In a historic bilateral defence milestone for India, three Indian Air Force Qualified Flying Instructors (QFIs) joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) Valley in Wales, UK, to train British fast-jet pilots. Making the announcement about the historic achievement in a post on X, the media coordination centre of the Indian Air Force said, “A historic first in India–UK defence cooperation. Three Indian Air Force Qualified Flying Instructors (QFIs) have joined RAF Valley, Wales, to instruct Royal Air Force pilots — marking the first deployment of Indian QFIs to the UK.”
IAF calls QFIs’ deployment ‘landmark step to strengthen shared commitment’
Apart from this, the also IAF praised the QFIs’ deployment as a “landmark step in strengthening our shared commitment to professional excellence, interoperability and enduring India–UK ties.”
The development comes after Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh in April held talks with Jonathan Nicholas Powell, National Security Advisor of the UK, on regional security developments. During the meeting, both Singh and Powell reviewed the progress of existing India-UK defence cooperation frameworks.
Jaishankar held talks with Powell on regional, global security issues
Apart from this, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also held talks with Powell on regional and global security issues, while the discussions between Powell and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval focused on the annual India-UK Strategic Dialogue. Then UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer last year had paid an official visit to India in October on the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
PM Modi, Starmer agreed to expand bilateral exchanges
As per a joint statement after their meeting, both the leaders agreed to expand bilateral exchanges between the armed forces of India and the UK through joint exercises, training and capacity building.
During the meeting, PM Modi welcomed the port call of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group and the Royal Navy’s exercise KONKAN with the Indian Navy. In this regard, both the nations committed to robust maritime security collaboration in the Indo-Pacific, including establishment of the Regional Maritime Security Centre of Excellence (RMSCE) under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI).
For cooperation on training, the two countries also welcomed progress on an arrangement that will see Indian Air Force Qualified Flying Instructors integrated into UK Royal Air Force training, alongside an agreement that will facilitate “our strong training and education relationship.”
With inputs from ANI
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