China Recruiting US Fighter Pilots to Bolster Air Defense, Five Eyes Report Reveals

Washington DC, June 7:
The United States and its intelligence partners reportedly revealed on Wednesday that China has been aggressively seeking fighter pilots to bolster its air defence capabilities and incorporate more complex tactics to resist Western influence, according to Voice of America (VOA). A study from the Five Eyes warned that China has benefited from the pilots' knowledge of Western air training methods and internal operations in order to improve its fighter pilot training programmes.


The "Five Eyes" security alliance was established following WWII and includes the following countries: USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It keeps an eye on the international danger environment, which includes things like the war between Israel and Hamas in the West Asia, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and what they call China's extraordinary worldwide spying effort.

Private companies in China and South Africa are paying these pilots more, using personal connections, professional networks, and online job boards to find them, according to VOA. These companies are also trying to hide any ties to the Chinese military or government. To keep up with this ever-changing threat and its reactions to Western responses, we are releasing this joint bulletin today. There have been attempts to incorporate organisations [businesses] in numerous areas under different names, as is typical of illicit enterprises that strive to conceal their activities, according to an official with the US National Counterintelligence and Security Centre.

"It's critical that we keep our current and former service members informed about this threat, which is directly targeting them," the military spokesperson said. According to the Five Eyes report, Chinese recruiting attempts appear to be focusing on Western countries, including France, Germany, and the United States, as well as current and former military pilots from the Five Eyes countries. According to VOA, the Chinese embassy in Washington has chosen not to address the claims that the PLA has been trying to recruit Western fighter pilots.

Furthermore, it was mentioned that British defence authorities had earlier cautioned that beginning in October 2022, Chinese attempts to recruit retired members of the British Royal Air Force began. Nevertheless, 43 Chinese businesses were restricted by the US last year from recruiting and hiring Western jet pilots. An aviation school in South Africa and a security and aviation firm established by ex-US Navy SEALs with activities in the UAE, Kenya, and Laos were among these businesses.