Former French Fighter Pilot Pierre-Henri Chuet Charged with Espionage for China

Pierre-Henri Chuet, a former French naval fighter pilot who flew Rafale aircraft from the carrier Charles de Gaulle and served in missions such as Iraq, left the armed forces in 2021 and became a YouTube presenter on aviation. The Paris public prosecutor opened an investigation after the Ministry of the Armed Forces reported suspicious activity. On 23 July 2026 he was placed under judicial control and charged with four offenses: intelligence with a foreign power, collection and delivery of confidential information, disclosure of national defence secrets, and related infractions that could carry up to 30 years in prison.

Investigators from the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Intérieure (DGSI) say Chuet travelled to China twice between 2018 and 2020 to conduct seminars for military personnel without notifying his superiors. His home in southwestern France was searched and the probe also looks into possible tax‑fraud and other misconduct. Chuet, who runs the YouTube channel “À‑té Chuet” with over 660 000 subscribers, denies having passed any secrets to China. The case remains under active investigation.