Ex-US pilot arrested for training Chinese air force

A former officer of the United States Air Force and experienced fighter pilot has been arrested for allegedly training Chinese military aviators without official approval. The US Department of Justice announced that retired Major Gerald Brown, known by the call sign “Runner,” was detained in Indiana and charged with illegally providing — and conspiring to provide — defense-related services to pilots from China.

Brown, 65, previously worked as an instructor on the F-35 Lightning II and is accused of betraying his country by helping train personnel from a potential adversary, according to Federal Bureau of Investigation counterintelligence official Roman Rozhavsky. Authorities say China has been attempting to use the expertise of former Western military personnel to strengthen its armed forces, and the arrest is intended as a warning, reports Al Jazeera.

US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said Brown and any collaborators would be held responsible. Prosecutors noted that during his 24-year Air Force career, Brown led combat operations and oversaw sensitive units, including those connected to nuclear weapons delivery.

After leaving the military in 1996, Brown worked as a cargo pilot and later as a defense contractor training American pilots on aircraft such as the F-35 and A-10. Investigators allege he traveled to China in December 2023 to begin training Chinese pilots and stayed there until returning to the US in early February 2026.

Officials say the training arrangement was negotiated by Stephen Su Bin, who previously served prison time in the US after pleading guilty in 2016 to conspiring to hack a defense contractor to obtain military secrets for China.

The case resembles that of former US Marine pilot Daniel Duggan, arrested in Australia in 2022 and fighting extradition to the US over allegations he violated arms export laws by training Chinese military pilots. Duggan’s extradition was approved in December 2024 by Australia’s then attorney general Mark Dreyfus, though he continues to challenge it in court, according to Reuters.