According to research by ZDF and “Spiegel”, former Bundeswehr soldiers train fighter pilots in China. Apparently, attack scenarios are also practiced. Defense Minister Pistorius announced an investigation.
Do former German soldiers train fighter pilots in China? Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has responded to relevant research by ZDF and “Spiegel”. The SPD politician announced that he would have each individual case checked. “We will do that consistently and all violations will be punished,” assured Pistorius.
Soldiers are allowed to take on other tasks after their time in the Bundeswehr, but this must be done within the framework of the law. “There are clear rules in the Soldiers’ Act about what a soldier or a female soldier is allowed to do after the end of his or her period of service and what not and what he has to report,” explained the minister. “There are also clear rules about confidentiality obligations and much more.”
A handful of former soldiers are apparently training in China
According to research in China, former fighter pilots from Germany have been training military pilots for years. Accordingly, at least a handful of former German Air Force officers are employed as trainers in China. Two of the Germans are said to have trained “Eurofighter” pilots before they retired, and another man had previously been a pilot of a “Tornado” fighter plane.
At least one of these men lived and worked in Qiqhar, a city in the northeast of the People’s Republic. There is an important base of the Chinese Air Force. ZDF writes that they stationed “Jian-11” fighter planes there.
A soldier checks a fighter jet at an airport in Qiqihar, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. (Archive image: July 25, 2009)
Annual salary of several hundred thousand euros
Combat pilots in the Bundeswehr usually retire at the age of 41 – then their reflexes slowly fade and their eyesight deteriorates. Many former pilots look for sideline jobs after they retire.
According to the reports, the former Bundeswehr soldiers, who are believed to be training in China, received their payment “apparently in several cases via letterbox companies in the Seychelles”. This emerges from the “PanamaPapers” data leak from a law firm, reports ZDF.
Apparently, the extremely generous salaries flowed through these consulting firms for the pilots in the tax haven. The “Spiegel” reports an annual salary of several hundred thousand euros, which one of the men is said to have received. These are salaries “that are otherwise only paid in professional sports or in management positions in corporations”.
Became attack scenarios practiced?
The research is particularly explosive because it suggests that some of the former Bundeswehr soldiers are said to have worked for the company of an unmasked Chinese spy. According to “Spiegel”, security authorities in Germany consider it very likely that the ex-soldiers betrayed military expertise and practiced attack scenarios – such as an attack on Taiwan.
According to reports from both media, several pilots left inquiries unanswered or could not be reached. A pilot denied the allegations.
The Ministry of Defense has confirmed to the two media that joint investigations with intelligence services and international partners have been ongoing for some time.