U.S. prosecutors have charged a former decorated U.S. Air Force officer with conspiring alongside a convicted Chinese hacker. The alleged scheme involved providing extensive training to Chinese military pilots.
Gerald Eddie Brown, 65, was apprehended in Jeffersonville, Indiana, following a period of nearly three years residing in China. During this time, he reportedly offered combat aircraft training to pilots within the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), China’s air force.
Court documents indicate that Brown served over two decades in the U.S. Air Force. After his military career, he worked as a commercial cargo pilot and held roles at two U.S. defense contractors. In 2023, he reportedly initiated negotiations for a contract to train Chinese military pilots.
The training agreement was reportedly brokered by a co-conspirator linked to Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national who operated an aviation and aerospace technology company in Canada. Bin previously faced accusations of breaching several U.S. defense contractors between 2008 and 2014. In 2016, he pleaded guilty to hacking a U.S. defense contractor and illicitly obtaining “sensitive military and export-controlled data” for the Chinese government.
One notable incident involved Bin infiltrating Boeing’s servers to access data concerning the company’s C-17 military transport aircraft, subsequently emailing these documents to Chinese officials. Bin served a four-year prison sentence for this offense, and his company also faced sanctions.
Prosecutors allege that Brown collaborated with Bin to finalize the arrangement, openly expressing his intention to instruct Chinese pilots in combat aircraft operations. Brown traveled to China in December 2023, where he reportedly met with PRC officials to present his qualifications.
He remained in China until his return to the U.S. this month.
According to prosecutors, Brown’s actions violated International Traffic in Arms Regulations, as he did not possess the required State Department license to share his specialized knowledge with a foreign military.
Brown served 24 years in the U.S. Air Force, retiring in 1996 as a Major. During his tenure, he commanded units involved with nuclear weapons delivery systems, combat missions, and other critical operations.
Brown made his initial court appearance on Thursday. Roman Rozhavsky, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, stated that Brown “betrayed his country by training Chinese pilots to fight against those he swore to protect.”
Rozhavsky further noted that the Chinese government has actively sought to leverage the expertise of former U.S. armed forces personnel to enhance its military capabilities.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg commented, “The United States Air Force trained Major Brown to be an elite fighter pilot and entrusted him with the defense of our Nation. He now stands charged with training Chinese military pilots.”
Eisenberg emphasized that “When U.S. persons – whether military or civilian – provide training to a foreign military, that activity is illegal unless they have a license from the State Department.”
