2 hours ago
Last Updated:February 26, 2026, 08:14 IST
Gerald Brown, ex-US Air Force pilot, was arrested in Indiana for allegedly training Chinese Air Force pilots without authorisation.
Brown served 24 years in the US Air Force, during which he commanded sensitive units responsible for nuclear weapons delivery systems (AFP)
The US Justice Department on Wednesday announced the arrest of a former US Air Force fighter pilot accused of training Chinese military personnel without required authorisation.
Gerald Brown, 65, was arrested in Indiana after recently returning to the United States from China, where he had been since December 2023, according to a Justice Department statement. He is accused of having “conspired with foreign nationals to provide combat aircraft training to pilots in the Chinese Air Force" without obtaining a licence from the US State Department.
Brown served 24 years in the US Air Force, during which he commanded sensitive units responsible for nuclear weapons delivery systems, led combat missions and worked as a fighter pilot and simulator instructor on multiple aircraft. After retiring from the military in 1996, he worked as a cargo pilot and later as a US defence contractor, training pilots to operate A-10 and F-35 fighter jets.
According to the statement, Brown allegedly began negotiating a contract in August 2023 with Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national previously imprisoned in the US over an espionage case. He later travelled to China in December 2023 to begin the training assignment.
“The Chinese government continues to exploit the expertise of current and former members of the US armed forces to modernize China’s military capabilities," said Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. “This arrest serves as a warning that the FBI and our partners will stop at nothing to hold accountable anyone who collaborates with our adversaries to harm our service members and jeopardize our national security," he added.
(With inputs from AFP)
First Published:
February 26, 2026, 08:14 IST
News world Ex-US Air Force Pilot Arrested For Allegedly Training Chinese Military Personnel
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