It has been claimed that ex-British military pilots are being lured with large sums of money to pass on their skills 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 ex-military pilots against working for the Chinese military.
Western officials say efforts to find the pilots are ongoing and have recently intensified.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said the training and recruitment of pilots did not breach any existing UK law, but officials in the UK and other countries were trying to stop the activity.
“This is a lucrative package that is being offered to people,” said a Western official. “Money is a strong motivator.” Some packages are thought to be £237,911 ($270,000).
The retired British pilots are being used to help understand the way in which Western planes and pilots operate, information which could be vital in the event of any conflict, such as over Taiwan.
“They are a very attractive body of people to then pass on that knowledge,” a Western official said. “It’s taking Western pilots of great experience to help develop Chinese military air force tactics and capabilities.”
The UK first became aware in 2019 of a small number of cases of ex-military pilots being recruited, 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 been stepped up, prompting this alert.
“We have seen a significant increase,” a Western official told reporters. “It’s an ongoing issue.” The present serving personnel are being targeted but no one accepts.
The pilots have experience of fast jets and helicopters and come from across the military, not just the Royal Air Force. He has flown Typhoons, Jaguars, Harriers and Tornadoes.
F-35 pilots are not thought to be involved, although China is believed to be interested in them. Some of the pilots are in their late 50s and have left the army some time ago. Pilots from other allied countries have also been targeted.
Officials said they were being recruited by an intermediary headhunter and cited a certain flying academy in South Africa as being involved.
There is no evidence that any of the pilots broke the Official Secrets Act or committed any crime. The purpose of the alert is to attempt to stop the activity and inform existing staff and industry partners and remind personnel of their responsibilities to protect sensitive information.
An MoD spokesman said: “We are taking decisive action to stop Chinese recruitment schemes to train People’s Liberation Army personnel in the People’s Republic of China, including top servicemen and the UK Armed Forces. Ex-pilots are being trained.”
“All current and former personnel are already subject to the Official Secrets Act, and we are reviewing the use of confidentiality agreements and non-disclosure agreements across defence, while the new National Security Bill addresses contemporary security challenges. will create additional tools for – including this one.”
