RAF to use Indian instructors amid pilot shortage

[Timber Rattler]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/10/16/raf-to-use-indian-instructors-amid-pilot-shortage-defence/

The RAF will use instructors from the Indian air force to train its next generation of pilots.

The “unprecedented” move, announced by Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, is part of a defence deal to bring Britain and India closer.

The RAF had faced a pilot shortage since a diversity hiring scheme backfired, with documents earlier this year revealing it needed a “higher number of pilots in training”.

Foreign instructors are often used to train British pilots. However, it is believed this could be the first time since the Second World War’s “Empire Air Training Scheme” that Indian experts have been used to coach RAF crews.

RAF making up for ‘shortfall and loss of talent’

Air Marshal Edward Stringer, a retired fast-jet pilot, welcomed the news. “This is unprecedented. They should have done something like this years ago,” he said, adding: “However, the devil will be in the details.”

Tim Davies, a former RAF fighter pilot instructor, said the Indians would be an “asset” but warned it would take more than a year to get them to British standards.

He added: “This is just a stopgap to make up for the shortfall and loss of talent that the RAF has haemorrhaged over the last few years.

“It’s going to be 18 months before you see any of these instructors coming across.”

EXCERPT

What could go wrong?

Flashback:

https://metro.co.uk/2023/06/01/raf-applicants-described-as-useless-white-male-pilots-in-leaked-email-18878073/

RAF applicants described as ‘useless white male pilots’ by recruitment officers

A number of selection boards for new recruits were also suspended until more women and ethnic minority candidates could be found, according to the messages.

In an email seen by the Telegraph dated Jan 19, 2021, Squadron Leader Andrew Harwin, who worked in the Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre, wrote: ‘I noted that the boards have recently been predominantly white male heavy.

‘If we don’t have enough BAME and female to board then we need to make the decision to pause boarding and seek more BAME and female from the RAF.

‘I don’t really need to see loads of useless white male pilots, let’s get as focused as possible, I am more than happy to reduce boarding if needed to have a balanced BAME/female/male board.’

The air force is understood to be paying £5,000 each to 31 white men- totalling £155,000- who were found to have been unfairly disadvantaged by the recruitment policy.

A further review indicated hundreds more had been disadvantaged, a source told Sky News.

The revelations appear to contradict a previous statement from Air Chief Marshal Wigston that well-intentioned efforts to improve diversity did not discriminate against white men.

So how'd THAT work out?