Former F-35 Pilot Arrested for Training Chinese Military

A former U.S. Air Force officer and F-35 instructor pilot has been arrested on charges of illegally providing defense services to Chinese military pilots, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Gerald Brown, 65, a retired Air Force major once known by the call sign “Runner,” was taken into custody in Indiana on Feb. 18, and charged with providing and conspiring to provide defense services to Chinese pilots without U.S. government authorization. The charges stem from alleged violations of U.S. export control and national security laws.

Brown previously served 24 years in the U.S. Air Force and was an instructor on the F-35 Lightning II. During his military career, he reportedly led combat missions and commanded sensitive units, including those connected to nuclear weapons delivery systems. After leaving active duty in 1996, Brown worked as a commercial cargo pilot and later as a defense contractor training U.S. pilots to fly F-35 and A-10 aircraft.

Federal authorities allege Brown traveled to China in December 2023 to begin training Chinese military pilots and remained there until early February 2026. Prosecutors claim the contract was arranged by Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national who previously pleaded guilty in the United States to conspiring to hack a U.S. defense contractor to steal military secrets for China.

Roman Rozhavsky, assistant director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, said the arrest underscores ongoing concerns about China seeking to leverage Western military expertise to modernize its armed forces. U.S. officials have repeatedly warned that current and former service members can face serious penalties for providing unauthorized training or technical knowledge to foreign military.

The case parallels that of former U.S. Marine Corps pilot Daniel Duggan, who was arrested in Australia in 2022 and is currently contesting extradition to the United States on charges related to pilot training services provided to China.

In 2024, the governments of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States issued a joint warning that China was actively recruiting Western military personnel to gain insight into advanced tactics and technologies.

If convicted, Brown could face significant prison time. The case highlights heightened scrutiny of former military personnel engaging in overseas defense-related work and reflects broader geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing over military modernization and intelligence security.

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, aljazeera.com