A former US Air Force pilot who once flew combat missions during the Gulf War has been accused by American prosecutors of illegally training Chinese military pilots and sharing sensitive information linked to the US military.
Gerald Eddie Brown, 63, was arrested in February after returning to the US from China where he had spent more than two years working with a company allegedly linked to Beijing’s military recruitment efforts.
Federal prosecutors claim Brown violated US arms-control laws by providing unauthorised training to Chinese air force personnel. If convicted, he could face six to eight years in prison. Brown has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.
According to court filings accessed by Wall Street Journal, Brown served in the US Air Force for over two decades and flew aircraft including the F-15, F-16 and A-10 fighter jets. Military records cited by prosecutors say he took part in operations during the 1990-91 Gulf War by destroying their bunkers and later enforced no-fly zones over Iraq.
After leaving active duty, Brown joined UPS as a cargo pilot in 2001 and logged more than 10,000 flying hours. His aviation career ended after a confrontation with a UPS captain during a 2016 flight from Australia to China. The Federal Aviation Administration revoked his pilot licence by accusing him of threatening behaviour and unsafe conduct.
Prosecutors say Brown later searched for opportunities overseas and was recruited through an intermediary connected to Stratos Aviation, a company that US authorities have accused of helping China hire former Western military pilots.
In messages presented in court, Brown allegedly expressed excitement about returning to fighter aviation. “I am ready to live in China! Can’t wait to fly a fighter again—perfect!!!” he reportedly wrote to the man who helped him land the job.
The indictment claims Brown moved to China in late 2023 and met Chinese officials on his first day there. Prosecutors allege he later attended military-related meetings in Beijing, discussed the US Air Force structure and the F-35 stealth fighter. He also met Chinese intelligence officials multiple times.
Authorities also claim Brown travelled to South Korea in 2024 to collect information of interest to China and later shared electronic data with Chinese officials.
Brown’s lawyers have called the allegations “overwrought and salacious” and argued that prosecutors have “dramatically misconstrued” his work in China. For the bail request, they said Brown suffers from serious health issues, including a heart aneurysm, poor eyesight and hearing problems which meant “he cannot get behind the steering wheel of a plane ever again.”
His lawyers claimed Brown’s time in China ended badly and that he “fears for his life upon his return.”
