Investigation into claims China’s military is headhunting Aussie war pilots

Former Australian Defence Force pilots are said to have been offered up to $1 million to join China’s military, prompting the Government to investigate.

The federal government will investigate claims China is headhunting former Australian war pilots, offering lucrative payments.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said he had asked his department to investigate and come back to him with clear advice.

“When our ADF personnel sign up to the Defence Force, they do so to serve their country and we are deeply grateful of that,” he said.

“I would be deeply shocked and disturbed to hear that there were personnel who were being lured by a pay cheque from a foreign state above serving their own country.”

Defence Minister Richard Marles said the Government will investigate. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gary Ramage

One anonymous former Royal Australian Air Force pilot told CNBC he was offered nearly $1 million a year to work for the Chinese military.

Over in the UK it is believed up to 30 former British military pilots have gone to train members of China’s military in the way Western planes and pilots operate.

Some of the packages being offered are understood to be as much as £238,000 ($A427,000), according to the BBC.

The former ADF pilots are believed to be wanted to train Chinese military in fighting Western planes. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Glenn Campbell

UK officials said the recruitment schemes had been around “for a number of years” but had ramped up significantly in recent times.

The UK Ministry of Defence has issued a “threat alert” to warn serving and former military personnel against accepting China’s offers.

“We are taking decisive steps to stop Chinese recruitment schemes attempting to headhunt serving and former UK armed forces pilots to train People’s Liberation Army personnel in the People’s Republic of China,” a spokesperson said.

“All serving and former personnel are already subject to the Official Secrets Act, and we are reviewing the use of confidentiality contracts and nondisclosure agreements across defence, while the new National Security Bill will create additional tools to tackle contemporary security challenges – including this one.”

Originally published as Investigation into claims China’s military is headhunting Aussie war pilots