Raf -bosses have launched a desperate search for pilots after a secret attempt to discriminate white male applicants.
Candidates who were previously overlooked are now encouraged to request training again, because the Air Force is frantically trying to fill cockpits with combat flyers, the e-mail can reveal.
The plea follows a controversial drive by top brass to prioritize the recruitment of women and ethnic minorities, which turned out to be illegal.
The urgent need for pilots has become so urgent that air leaders actively encourage older candidates, who have a certain degree of flight experience to register.
It has been reported that the Royal Air Force suffers from a shortage of 30 percent in pilots in the ranks of Light Lieutenant and Squadron leader. Civil servants RAF sources have challenged these statistics, but have not produced their own.
It comes as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to place 'Jets in the Sky' to protect Ukraine as part of a post-conflict stabilization power that must be confirmed this week.
The Labor leader has already increased the expenses for defense to 2.5 percent of GDP.
And other leaders in Europe quickly supported plans to raise their investment in military hardware after Donald Trump said they could no longer be dependent on protection on the United States.
Candidates who were previously overlooked are now encouraged to adjust again for training (file image)
The plea follows a disk of top brass to give priority to the recruitment of women and ethnic minorities (file image)
Last night, Minister of Shadow Armed Forces Mark Francois said: 'The availability of the RAF of fighter pilots was hit by a perfect storm: including awake manipulation of recruitment practices, the revival of civil airlines after cooperation and technical issues with training planes, in particular the reliability of the engine T2.
'All this is really important. If we now see 'jets in the sky' who defend every Ukrainian peace agreement, we need enough trained pilots to fly them.
“While we are approaching Ve Day celebrations, it is worth remembering that the RAF never had spitfires or hurricanes during the Battle of Great -Britain, but we hardly had any hunting pilots anymore.”
An official document, seen by the mail, has revealed that the RAF requires a larger number of pilots for training '.
To connect the deficit, air leaders from other branches of the RAF, who may have been rejected earlier because of their scores in suitability reviews, want to request again.
The RAF Internal briefing Note, dated 5 March, is entitled 'Opportunities for professional transfer to the pilot specialization'.
It invites applications for transfer and says: “This is due to a larger number of pilots needed for flying training.”
Applicants must submit their paperwork for their 24th birthday, although officers who have relevant experience in 'flying roles' can be older.
Air leaders actively encourage older candidates to register (file image)
Chancellor Rachel Reeves meets female service personnel at Raf Northolt
The same document reveals that a similar schedule has been unveiled to train more operators of weapon systems.
It is also after an official investigation found in 2023 that the RAF was unlawfully discriminated against against white male pilot recipients.
A group of 31 white male pilot trainees was stopped, a review was found. They then received a fee.
The RAF was also forced to allow his target that 40 percent of the power was female and 20 percent from an ethnic minority background in 2030 was 'unrealistic'.
Group captain Lizzie Nicholl refused the head of the Raf recruitment when she followed the order she rightly stated in violation of the equality act.
The probe discovered that it was subject to 'significant and sometimes unreasonable' pressure to push through the illegal policy.
Former head of the RAF, air chief marshal Sir Mike Wigston, was confronted with calls to resign about the 'waking' recruitment scandal.
In the same year, a report from the Lower House Defense Select Committee accused RAF bosses of 'complacency' about 'a reduction in the ability of the Ministry of Defense to produce a battle for combat air crew within the expected time scales'.
MPs said that this “had serious implications for the effectiveness of our forces” and that the “delays and backlogs of recent years have been completely unacceptable.”
One of the problems with pilot training was problems with the plane that the RAF uses to learn to repeatedly break down pilots.
While, as part of a contract to sell typhoon jets to Gulf states, the RAF is obliged to train pilots from countries such as Saudi Arabia.
These issues contributed to the time the RAF took to train the pilot that extends to seven years. RAF sources claim that this has been reduced to three and a half years.
The RAF insists that it has enough pilots and crew to carry out all current activities.
Last night the RAF said: 'We have enough pilots and aircrew to perform all current activities and to maintain the front line.
'Moreover, the active management of the flying training system has reduced the training times and backlog of student -Aircrew in the training pipeline.
“This good progress has enabled us to reopen aircrew requests for serving staff.”
