The Indian Air Force termed the deployment a ‘historic first’ in bilateral defence cooperation, saying it would further boost professional excellence.
Published: September 12, 2026, 5:28 PM IST
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Three Indian Air Force flying instructors will be heading to UK to train Royal Air Force pilotsImage Credit: @IAF_MCC/X
Three Qualified Flying Instructors (QFIs) from the Indian Air Force are set to be deployed to Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) Valley in Wales, in a first that will see Indian instructors train RAF pilots in the United KingdomDescribing the deployment as a ‘historic first’ for India-UK defence ties, the IAF said it would further boost professional expertise, interoperability and the countries’ longstanding defence partnership.
The three IAF instructors are now at RAF Valley, one of the Royal Air Force’s key training bases, where they will train British pilotsThe Indian Air Force’s media coordination centre announced the development in a post on X, calling it a ‘historic first’ in India-UK defence tiesIt said three IAF QFIs had joined RAF Valley, Wales, to instruct RAF pilots — the first time Indian QFIs have been deployed to the UK.
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India-UK defence cooperation
In April, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh met UK National Security Adviser Jonathan Nicholas Powell to discuss regional security developments and review the progress of existing India-UK defence cooperation mechanisms.
Jaishankar also discussed regional and global security matters with PowellIn a separate meeting, Powell and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval held talks as part of the annual India-UK Strategic Dialogue.
Earlier, in October last year, then British Prime Minister Keir Starmer travelled to India on an official visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The joint statement said the two leaders agreed to strengthen engagement between the Indian and UK armed forces through joint exercises, training programmes and capacity-building efforts.
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Modi also welcomed the visit of the UK Carrier Strike Group and the Royal Navy’s KONKAN exercise with the Indian NavyThe two countries further committed to expanding maritime security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, including setting up the Regional Maritime Security Centre of Excellence under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative.
On training cooperation, the two leaders welcomed progress on an arrangement under which Indian Air Force Qualified Flying Instructors would be integrated into UK Royal Air Force trainingThey also welcomed an agreement that would facilitate “our strong training and education relationship.”
