The Ministry of Defence has insisted that the number of Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter pilots is sufficient to meet existing defence requirements, despite ongoing concerns over a shortfall in combat-ready personnel.
Responding to a parliamentary question from Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi on 13 March 2025, Defence Minister Luke Pollard stated:
“The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continually assesses pilot numbers to appropriately resource the Combat Air Force and are comfortable with the number of Royal Air Force fighter pilots against extant Defence Tasks.”
He added that “The MOD has a range of governance measures in place to analyse UK Military Flying Training System throughput to ensure pilot numbers meet the demand for Defence both now and in the future.”
Pollard also confirmed that the MOD will continue to provide quarterly statistics on pilot training to the relevant select committee.
However, these reassurances come amid reports of a significant shortfall in RAF fighter pilots, exacerbated by recruitment policies that were later found to be unlawful. The Daily Mail recently revealed that RAF leadership is now urgently seeking previously overlooked candidates to reapply for training, including older candidates with flight experience, in an effort to plug the gaps.
The recruitment issues stem from a controversial initiative that sought to prioritise the recruitment of female and ethnic minority pilots over white male applicants. A subsequent inquiry ruled this approach unlawful, leading to a significant setback in meeting pilot recruitment targets. Reports suggest that the RAF currently faces a 30% shortfall in pilots at the Flight Lieutenant and Squadron Leader ranks—figures that have not been officially confirmed or refuted by the MOD.
Shadow Armed Forces Minister Mark Francois has attributed the issues to “a perfect storm,” citing “woke manipulation of recruiting practices, the revival of civilian airlines post-Covid, and technical issues with training aircraft, particularly engine reliability on the Hawk T2.”
The Daily Mail has also reported on an internal document confirming an urgent need for “a higher number of pilots for training.”
In response, the RAF is now encouraging personnel from other branches—who may have previously been rejected due to their suitability scores—to reapply for pilot training.
We need to start recruiting SNCO pilots – you do not need a degree to fly an aircraft just the right aptitude – take a look at AAC. In particular, why do we need Officer aircrew to operate Drones/ UAVs.
You need a degree level of academic ability. You don’t need a degree to join as a pilot. The selection process is a measure of academic ability and pilot aptitude to see you have the potential to get through the traning. Which is incredibly demanding.
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People without degrees do demanding work all the time. Bill Gates founded one of the most successful IT companies of all time without a degree. I don’t see your point.
The point is that having a degree is literallly not a requirement to be a pilot (never has been), but passing the aptitude tests is.
There is serious knowledge of physics and maths needed for those roles. They are very clever people because they have to be.
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I had the opportunity to take a degree many years ago but decided to get a job and did a day release course that led to a professional qualification. The professional entry exams were post graduate level and higher. I didn’t enjoy pure mathematics and physics taught as standalone subjects but when applied to environmental sciences and structural mechanics I had no problem and thrived.
Like many pure academic work was a real turn off but unfortunately many of today’s leaders only see the world through those lenses, academic snobbery!
A cousin of mine is an RAF drone pilot officer who has a degree in Sport Science. I can vouch on that basis alone the bar is not that high. However, he is a heterosexual white male like most of his cohort.
What you need is a good education and not necessarily a degree coupled with a large amount determination to learn and a natural aptitude for the job.
The recent publicity surrounding the RAF will have been devastating to the recruitment of young white males that will continue to be the vast majority of pilots.
The RAF got into trouble when they went the DEI approach too recruiting Pilots if you were white male and heterosexual you didn’t get a look in .The RAF lost the case on discrimination .And fighter pilots who had just left didn’t want too rejoin because of the DEI practices being rolled out .
Jon, So RAF aircrew cannot have degrees other than maths and physics degrees?
Presumably all commercial airlines also insist on degrees for their pilots?
Bill, fully agree. The army does not waste officers on flying its UAVs. Its a Corporals job, at most, surely.
I think the RAF only insisted on officer aircrew because they looked down on the RAuxAF and their Sgt pilots.
Initially, it goes back to the days of dropping nukes. It was then seen as only a gentleman could have the responsibility of dropping a nuke on a city for example.
If there’s one role in the military that should never have an issue with recruitment (retention a different matter) it’s fighter pilot. The failures required across government and the RAF to get here have been massive.
The fact the training pipeline can seemingly collapse and leave a 30% shortfall for a largely reduced fleet after activists abused the recruitment system for a relatively short time 4 years ago speaks volumes.
Literally the consequences of DEI being prioritised over national security. Sad state of affairs.
While looking for solutions, the M-346, operated by an allied nation (who I think are helping train RAF pilots anyway) with fleets of Eurofighter’s, F-35B’s and eventually GCAP. It still has a hot production line.
BAE want away from the Hawk and would use the resources towards further Typhoons orders and eventually Tempest.
Leonardo would build them and may set up shop in the UK, at least for certain parts, for a decent sized order.
The most attractive function in the RAF and we can’t find people to sign up. The last Chief of the Air Staff appointed a fomer dentist to manage recruitment. What could possibly go wrong?
Great post. The shame was she did not face any penalty for her direct involvement in the illegal recruitment practices.
She and the woke monster Wigston were an utter disgrace.
One day I would like to see Wigston or her face to face and offer them a piece of my mind.
As I recall, Wigston was given one change transformation task by SofS and that was to deliver more trained pilots to squadrons. He failed miserably in part due to discriminating against white male applicants who constituted the majority of applicants.
Yep. Great isn’t it.
Go woke 🐹🦄🌈, go broke.
“However, these reassurances come amid reports of a significant shortfall in RAF fighter pilots, exacerbated by recruitment policies that were later found to be unlawful.”
Translating “unlawful”: RAF engaged in racism in its recruitment . Leftist racism.
There are still some daft policies ongoing in the military with significant pressure on those involved in training to facilitate women to pass the both the Full RM Commando and Parachute Regt training. The chances of a woman achieving this are virtually nil but there are those in authority who just cannot stomach the thought a man might just be built differently and therefore is built for the job.
That a few women can pass the all arms course is brilliant for them but the media emphasis on these have a real negative impact on the attraction of young lads who will always be the vast majority of recruits in these forces.
A much more careful policy is required to improve recruitment from across society whilst continuing to encourage those who have been the back bone of the military. The level of disfranchising of working class boys in this country is absolutely shocking and reporting it is not welcome in the msm or political class. It is hard to find those who will comment on it but there are few who do and it is worth the time to find their research. Laudably this includes several women who can see the folly for what it is; discrimination and snobbery. The latter is still alive and well in the U.K.
Absolutely spot on sjb!
Seconded.
“Useless white male pilots”
Funnily enough, watching the RAF Top Gun episodes, most of them are, in a predominantly white country. What a shocker.
By all means try to attract other minorities, but do not go against the majority.
Wigston of course has walked Scott free?
I do find the RM Course and perhaps Para course a bit of a red herring. In that the final part of the course you do the run, obstacles, assault and then the range all wearing just battle order. At no point will you be carrying weights that would break most people which is probably a good thing! For example carrying your battle order over two plates of Osprey, plus a 150 round bandolier of 5.56. Then a bergen, which may have a few creature comforts in them. But mainly contains rations, water, a belt or two of 7.62, perhaps either a couple rounds of Charlie G or a NLAW, radio and spare batteries, laser designator, spotting scope, cammo net. The standard bergen load is not supposed to be more than 25kg, yet I know we carried around 40kg. Yet we still marched to an OP which could be 20km away and be expected to dig a foxhole and be ready for the mission. I really don’t mean to be sexist, but I have yet to meet a lass who could do that!
I see the RAF are now contacting the white and male applicants who were previously chinned off for being white and male, and asking them to re-apply now the pre policy of “diverse” recruitment has been proven to be illegal! Shit the bed, how did we get to this state of affairs!
Previous not pre oops
How? Leftism….
Letting woke nonsense infiltrate virtually ever institution in the country. The tide finally seems to be turning. I honestly think that future historians will look back upon the last decade or so in utter disbelief.
I find it amazing that an inquiry was needed to ascertain that there is no such thing as positive discrimination.
Its a good thing this little known fact was discovered before it had any negative impact on recruitment , and that the world is currently quite a stable place. Heaven knows what would have happened if this issue had been detrimental to our ability to counter any unforeseen conflicts that could potentially destabilise any local geopolitical sphere.
I would also like to add (as I can no longer find the edit function) that even if white males previously discounted were subsequently actively encouraged to reapply – there is nothing to say this sort of discriminatory trick box behaviour wouldn’t resurface under a different guise later in their career.
I were of that particular demographic I would therefore have to give serious consideration to not reapplying given that old idiom “Once bitten Twice shy”.