Former F-35 Instructor Arrested Over China Training Allegations
Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., 65, was arrested and charged with conspiring to provide unauthorized combat aircraft training to PLAAF pilots after traveling to China in December 2023.
TownhallFormer Air Force Pilot Arrested Over Allegations That He Trained Chinese Military Pilots
Breitbart NewsFormer U.S. Fighter Pilot Charged with Conspiring to Train Chinese Military
Western JournalRetired Air Force Major Charged for Allegedly Training Chinese Military Pilots
Military TimesFormer US Air Force pilot charged with unauthorized Chinese military training
Overview
Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., 65, was arrested in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and charged with conspiring to provide defense services to Chinese military pilots in violation of the Arms Export Control Act, the Justice Department said.
Prosecutors allege Brown began arranging contract terms in or around August 2023, traveled to China in December 2023 to train PLAAF pilots, and remained there until returning to the United States in early February 2026, the DOJ said.
The complaint alleges Brown conspired with Chinese national Stephen Su Bin, who pleaded guilty in 2016 and was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for conspiring to steal sensitive U.S. military data, the DOJ said.
Brown served over 24 years in the U.S. Air Force, retired as a major in 1996, and later worked as a commercial cargo pilot and contract simulator instructor training U.S. pilots on the A-10 and F-35, the DOJ said.
Brown is expected to make an initial appearance before a magistrate judge in the Southern District of Indiana on February 26, 2026, and the case is being prosecuted by the National Security Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C., the DOJ said.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story as a national-security betrayal by foregrounding DOJ allegations and prosecutorial quotes (e.g., “betrayed the country”), emphasizing the subject’s military pedigree and ties to convicted operatives (Su Bin), and invoking precedent (Duggan). coverage privileges government voices and omits defense statements or alternative context.
FAQ
Gerald Eddie Brown Jr. is charged by criminal complaint with conspiring to provide defense services to Chinese military pilots without authorization, violating the Arms Export Control Act.
Brown served over 24 years in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a major in 1996. He was a fighter pilot instructor on F-4, F-15, F-16, A-10, commanded nuclear weapons delivery units, led combat missions, and later trained U.S. pilots on F-35 and A-10 simulators as a contractor.
Stephen Su Bin is a Chinese national who pleaded guilty in 2016 to conspiring to hack U.S. defense contractors' systems for China and was sentenced to nearly four years in prison. Prosecutors allege Brown conspired with Su Bin to arrange the training contract.
Brown began negotiating contract terms in August 2023, traveled to China in December 2023 to train PLAAF pilots on combat aircraft, and remained there until early February 2026 before returning to the U.S.
Brown, 65, was arrested on February 25, 2026, in Jeffersonville, Indiana. He was expected to make an initial appearance before a magistrate judge in the Southern District of Indiana on February 26, 2026.
