UK to Change Law to Prevent Ex-RAF Pilots From Being 'Recruited' to Train Chinese Military

Earlier, UK officials expressed “concern and disapproval” amid reports that some former RAF pilots were being offered up to $270,000 to teach the Chinese military about "the capabilities" of the Royal Air Force.

The UK government intends to change a law to prevent former Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots from training the Chinese military, Sky News reported.

A "two-strike" rule would result in British pilots being given just one warning before they were prosecuted, according to Minister of State for the Armed Forces James Heappey.

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

New legislation being introduced to Parliament as an amendment to the National Security Bill - the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme - will require anyone hired by a foreign government to declare their activity or risk prosecution. The foreign influence registration scheme will have two tiers - one for all countries excluding Ireland, with an “enhanced” tier targeted at "hostile states," where “anyone” carrying out “any activity” who fails to register will face up to five years in jail.

According to the UK defense secretary, "recruitment" of UK pilots to train Chinese counterparts has been a concern within the Ministry of Defense "for a number of years," clarifying:

“China is a competitor that is threatening the UK interest in many places around the world. 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 and the intelligence part of the MoD.”

The Ministry of Defense also issued a statement, saying:

“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.”

Tory MP Tobias Ellwood went on Twitter to underscore that there were “serious questions for the RAF.”

Serious questions for the RAF👇

We should not be surprised by China’s audacity in luring UK pilots to learn about our tactics.

But we should be surprised there’s nothing akin to the ‘Official Secrets Act’ preventing this - And the absence of patriotism of those involved. pic.twitter.com/uyGKlRv8jC

— Tobias Ellwood MP (@Tobias_Ellwood) October 18, 2022

This comes as British defense intelligence announced it was to issue a rare “threat alert” over reports that China’s military was employing schemes to recruit serving and former RAF jet pilots to help train its own air force. Officials were cited as voicing “concern and disapproval” of schemes that posed “a threat to UK and western interests.”

The UK government was purportedly alerted to the fact that several former military pilots had been "headhunted" to assist Chinese forces as early as 2019, but dealt with the issue “on a case by case basis.” However, it appears the occurrences have increased.

Pilots with experience on a vast array of different aircraft with the exception of F-35s were said to be recruited from all over the UK military, and are not limited to just the Royal Air Force. The headhunting was allegedly carried out by third-party liaisons with ties to a “particular” South African flying academy, according to officials cited by UK media. One official said some 30 mainly ex-fast jet, but also some helicopter pilots, had been lured by annual salaries of around £240,000.

F-35 aircraft fly over the U.K.'s aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth in the Mediterranean Sea on Sunday, June 20, 2021.

© AP Photo / Petros Karadjias

So far, there is no evidence suggesting that any former RAF pilot has broken the Official Secrets Act, which provides for the protection of state secrets and official information related to national security, media outlets added.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin denied any knowledge of such employment of British pilots to train the country’s military, saying at a regular press briefing: "I am not aware of the circumstances you mentioned."