Retired US fighter pilot arrested over alleged training of Chinese military

A former US Air Force fighter pilot has been arrested on accusations he trained Chinese military pilots without authorisation, according to US officials.

Major Gerald Eddie Brown is accused of providing ‘defence services to Chinese military pilots without authorisation’, the US Department of Justice said.

According to reports by WLKY, Major Brown served in the US Air Force for 24 years before retiring in 1996.

He later worked in commercial cargo aviation and with US defence contractors as a flight simulator instructor, where he trained pilots on aircraft including the F-35 fighter jet and the A-10 attack aircraft.

US officials say Brown travelled to China in December 2023 and remained there until early February. Prosecutors allege that after arriving, he was questioned about the US Air Force and later presented a briefing about himself to the People's Liberation Army Air Force.

Authorities also say contract negotiations were conducted through Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national who pleaded guilty in 2016 to hacking US defence contractors to obtain sensitive military information for Beijing.

The charges relate to alleged violations of the Arms Export Control Act, which requires a licence from the State Department before Americans can train foreign military personnel.

Announcing the charges, assistant attorney general John A. Eisenberg said the Air Force had trained Brown as an elite fighter pilot and entrusted him with national defence responsibilities.