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  1. #1
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    China Recruiting Former R.A.F. Pilots to Train Its Army Pilots, U.K. Says

    LONDON — China has recruited as many as 30 retired British military pilots, including some who flew sophisticated fighter jets, to train pilots in the People’s Liberation Army, according to Britain’s Defense Ministry. A senior official said the ministry worried that the practice could threaten British national security.

    Britain said it was working with allies to try to stop the practice, which the official said dated to before the coronavirus pandemic but had gained momentum in recent months. The recruited British pilots, the senior official said, included former members of the Royal Air Force and other branches of the armed forces.

    None of the retired pilots are suspected of violating the Official Secrets Act, the British law that covers espionage, sabotage and other crimes. But the official said that Britain was determined to tighten the controls on retired service members to guard against training activities that could contravene espionage laws.

    “We are taking decisive steps to stop Chinese recruitment schemes attempting to head hunt serving and former U.K. Armed Forces pilots to train People’s Liberation Army personnel in the People’s Republic of China,” said a spokesman for the Defense Ministry, who, under department rules, spoke on the condition that he not be named.

    Britain, however, does not have obvious legal tools to stop retired pilots from accepting training contracts from the Chinese army. The contracts are lucrative — about $270,000 a year — and are particularly attractive to pilots who retired from active duty several years ago, the official said.

    China, the official said, has contracted the recruiting to a third party, a private test flying academy in South Africa.

    The British official declined to say which allies had been involved in investigating the practice, but he suggested that their pilots had also been targets for recruitment.

    None of the pilots recruited by the Chinese operated the F-35, the most advanced and expensive fighter jet in the British fleet. But several have flown older-generation warplanes like the Typhoon, Harrier, Jaguar and Tornado, according to the official. Though the pilots train their Chinese counterparts on Chinese planes, he said, the Chinese were eager to learn about British and Western tactics and procedures.

    Relations between Britain and China have deteriorated sharply in recent years, with the government in London denouncing Beijing’s crackdown on pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, a former British colony. In July 2020, the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson banned the purchase of equipment from Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications giant, for its high-speed broadband network on national security grounds.

    Under Mr. Johnson, China was designated as a “systemic competitor,” reflecting his government’s desire to balance criticism of Beijing’s human rights abuses with a continuation of trade relations. But the current prime minister, Liz Truss, has further hardened Britain’s stance. She is expected to designate China as a “threat” in an updated version of a defense and foreign policy review.

    After a lull in recruitment during the months of pandemic-related travel bans, the official said, China’s efforts to lure pilots have since ramped up.

    “All serving and former personnel are already subject to the Official Secrets Act,” the defense spokesman said, “and we are reviewing the use of confidentiality contracts and nondisclosure agreements across Defense, while the new national security bill will create additional tools to tackle contemporary security challenges — including this one.”

    nytimes.com

  2. #2
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    That's OK, their former employers will be briefing them on how to teach the chinkies to CFIT every time.


  3. #3
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    Cathay Pacific used to be half full of them.

  4. #4
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    Cathay Pacific used to be half full of them.
    Great, they'll be teaching the chinkies how to fly Sopwith Camels.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    Great, they'll be teaching the chinkies how to fly Sopwith Camels.
    A bit more than that. They are teaching western doctrine and flying techniques. It is nothing less than treason.

  6. #6
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    Unless these ex RAF pilots are F35B trained, (Unlikely as their options are contractually limited). They might be better off renting ex senior ranks with air and ground crew expertise.

  7. #7
    Thailand Expat helge's Avatar
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    ^

    So, a storm in a teacup ?

    Everything is good then.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    Cathay Pacific used to be half full of them.
    And they'll train them how to use 737s and A340s militarily. Good contribution.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    Cathay Pacific used to be half full of them.
    Not quite correct. U K armed forces, tri services block booked a number of seats for inbound and outbound flights to UK. British Airways had a similar booking for service personnel and families. It was managed by RAF movements staff.
    Used by the military for inter theatre postings and courses outside Hong Kong.

  10. #10
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Switch View Post
    Not quite correct. U K armed forces, tri services block booked a number of seats for inbound and outbound flights to UK. British Airways had a similar booking for service personnel and families. It was managed by RAF movements staff.
    Used by the military for inter theatre postings and courses outside Hong Kong.
    I think he's talking about flight deck.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    I think he's talking about flight deck.
    I couldn’t possibly say. I was in business class.

  12. #12
    Thailand Expat helge's Avatar
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    ^
    What an awful comeback

    And then again

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    I think he's talking about flight deck.
    I don’t. He is referring to a time when HK was still governed by the UK, and there was a significant tri service presence based there. Block booking of seats was standard practice at the time.
    Last edited by Switch; 22-10-2022 at 06:55 AM.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by helge View Post
    ^

    So, a storm in a teacup ?

    Everything is good then.
    Well it is for the Chinese military and well remunerated British pilots. Not good for the reputation of the RAF.

  15. #15
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Switch View Post
    I don’t. He is referring to a time when HK was still governed by the UK, and there was a significant tri service presence based there. Block booking of seats was standard practice at the time.
    Since the thread is about flight deck, I would assume sabang was staying on topic.




    Oh.

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    Since the thread is about flight deck, I would assume sabang was staying on topic.




    Oh.
    Sabang staying on topic

  17. #17
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    CX pilots were probably the highest paid commercial pilots in the world in the mid 90's. Many were ex RAF. But also Aussies and some Canadians. Hardly any locals though- that was just starting.

  18. #18
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    Former U.S. Marine Corps fighter pilot who worked in China is arrested in Australia

    At least the US is taking this seriously...

    Australia has arrested a former U.S. Marine Corps fighter pilot following a request from Washington, officials in Canberra said Tuesday, as Western governments scrambled to investigate reports that China has been poaching retired military personnel.

    Daniel Edmund Duggan appeared in court in New South Wales on Friday, judicial records show.

    "An individual was arrested on 21 October 2022 pursuant to a request from the United States of America for their provisional arrest," the Australian attorney general's department said in a statement.

    "As the matter is before the courts, it would not be appropriate to comment further."

    Duggan is scheduled to appear in court again in November.

    An aviation source told Reuters that the FBI sought Duggan because he had worked in China. His lawyer told Reuters he could not comment.

    Under a treaty with Australia, the United States has 60 days following the arrest to apply for Duggan's extradition.

    Duggan ran a business called Top Gun Australia, which billed itself as the country's "premier adventure flight company."

    On the company's web page, Duggan described himself as a "former U.S. Marine Corps officer of over 12 years." He flew missions in support of Operation Southern Watch from Kuwait and the USS Boxer, the website says.

    "As a highly trained fighter pilot, he flew harrier jump jets off of aircraft carriers tactically around the globe," the website says.

    Duggan also flew ex-military aircraft in Australian air shows, three pilots told Reuters.

    Australia launched an investigation last week into what its defense minister called disturbing reports that China has been hiring retired Western air force pilots to train its military.

    Last week, the U.K. government said it was taking "decisive steps" against a Chinese recruitment effort to bring in former and serving British air force pilots to train its military personnel. While British military personnel frequently take part in training exercises with foreign armies, any collusion by ex-pilots with China — which London has dubbed the "number one threat" to domestic and global security — poses a serious concern.

    On Monday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland accused China of interfering with the American justice system Monday as he announced indictments of 13 Chinese nationals who allegedly worked for Beijing's spy agencies.

    https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/dan...ted-australia/

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