A former US Air Force officer has been arrested for allegedly working with a Chinese hacker to train China’s military pilots. Gerald Eddie Brown, 65, was arrested in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Authorities say he spent almost three years living in China, where he trained pilots connected to the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).
Brown served 24 years in the US Air Force and retired in 1996 as a Major. During his service, he led units responsible for nuclear weapons systems and combat missions. After leaving the military, he worked as a commercial cargo pilot and later for two US defense contractors.
Prosecutors say that in 2023, Brown started negotiating a deal to train Chinese military pilots in combat aircraft operations. The deal was allegedly arranged through people connected to Stephen Su Bin, a Chinese national previously convicted of hacking US defense companies.
Bin ran an aviation technology business in Canada. In 2016, he admitted to breaking into the computer systems of American defense firms between 2008 and 2014. In one case, he hacked into Boeing servers and stole sensitive information about the C-17 military transport aircraft. He sent the information to officials in China. Bin served four years in prison, and his company was later sanctioned.
Federal officials say Brown worked with Bin to complete the training agreement. In December 2023, Brown traveled to China, met with officials from the People’s Republic of China, and shared his military background. He stayed there until returning to the United States in February 2026.
Prosecutors claim Brown broke US law by providing military training to a foreign country without getting the required approval from the US State Department under arms export rules.