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.
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
Read this Article
Get access to this article with a Free Basic Account
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 1 free story per week
- Personalised news alerts
- Daily and weekly newsletters
Unlimited Access
Access to all our premium news as a Premium News 365 Member. Corporate subscriptions available.
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 14-day free trial (cancel at any time)
- Unlimited access to all published premium news
More from Training
-
![Singapore Army experiments with robot dog teaming at Exercise Forging Sabre]()
Singapore Army experiments with robot dog teaming at Exercise Forging Sabre
The Singapore Army is testing robotic dogs and UAVs for urban operations on exercise in the US.
-
![UK bomb disposal teams training Ukrainian engineers to clear minefields]()
UK bomb disposal teams training Ukrainian engineers to clear minefields
In the ongoing struggle to address Ukraine's status as the world's most heavily mined nation, the UK has initiated an intensive programme to train Ukrainian engineers.
-
![US Navy embraces AI to enhance training]()
US Navy embraces AI to enhance training
In a strategic move to expedite training development and analysis, the US Navy is planning to harness the power of AI.
-
![US assists Philippine Air Force ISR training]()
US assists Philippine Air Force ISR training
At the request of the Philippine government, the 505th Training Squadron located at Hurlburt Field, Florida sent a team of USAF Air Operations Center Formal Training Unit instructors to Villamor Air Base, Philippines.
-
![Elbit UK’s Joint Fires Synthetic Trainer delivers nearly 5,000 training hours]()
Elbit UK’s Joint Fires Synthetic Trainer delivers nearly 5,000 training hours
Elbit Systems UK’s Joint Fires Synthetic Trainer (JFST) has officially achieved Initial Operating Capability (IOC).
