Former US Air Force pilot arrested over allegedly training China’s PLAAF

A former US Air Force officer has been arrested on allegations that he provided unauthorized combat aircraft training to Chinese military aviators, in what US prosecutors describe as the latest case tied to Beijing’s efforts to tap Western airpower expertise.

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) said Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., 65, was arrested in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and charged by criminal complaint with providing and conspiring to provide “defense services” to Chinese military pilots without authorization, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act. Brown is expected to make an initial court appearance on February 26, 2026, in the Southern District of Indiana.

Unauthorized “defense services” alleged under export control rules

According to the complaint summarized by the DoJ, Brown allegedly conspired from at least around August 2023 with foreign nationals and US persons to provide combat aircraft training to pilots in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). The department said such training is treated as a defense service under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and requires a license from the State Department, which Brown allegedly did not have.

The DoJ says Brown traveled to China in December 2023 to begin the work and remained there until returning to the United States in early February 2026. The complaint alleges that, shortly after arriving, Brown was questioned for about three hours about the US Air Force, then briefed the PLAAF about his background on his second day in the country.

US officials also allege Brown used a co-conspirator to negotiate the terms of the training arrangement with Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national previously convicted in the US for conspiring to hack major US defense contractors and steal sensitive military and export-controlled data.

From nuclear delivery units to F-35 instruction

U.S. Department of Defense photoThe DoJ describes Brown as a former fighter pilot instructor with a long Air Force career who later worked as a contract simulator instructor. Prosecutors say he served more than 24 years in the Air Force, left active duty in 1996 as a major, and flew or instructed on aircraft including the F-4, F-15, F-16, A-10, and later the F-35 Lightning II in a contractor role. The department also says Brown commanded sensitive units tied to nuclear weapons delivery systems during his military service.

The arrest comes as US and allied officials continue to warn that China is using private intermediaries, including aviation firms outside the PRC, to recruit current and former Western military aircrew and specialists. A June 2024 joint counterintelligence bulletin issued via the US National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) warned that the PLA has used private companies in South Africa and China to recruit former fighter pilots from multiple Western countries, seeking insight into Western tactics, techniques, and procedures.

A wider pattern of cases and warnings

In its announcement, the DoJ explicitly linked Brown’s case to the long-running prosecution of former US Marine Corps pilot Daniel Edmund Duggan, who was charged in 2017 with providing defense services to Chinese military pilots without authorization and is now fighting extradition proceedings in Australia.

Beyond individual prosecutions, US authorities have also targeted alleged enabling networks. In January 2026, the DoJ filed a civil forfeiture action aimed at two anti-submarine warfare mission crew trainers en route from South Africa to China’s military, alleging that the Test Flying Academy of South Africa (TFASA) served as a conduit for transferring NATO aviation expertise and recruiting former NATO pilots for PLA-linked training.

TFASA has also been targeted by other NATO nations. A 2022 Sky News investigation said China used the academy as a front to hire former British military pilots, citing offers of salaries around £240,000 per year. And in France, prosecutors opened an investigation in 2025 into a former French naval aviator suspected of traveling to China for training-related activity allegedly arranged and financed by a South African company, according to French media reporting.

NATO and national defense authorities have increasingly warned former aircrew that post-service work with PRC-backed aviation entities can pose both security and legal risks. In February 2025, Gen. James B. Hecker, then commander of NATO Allied Air Command and US Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa, urged aircrew to avoid employment with privately owned aviation companies backing the PRC, pointing to a broader trend of allied legal changes intended to hold individuals accountable.The post Former US Air Force pilot arrested over allegedly training China’s PLAAF appeared first on AeroTime.

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