Former USAF Pilot and F-35 Simulator Instructor Charged with Training Chinese Military Pilots

A former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and contract simulator instructor has been arrested and charged with illegally providing combat aircraft training to Chinese military pilots without State Department authorization, federal prosecutors announced on Wednesday (Feb 25th).

Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., who served over 24 years in the U.S. Air Force and later worked as a contract simulator instructor training U.S. pilots on the A-10 and F-35 Lightning II, allegedly traveled to China in December 2023 to train People's Liberation Army Air Force pilots, according to the Department of Justice.

Brown is charged with violating the Arms Export Control Act, which requires government licensing before U.S. persons can provide defense services, including training, to foreign militaries. Prosecutors allege Brown "willfully conspired" with foreign nationals and other U.S. persons to provide the training beginning in August 2023, according to Fox News.

During his Air Force career, Brown served as a fighter pilot and simulator instructor on F-4, F-15, F-16, and A-10 aircraft. After leaving active duty in 1996 with the rank of major, he worked as a commercial cargo pilot before becoming a contract simulator instructor on the A-10 and F-35 programs.

The complaint alleges Brown negotiated the training contract through intermediaries connected to Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national previously convicted of conspiring to hack U.S. defense contractors and steal sensitive military data. Brown allegedly delivered presentations to PLAAF members and spent hours answering questions about U.S. Air Force operations.

The case follows similar charges against former U.S. Marine Corps pilot Daniel Edmund Duggan, who is accused of training Chinese military pilots on aircraft carrier takeoff and landing procedures and is currently awaiting extradition from Australia.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg stated: 

"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."

Brown's role as an F-35 simulator instructor involved exposure to advanced training methodologies, tactics, and operational procedures.

If convicted, Brown faces significant federal prison time under export control laws designed to prevent transfer of U.S. military expertise to foreign adversaries.