China has recruited as many as 30 former fighter and helicopter pilots from Britain to pass on their knowledge to the People’s Liberation Army, according to officials in Britain’s Defense Ministry. One official told Sky News that the poached pilots—some of them enticed by contracts as lucrative as $270,000 a year—posed “a threat” to British national security. Third-party headhunters have been approaching British pilots since 2019 but have stepped up their efforts as pandemic restrictions have eased in recent months, an official said. A spokesperson for the Defense Ministry told The New York Times that “decisive steps” were being taken to curb the headhunting of British pilots, some of whom flew for the Royal Air Force. There is no evidence yet that any ex-pilots have broken the Official Secrets Act in providing services to China, but the ministry on Tuesday issued a rare “threat alert” to warn active and retired military personnel against the practice. It was unclear how many other current or former British military personnel are being targeted by Chinese interests, but as one source said to Sky News: “It is certainly more than just a trickle.”
