USA Files Forfeiture Action Against Two Anti-Submarine Warfare Crew Trainers En Route from South Africa to the Chinese Military
Published by RawNews1st
United States Files Forfeiture Action Against Two Anti-Submarine Warfare Crew Trainers En Route from South Africa to the Chinese Military
The US Department of Justice accused the Test Flying Academy of South Africa (TFASA) of illegally exporting US military flight simulator technology and recruiting former NATO pilots for the purpose of training China’s military.
The Justice Department filed a forfeiture complaint against two mission crew trainers (MCTs) that were interdicted in transit from the TFASA to the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The MCTs are mobile classrooms intended to assist the PLA to train personnel on the use of airborne warning and control system and anti-submarine warfare aircraft.
The purpose of the MCT project – dubbed “Project Elgar” by TFASA personnel – was to train PLA aviators on anti-submarine warfare techniques, expanding their capability to locate and track U.S. submarines working in the Pacific.
The MCTs were designed to run software specially designed by TFASA for Project Elgar. The software used a basic flight simulator program designed by a U.S. company, which TFASA then enhanced using technical data relating to Western anti-submarine warfare aircraft.
Former NATO aviators with training in anti-submarine warfare techniques were part of TFASA’s Project Elgar team.
TFASA denied the allegations.
