FBI Arrests Former US Air Force Major And Fighter Pilot For Allegedly Training Chinese Military Pilots
FBI Arrests Former US Air Force Major And Fighter Pilot For Allegedly Training Chinese Military Pilots
Brown, also known by the call sign “Runner,” was arrested on Wednesday in Jeffersonville, Indiana, according to a statement issued by the United States Department of Justice on Wednesday.
A former U.S. Air Force officer and fighter pilot, Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., 65, has been arrested and charged with illegally providing defence services to Chinese military pilots in violation of U.S. export control laws.
Brown, also known by the call sign “Runner,” was arrested on Wednesday in Jeffersonville, Indiana, according to a statement issued by the United States Department of Justice on Wednesday.
He is expected to make his initial appearance before a magistrate judge in the Southern District of Indiana on February 26, 2026.
Prosecutors charged Brown by criminal complaint with providing and conspiring to provide defence services to members of the Chinese Air Force, formally known as the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), without authorisation, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA).
According to the complaint, Brown allegedly conspired with foreign nationals and U.S. persons beginning in or around August 2023 to provide combat aircraft training to Chinese military pilots. Under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), such training qualifies as a “defence service” and requires a license from the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC).
Authorities said Brown did not obtain the required authorisation.
The Justice Department alleged that Brown arranged his contract through intermediaries, including Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national who previously pleaded guilty in 2016 in the Central District of California to hacking U.S. defence contractors to steal sensitive military data for China.
Throughout communications cited in the complaint, Brown allegedly made clear his intent to instruct Chinese military aviators.
In one résumé prepared for the role, Brown listed his objective as “Instructor Fighter Pilot.” Prosecutors said he later expressed enthusiasm about flying and instructing fighter pilots again upon arrival in China.
Brown reportedly travelled to China in December 2023 and remained there until early February 2026. On his first day in China, investigators allege, he answered questions for three hours about the U.S. Air Force and subsequently delivered a presentation about himself to PLAAF personnel.
Brown served more than 24 years in the U.S. Air Force and left active duty in 1996 with the rank of Major. During his career, he commanded units responsible for nuclear weapons delivery systems, led combat missions and worked as a fighter pilot instructor.
He flew multiple aircraft, including the F-4 Phantom II, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon and A-10 Thunderbolt II. In civilian life, Brown later worked as a commercial cargo pilot and as a contract simulator instructor training U.S. pilots on the A-10 and the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said the case underscores the seriousness of unauthorised military training.
He stated that providing such services to a foreign military without State Department approval is illegal and that authorities would use all available tools to protect U.S. military advantages.
Officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation described the case as part of broader concerns about China’s efforts to recruit former Western military personnel to strengthen its armed forces.
Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division said the arrest serves as a warning that authorities will hold accountable those who collaborate with U.S. adversaries.
The case also draws comparisons to former U.S. Marine Corps pilot Daniel Edmund Duggan, who was charged in 2017 with similar offences related to training Chinese military pilots and is currently facing extradition to the United States from Australia.
In 2024, the United States and allied governments, including Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand, issued a joint bulletin warning that China’s military continues to target current and former military personnel from NATO and other Western nations to bolster its capabilities.
The investigation into Brown was led by the FBI’s New York Field Office, with assistance from other field offices and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
The case is being prosecuted by the Justice Department’s National Security Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
If convicted, Brown faces potential penalties under the Arms Export Control Act, which criminalises the unauthorised export of defense articles and services.
Authorities emphasised that a criminal complaint contains allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
