New Delhi: In the first of its kind, Indian Air Force instructors will impart training to British pilots at the Royal Air Force (RAF) Valley in the UK.
The decision in this regard was taken at the 19th UK-India Air Staff Talks here on February 12, where both countries have agreed to further enhance military training engagements, according to a British High Commission statement.
Under the latest agreement, the Indian Air Force (IAF) will deploy three Qualified Flight Instructors (QFI) to Royal Air Force (RAF) Valley – the training base for British fast jet pilots, the statement noted.
“This marks the first time that Indian QFIs will impart fast jet training to British pilots at RAF Valley. The deployment will initially be for a period of two years,” it added.
IAF instructors will be deployed in RAF Valley to instruct on the BAE Hawk T2 or Texan T1 aircraft. During their tenure, the Indian QFIs will remain under IAF command while working for RAF commanders on instructional duties.
An agreement on cooperation in military training was signed between the UK and India during PM Keir Starmer’s visit to Mumbai in October 2025.
According to the statement, the development closely follows the maiden 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.
With this, all three British military academies will now host Indian officers as instructors from respective services. The Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth already has an officer from the Indian Navy as one of its instructors since May 2024. This development was followed by the deployment of an Indian Army officer to Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in May 2025 as an instructor.
The statement quoted Air Vice Marshal Ian Townsend, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff, as stating that 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.
“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.
“Together, we are investing in the foundation of a long-term collaboration and shaping a partnership that is both enduring and strategic in its outlook,” he added.
Commodore Chris Saunders, MBE Royal Navy, Defence Adviser, 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 added.
“From the presence of Indian training officers instructing in each of the UK’s three officer training academies, to this next step of Indian instructors integrated into our professional flying training squadrons, we continue to build depth, understanding and cooperation at every level of the UK-India defence relationship,” he said.
The Air Staff Talks are part of annual engagements, with both sides usually represented by a 2-star officer or above to discuss areas of military collaboration. The previous edition of the staff talks was held in London in 2025.
In 2025, the UK and India conducted the largest ever maritime exercise involving the Carrier Strike Groups of both navies. This was closely followed by the joint army exercise Ajeya Warrior in Rajasthan.
In 2023, the Indian Air Force participated in the UK’s multilateral air exercise Cobra Warrior for the first time. In 2024, the Royal Air Force was among the participants for IAF’s first multilateral air combat exercise Tarang Shakti.
