of the Royal Air Force flies over the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base near Constanta, Romania, on April 8, 2022. (Daniel Mihailescu /AFP via Getty Images)

Former UK military pilots who were hired to offer training to the Chinese armed forces haven’t shared any classified information with the regime, a South African flying academy that UK officials say served as an intermediary insists.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) warned last week that retired British military pilots have been recruited by the Chinese regime to teach its armed forces how to defeat Western warplanes.

About 30 former fighter jet and helicopter pilots have been hired through a headhunter to help train China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) with lucrative compensation packages of about $270,000 a year, UK media quoted defence officials as saying.

This undated photo taken in April 2018 shows J-15 multirole fighter jets on China's aircraft carrier, Liaoning, during a drill at sea. (AFP/Getty Images)

Officials said the recruitment has been carried out through third parties, including the Test Flying Academy of South Africa (TFASA).

In a statement issued on Oct. 25, the academy said it had been in contact with the MOD for “many years” and the department is “fully aware of the nature of the company’s business.”

The school, which trains pilots and engineers from countries around the world, said, “All training aspects and material are strictly unclassified, and provided either from open source or the clients themselves.

“No training involves classified tactics or other information, nor any frontline activities.”

It added that “none of its trainers are in possession of legally or operationally sensitive information relating to the national security interests of any country, whether those from where its employees are drawn or in which it provides training.”

Security Alert

The MOD said last week it had issued an intelligence alert warning pilots against taking part.

Armed forces minister James Heappey said the MOD has already approached the people involved and has made clear that “it’s our expectation they would not continue to be part of that organisation.”

“We are going to put into law that once people have been given that warning it will become an offence to go forward and continue with that training,” he told Sky News.

“China is a competitor that is threatening the UK interest in many places around the world,” he said, adding, “there is no secret in their attempt to gain access to our secrets, and their recruitment of our pilots in order to understand the capabilities of our air force is clearly a concern to us and the intelligence part of the MoD.”

In a statement, the MOD said it was attempting to stop the recruitment of both former and serving pilots.

A spokesman said: “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.

“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.”

PA Media contributed to this report.