Eight Polish military helicopter pilots will begin training in the UK from the 2026 to 2027 training year, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed in a written parliamentary answer.
Responding to a question from Conservative MP James Cartlidge, Veterans Minister Al Carns said: “Poland is one of the UK’s strongest allies and the UK-Poland defence relationship goes from strength to strength.”
He pointed to ongoing cooperation under NATO operations, stating that “cooperation under NATO’s Eastern Sentry mission sees British and Polish pilots flying together to protect Polish and NATO airspace.”
The minister confirmed that “eight Polish military helicopter pilots will commence training at RAF Shawbury in Training Year 2026/2027,” adding that this has been agreed “through the NATO Flight Training Europe (NFTE) programme.” However, the Ministry of Defence said decisions on further training places have not yet been made. According to the written answer, “NFTE allocations for the remaining Training Years in the current Parliament have not yet been confirmed.”
The training forms part of wider UK-Poland defence cooperation announced earlier this month, including enhanced missile defence collaboration and closer integration of air and rotary-wing training within NATO frameworks.
