Royal Air Force pilot training troubles not going away
A substantial burden placed on the RAF is the UK’s commitment to training fast jet pilots from Qatar and Saudi Arabia. (Photo: UK MoD/Crown Copyright)
The issue around the Royal Air Force’s fast jet pilot training is multifaceted with no quick fixes at hand. What is the UK not getting right?
A little more than a week ago, Sky News reported that it had seen documents proving the RAF’s flying training is still in a quandary, despite senior leaders being aware of the issues.
Problems with the pilot training pipeline can be traced back to 2011 when the RAF axed around a third of its trainee pilots and froze recruitments amid a £300 million defence spending cut. Reductions in spending also meant fewer assets and airframes across the force.
Around the same time, the delivery of F-35s began to the UK and in 2015 the RAF decided to reinstate many of the previously cancelled capabilities.
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