Dozens of ex-military pilots from the United Kingdom (UK) have traveled to China to train their Chinese counterparts, alarming Western defense officials.
British Defense Ministry reports concerning British pilot recruitment surfaced on Monday that in 2019, headhunters began courting active and former RAF pilots, according to Sky News.
With the recent lifting of most COVID restrictions, the effort is believed to have expanded.
Officials said China is still trying to hire several more current and former British military pilots, and Beijing’s outreach has not been limited to the British military.
Officials warned that China has also attempted to recruit personnel from other Western militaries, Express reported.
UK Defense officials are now scrambling to regain control of a situation that they say is “almost certainly enhancing China’s military knowledge and capability” and poses a “threat to the United Kingdom and western interests.”
Pilots who continue with such training activities could be prosecuted, armed forces minister James Heappey told Sky News.
“Don’t go and train foreign air forces without checking with the MOD whether they are a foreign air force we want to see you train would be a good rule,” he said.
Around 30 British ex-military pilots are currently training PLA pilots in China, The Hill reported. The pilots are allegedly paid an annual salary of 240,000 pounds ($272,000) to conduct the training.
UK officials allege that China has recruited pilots to teach their pilots about western warplanes and helicopters and how to defeat them in combat, Sky News reported.
“China is a competitor that is threatening the UK interest in many places around the world,” Heappey added.
“It is also an important training partner, but 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.”
China has reportedly used headhunting firms to attract qualified pilots, including the Test Flying Academy of South Africa, which has no affiliation with the South African government.
The situation has raised concerns within the British Ministry of Defense Intelligence service, which issued a “threat alert” on Tuesday, advising the country’s pilots not to accept such positions.
The chair of the Defense Select Committee, Tobias Ellwood, told Express that the news should be “treated as a form of breach in security,” calling it a “shocking story from the Ministry of Defense.”
The British Ministry of Defense has warned service members who have taken jobs that they are still subject to the Official Secrets Act.
The warning comes after the ministry promised that action was underway to prevent future security breaches.
