CCP Allegedly Recruits Retired French Air Force Pilots to Train PLA Pilots

On October 21st, just days after it was rumored that retired British and Australian pilots were being heavily recruited by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), a French media exclusively reported that the CCP is luring retired French pilots to train the PLA on how to land and take off planes on aircraft carriers, and to learn NATO air force strategies.

A number of French instructors have reportedly been recruited. According to information obtained by the media, several fighter pilots have served with the CCP in the past few years, including a retired pilot of the Strategic Air Force. In recent years, the CCP has seen rapid growth in military power, with aircraft carrier fleets, and ambitions to challenge the U.S. Navy’s position in the Pacific. The French have become one of the choices for the CCP military, especially because French pilots have mastered the skills of catapult takeoffs and landings from aircraft ships. At the recent 20th CCP Congress, Communist Party leader Xi Jinping reiterated the importance of “unifying” Taiwan and resorting to “force” if necessary.

According to the CCP’s military magazine, the PLA will need to train an additional 100 to 150 naval pilots over the next 10 years to match the new fleet of ships, but it still faces many challenges. In addition to the technical challenges, naval aviation is uncharted territory for the CCP, so seeking coaching from the West has become the CCP’s solution.