London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Ex-UK pilots in China did not share classified information - flying school

Ex-UK pilots in China did not share classified information - flying school

No classified information was passed on when former British military pilots offered training to China, a South African flying school has said.
Last week it was reported up to 30 former pilots had gone to train members of China's People's Liberation Army.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it was taking "decisive steps" to stop Chinese recruitment schemes attempting to headhunt serving and former pilots.

The flying school said the MoD was "fully aware" of its work.

The UK authorities said the pilots, some of whom were paid more than £218,000 ($250,000), had not broken any current UK law. But officials said a South African flying academy was linked to their recruitment.

The South African flying school - Test Flying Academy of South Africa (TFASA) - has now released a written statement, saying the company "has been in contact with the UK MoD for many years and they are fully aware of the nature of the company's business".

It said "none of its trainers are in possession of legally or operationally sensitive information relating to the national security interests of any country, whether those from where its employees are drawn or in which it provides training".

Some of that training is understood to have taken place in China.

The UK issued an intelligence alert last week to warn former military pilots against working for the Chinese military.

At the time of that alert, officials claimed the retired British pilots were being used to help understand the way in which Western planes and pilots operate, information which could be useful in the event of any conflict.

"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."

Officials also warned that recruitment had been ramping up recently.

The TFASA said that since 2013 "British tutors have been in direct contact on an individual basis with the UK MoD and other UK government agencies prior to undertaking training" including with Chinese clients and that no objections had been raised.

The company said many of its tutors formerly served in the armed forces but the training is "strictly unclassified" and work is in compliance with South Africa and other countries in which it operates.

It added it never actively recruits from serving personnel and the majority come from other civilian contractors.

TFASA said it was also "in the process of contacting the UK MoD" to ensure that there are no misunderstandings.

The UK's alert acknowledged that current laws were not being broken but officials have suggested that an upcoming national security bill may make it possible to prosecute such actions.

The issuing of the highly unusual alert is a sign that authorities may have been seeking to deter individuals from taking part by drawing attention to their activities following contact which did not dissuade the pilots from continuing the training.

"It certainly doesn't match my understanding of service of our nation - even in retirement - to then go and work with a foreign power, especially one that challenges the UK interest so keenly," armed forces minister James Heappey told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

An MoD spokesperson told the BBC: "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."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×