A former US Air Force pilot, Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., 65, has been arrested in Indiana for allegedly training Chinese military pilots without authorization, according to reports by the US Department of Justice and the FBI.

Brown, a veteran with 24 years of service, including experience as an F-35 instructor pilot, was charged with violating the Arms Export Control Act. As reported by Reuters and AP News, Brown traveled to China in December 2023 to begin training People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) pilots and remained there until early February 2026.

His contract was allegedly negotiated through Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national who pleaded guilty in 2016 to hacking US defense contractors and stealing military secrets, according to court documents cited by the BBC. “The Chinese government continues to exploit the expertise of current and former members of the US armed forces to modernize China’s military capabilities,” said Roman Rozhavsky, FBI Assistant Director, in a statement quoted by CNN.

Brown faces serious charges and could face lengthy prison time if convicted. His case is similar to that of former US Marine Corps pilot Daniel Duggan, who was charged in 2017 for training Chinese military pilots, as reported by The New York Times.