Tonight, British military authorities were accused of not moving swiftly enough to prevent the Chinese government from recruiting former RAF Top Guns to train their aircraft pilots.
The claim comes after a senior official confessed the Ministry of Defense was aware of Beijing’s recruitment of former British pilots for three years prior to voicing public alarm.
In 2019, according to Armed Forces Minister James Heappey, security officials learned of a “isolated case” of a “defence industry employee” being recruited to support Chinese “military aircraft programmes.”
The discovery has alarmed a former spy and prompted calls for the government to take steps to prevent Beijing from recruiting other RAF fast-jet experts.
Philip Ingram, a former colonel in British military intelligence, warned that Chinese spies may have mistakenly gotten crucial information about UK tactics and technology and “had a long time” to work on ex-UK forces.
A former spy has criticized the government after Britain’s Armed Forces Minister stated that the Ministry of Defense knew in 2019 that former RAF pilots were being recruited to train Chinese air force members (stock image)
Over the years, as many as thirty former RAF aces could have been employed to instruct Chinese pilots. Chinese J-10 fighter planes of the Chinese Air Force are pictured in August.
He stated to MailOnline, “This is a matter of national concern.
The Ministry of Defense should have been on top of this as soon as they learned about it.
Chinese intelligence will have had a considerable amount of time to work on these individuals. Their networks are vast and their capacity to convert people to work for the Chinese is enormous.
Mr. Heappey’s response to Labour’s Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey’s parliamentary inquiry regarding how long the MoD had known about the Chinese recruiting of former British military personnel sparked the worry.
Mr. Heappey, a former soldier who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq, responded as follows: ‘In 2019, the Department became aware of a rare occurrence in which a defense industry employee was head-hunted to support military aircraft programmes.
Since then, we have reviewed more situations and, when possible, taken measures to discourage and deter such recruitment.
Following the waning of the pandemic, the scale and rate of recruiting accelerated, and it is proper that we now reveal this danger to a wider audience. Although we are unable to comment on the specifics of individual cases, we are aware of key developments along the route.’
Since 2019, according to Armed Forces Minister James Heappey, the Ministry of Defense has been aware that veteran British pilots are being recruited by Beijing.
John Healey, the shadow defense minister, stated that the government may have jeopardized national security by failing to act sooner to prevent British RAF veterans from training Chinese forces.
Labour has criticized the Conservatives for being “indifferent” to security issues and “too sluggish to emerge from their “golden age” with China.”
John Healey, Shadow Defence Secretary, stated to MailOnline, “The primary responsibility of any administration is to safeguard national security.”
These acts could have exposed to a foreign power sensitive information about British military operations, technology, and training, posing a substantial threat to national security.
“Ministers must answer critical questions regarding why active-duty soldiers and veterans were permitted to participate in these operations and the risk they currently pose.”
The public will also seek confirmation that steps have been done to stop the problem.
The Ministry of Defense has been teaching Chinese pilots and permitting them to attend British military universities, it was disclosed last month.
As part of the program, which operated until 2019, pilots from the Royal Air Force were dispatched to Beijing to train Chinese airmen.
Until 2019, the RAF trained military pilots at RAF Cranwell, which is depicted in the image.
According to Sky News, the Ministry of Defense authorized Chinese pilots to receive both a “Aviation English Course” and education in conflict law.
This has resulted in greater criticism of the government, several of whose members were cabinet members during the course of the program.
Sky News claimed that in 2016, many serving Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots taught a “Aviation English Course” in China, while a handful of Chinese nationals attended the RAF’s college at Cranwell in Lincolnshire and the Joint Services Command and Staff College at Shrivenham in Swindon.
A MoD official stated, “The United Kingdom has never provided People’s Liberation Army (Air Force) pilots with fast jet flight training or any other sensitive instruction.”
It is believed that the Department of Defense’s official defense activities with Beijing, including initial officer training in the English language and armed conflict law, ceased in 2019.
Meanwhile, British fast-jet experts in retirement have been enticed to train the Chinese with generous annual payments of approximately £240,000.
Keith Hartley, an RAF ace, was among the British instructors engaged to teach China’s aviation force.
The Department of Defense even dispatched active-duty RAF soldiers to Beijing to train Chinese military pilots (stock image)
In his post as Chief Operating Officer of the Test Flying Academy of South Africa, Mr. Hartley, formerly known by the military call sign “Hooligan,” has been at the center of Beijing’s recruitment push (TFASA).
According to a TFASA company description, he was responsible for “training, contracts, and business development” there and in China.
TFASA, headquartered in Oudtshoorn, was named and humiliated in a British intelligence briefing for recruiting British, Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand pilots for China.
Beijing is luring them with promises of exorbitant salaries, school expenses, fancy residences, and endless flight tickets to the oppressive nation.
Mr. Hartley is believed to have had a significant role in the recruiting of Royal Air Force and Royal Navy pilots as Chief Operating Officer of TFASA.
TFASA has recruited former commanders who played crucial roles in some of the United Kingdom’s most sensitive defense programs, such as the creation of the £2.8 billion F-35B Lightning stealth jet and the £6.4 billion aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales.
Officials from the United Kingdom reported last month that the Chinese had been unsuccessful in luring anyone with expertise in the F-35B Lightning jet.
However, investigation conducted by the Daily Mail reveals that this is not totally true, as Royal Navy pilot Stephen Crockatt, who served as “UK Team Lead” on the F-35B Integrated Test Force between 2017 and 2019, spent time working with the Chinese.
Former RAF top gun Keith Hartley has been at the forefront of Beijing’s British pilot recruitment campaign.
On his LinkedIn profile, he describes his position in further detail, stating that he “directed the ITF developmental team to deliver the proof required to support the UK F-35 operating capability and to ensure support for U.S./UK interoperability goals.” He also brags about becoming the TFASA’s “Deputy Chief Test Pilot Instructor.”
Mr. Crockatt worked in Beijing for a considerable sum of money. “Yes, I went to China with TFASA, as did many others,” he said. However, I cannot pilot an F-35. My profession is flight test training.
I instructed the Chinese on how to build up a flight test school, ensuring that students arrive on time and safety measures are in place. The DoD is fully informed. I did nothing tactical for TFASA; but, they became involved in other matters with the Chinese.
Other pilots, speaking on the condition of anonymity, have speculated that British officers had been instructing PLA pilots for as long as twenty years.
One person remarked, “It’s been going on for so long in secret that it would make your eyes swim. Initially, I believed that we were receiving as much information from the Chinese as they were sending to us. But I no longer believe this to be the case. It is all about the money, and nothing is in place to stop it.’
Because no laws had been committed, the government was helpless to terminate the training program, despite rising worries in Whitehall.
According to reports, British security agencies have initiated a counterintelligence operation instead of being passive.
In an incredible double-bluff, spooks reportedly approached a select group of Western pilots, asking them to “wear two hats” and gather critical intelligence on China’s military technology, tactics, and capabilities.
RAF pilots who assist China are offered lucrative compensation and the opportunity to fly the J-20, a fifth-generation fighter plane.
It is believed that the pilots, who were not professional intelligence officials and were of various nationalities, volunteered to participate in the clandestine operation.
The agents were assigned their own handlers and instructed to make mental notes about China’s fleet of fighter jets of the next generation.
A source told the Daily Express that the United Kingdom had “beaten China at its own game” “This was a very unprecedented circumstance,” he told the newspaper, noting that all the assets had already departed China and the operation had concluded.
However, ex-spy Mr. Ingram stated that the Official Secrets Act must be modified to prevent other top guns from helping the training of nations judged by the United Kingdom to be a “threat.”
According to TFASA’s management structure, Mr. Hartley was in charge of the academy’s “Military Operational Flight Training” for both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.
Moreover, a 2019 company description stated, “Keith has conducted whole weapon system programmes, from concept design to flight testing and deployment into service.” Since 2005, Keith has been a senior member of the TFASA staff and has taught long and short courses to test pilots in a variety of civil and military programs.
TFASA has also satisfied China’s demand for Royal Navy Wildcat and Merlin helicopter pilots with aircraft carrier operations experience.
This year, China has recruited as many as 24 officers from the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, again with the promise of high salaries and lengthy contracts. Chinese fighter pilots are shown in this image.
As China prepared to launch its newest aircraft carrier, the 984-foot-long Fujian, these officers were approached.
China boasts the largest fleet in the world, with at least 360 warships, but is playing catch-up with the United States in terms of aircraft carriers.
The United States Navy has eleven vessels, while China has three.
TFASA stated in a statement that it “strongly believes” its actions and those of its staff do not violate any UK laws.
TFASA stated that other civilian contractors, including organizations based in the United States, Canada, and Europe, also offer the training it provides.
The business added: ‘Neither the UK Ministry of Defense nor any other UK Government agency has voiced issues to TFASA or its employees with whom the agencies have had direct contact about the Company’s performance of any training contracts.
The TFASA is in the process of contacting the UK Ministry of Defense to ensure there are no misunderstandings between the two organizations.
“TFASA stands by its employees and will continue to support them; their job has been and will continue to be performed in full compliance.”