IAF to train UK's Royal Air Force pilots

For the first time, the Indian Air Force is set to train pilots of the UK's Royal Air Force under a new initiative. The decision was taken at the 19th UK-India Air Staff Talks held on Thursday in New Delhi. ''Under the latest agreement, the Indian Air Force will deploy three Qualified Flight Instructors (QFI) to Royal Air Force (RAF) Valley in the UK -- the training base for British fast jet pilots,'' a British readout said. ''This marks the first time that Indian QFIs will impart fast jet training to British pilots at RAF Valley. The deployment will be initially for a period of two years,'' it said. The development closely follows the first-time deployment in January this year of an Indian Air Force officer as an instructor to the Royal Air Force College Cranwell -- the air academy that trains the next generation of RAF officers. The new initiative marked all three British military academies now hosting Indian officers as instructors from respective services, the readout noted. ''The signing of this Letter of Agreement is a significant step in strengthening the longstanding relationship between the Royal Air Force and the Indian Air Force,'' Air Vice Marshal Ian Townsend, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff, said. ''Bringing Indian QFIs into UK Military Flying Training Systems deepens our cooperation, enhances interoperability and reinforces our shared commitment to excellence in aircrew training,'' he said. Commodore Chris Saunders, who is Defence Adviser to the British High Commission, said: ''The forthcoming deployment of Indian Qualified Flying Instructors to the UK represents another significant milestone in our expanding defence relationship, positively building on the mandate of UK-India Vision 2035.'' ''It reinforces the mutual trust and shared experience that underpins our training cooperation and exemplifies the increasingly sophisticated levels of interoperability we are building together across our services,'' he said. The Air Staff Talks are part of annual engagements, with both sides usually represented by a two-star officer or above to discuss areas of military collaboration. The previous edition of the staff talks was held in London in 2025.