Former US Air Force Pilot Arrested for Illegally Training Chinese Military

Brown, an elite fighter pilot known by the call sign "Runner," was taken into custody in Jeffersonville, Indiana, after recently returning from China. He is accused of providing and conspiring to provide sophisticated defense services to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) without obtaining the required legal authorization from the U.S. State Department.

During his 24-year military career, Brown commanded sensitive units responsible for nuclear weapons delivery systems and served as a specialized instructor for advanced aircraft. Following his retirement in 1996, he worked as a commercial pilot and later as a defense contractor, where he provided simulator training for state-of-the-art jets like the A-10 Thunderbolt and the F-35 Lightning II. Federal prosecutors allege that starting in August 2023, Brown conspired with foreign nationals to provide combat aircraft training to Chinese pilots, a direct violation of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA).

The investigation revealed that Brown’s recruitment was facilitated by Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national previously imprisoned in the U.S. for a major 2016 espionage scheme. Brown reportedly traveled to China in December 2023, where he spent hours answering detailed questions about U.S. Air Force operations and delivered briefings to Chinese military personnel. U.S. officials described the arrest as a significant victory against China’s aggressive efforts to exploit Western military expertise to modernize its own forces. Brown is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on February 26 before a magistrate judge in the Southern District of Indiana.