New Delhi: For the first time in history, Indian Air Force (IAF) instructors will impart training to the pilots of the Royal Air Force (RAF) of the United Kingdom (UK), a country which rules India for over 200 years.
For this purpose, the IAF will depute three Qualified Flight Instructors (QFI) to the RAF Valley in the UK, which is the training base for British fast jet pilots.
The deployment will be initially for a period of two years.
An agreement in this regard was reached between the two sides after the 19th UK-India Air Staff Talks on February 12 in New Delhi.
The agreement was part of the mutual endeavour to further enhance military training engagements.
The development follows the first-time deployment in January this year of an IAF officer as an instructor to the Royal Air Force College Cranwell – the air academy that trains the next generation of RAF officers.
This marked all three British military academies now hosting Indian officers as instructors from respective services, according to a statement issued by the British High Commission here.
“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,” said Air Vice Marshal Ian Townsend, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff, of the RAF.
“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.
“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.”
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.
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.
Indian Air Force instructors will deploy to 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.
The Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth 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.
In 2025, the UK and India conducted the largest ever maritime exercise involving the Carrier Strike Groups of both the navies. This was closely followed by 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 amongst the participants for IAF’s first multilateral air combat exercise Tarang Shakti.
