An investigation into whether Communist China is paying former Royal Air Force (RAF) airmen large sums of money to train their military in how to down western warplanes has expanded to the Army and Navy, a report claims.
Officials within the UK’s Ministry of Defence have issued an official threat alert, based on the belief that China is recruiting combat pilots who have served within the British military to train its own.
In particular, the Chinese Communist Party is believed to be headhunting veterans in the hopes of learning how best to combat the various aircraft used by Western powers, including the likes of the UK and U.S.
While this story is only breaking into the public domain this week, there are already developments with the investigation allegedly spreading to Australia, and out from the RAF in Britain out to the other British armed services.
British newspaper of record The Times reports Wednesday it is thought to be “naive” to assume that efforts to recruit British pilots to teach China how to fight western warplanes wouldn’t naturally be expanded to soldiers and sailors.
According to a report by the BBC, some 30 former UK military pilots are thought to already actively be training members of China’s People’s Liberation Army to this end, with it being claimed that at least some of the men involved are being well recompensed for their services.
Describing money as being a “strong motivator” for the former pilots involved in the Chinese training program, the Ministry of Defence claimed that China is offering some packages of up to $270,000 to ex-pilots willing to work for them. It is alleged a flying school in South Africa — the Test Flying Academy of South Africa — was used as an intermediary by China to recruit ex-military pilots, rather than recruiting them directly, suggesting those involved may have not known what they were getting into.
James Heappey, the UK’s armed forces minister, has claimed that veterans currently involved in training Chinese assets have been approached by authorities and asked to desist in their actions, though it is not believed that any individual has broken any laws by taking the Chinese contracts. Heappey has subsequently said UK law will be changed which will make ignoring such an order for a veteran to stop training a foreign military a criminal act.
While it is said that China has been unsuccessful in sourcing a pilot with experience in the latest F-35 series of combat aircraft, the project operated by Beijing has reportedly been able to recruit men with experience in a variety of supersonic aircraft and helicopters operated by the UK military.
As a result, officials are said to believe that the project is “almost certainly enhancing China’s military knowledge and capability”, especially in regard to how best to combat Western air power.
Despite the damage such well-paid training by UK pilots is likely to inflict on Western defence efforts however, this is far from the first time that the Chinese government has integrated former elements of the British security state into their regime.
For example, a number of senior officers within Hong Kong’s law enforcement force — responsible for a number of instances of police brutality against pro-Democracy protesters in the formerly self-governing region — are holdovers from the city’s time under British control.
Chief Superintendent Rupert Dover, senior superintendent David Jordan, and superintendent Justin Shave all remain senior members within the CCP-controlled police force, despite formerly being under command of the UK government.
UK Universities have also been seen as a major vector through which the Beijing government is in theory able to gain valuable knowhow relevant to military operations, with many institutions in the UK becoming addicted to foreign funding from China through the likes of fee-paying overseas students, corporate deals, as well as partnerships with Universities within the Communist nation.