Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many new pilots completed training and entered front-line service with the RAF in each of the last five years by (a) aircraft and (b) service type.

For each training year, the number of pilots that undertake training and commence Operational Conversion Units is based upon the front-line demand for qualified pilots. The Royal Air Force (RAF) actively manage the pilot training pipelines to ensure that trainee flowthrough is kept to an optimum and meets the front-line requirements. The specific number of pilots that have completed training and commenced front-line Operational Conversion Units in each of the last five years is not released into the public domain as this level of detailed information may provide tactical advantage to hostile forces causing operational and personnel security risks.