A former French Navy fighter pilot is under formal investigation for suspected intelligence cooperation with China, following trips to the country in 2018 and 2019 that have raised alarms within France’s defense authorities.
According to French investigative outlet Le Canard Enchaîné, the pilot, who flew Super Étendard and Rafale fighter jets for the French Navy, allegedly traveled to China in September 2018 and August 2019 while still in active duty. These trips were reportedly made without informing his superiors, an obligation under French military regulations. Both visits were said to have been arranged and financed by a South African aviation company.
France’s Ministry of the Armed Forces is said to have referred the matter to judicial authorities, who were concerned about the nature of the training the former pilot provided in China and the possibility of illegal cooperation with a foreign power.
The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed to AFP that it received a report on February 19, 2025, regarding a former employee who is suspected of engaging in activities related to intelligence with a foreign power. The allegations include “the disclosure of national defense secrets, violation of directives, accumulation of unauthorized activities, [and] laundering related to tax fraud.” A preliminary investigation has since been opened.
This case highlights growing concerns among Western nations over Beijing’s intensified campaign to recruit retired military aviators with valuable experience in aircraft carrier operations and advanced aerial combat.
China’s growing naval ambitions
Over the past two decades, China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has evolved from a regional force to a global naval power, with regular deployments across the South China Sea, the Indian Ocean, and even the Mediterranean.
In a 2021 parliamentary hearing, the Chief of Staff of the French Navy, Admiral Christophe Prazuck, noted that China builds the equivalent of the French Navy, then 118 ships, every four years. Just over a decade ago, PLAN lacked any operational aircraft carriers. Today, it boasts three, with a fourth in development that could become the largest in the world.
Such rapid naval expansion, combined with aggressive talent acquisition strategies, underscores the strategic importance Beijing places on becoming a dominant maritime power.
However, the rapid expansion of China’s naval capabilities has not been matched by a proportional growth in trained personnel, especially carrier-qualified pilots. Operating from a Catapult Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) system requires extensive expertise, typically honed over years of experience in Western naval aviation programs.
A global hunt for expertise
This is not the first time a Western military aviator has come under scrutiny for potential collaboration with Beijing. In 2022, Australia agreed to extradite a former US Marine Corps pilot suspected of training Chinese military aviators. Around the same time, several allied air forces, including the US Air Force, the German Luftwaffe, and the UK’s Royal Air Force, reported targeted efforts by China to lure ex-military pilots with lucrative contracts.
A 2022 SkyNews investigation revealed that China had used the Test Flying Academy of South Africa as a front to hire British pilots, offering annual salaries up to £240,000 ($306,000) to those willing to train the Chinese military. The fact that the French pilot’s trips were also arranged through a South African firm raises suspicions of a similar tactic.