Decorated Fighter Pilot Charged in a Shocking China Training “Betrayal” Staff Reports February 27, 2026 11:27 am Aviation, Crime, Eglin Air Force Base, Military In Brief: A retired Air Force major and former F-35 simulator instructor was arrested on charges of training Chinese military pilots. Prosecutors say the training violated U.S. arms export laws and required State Department authorization. The case highlights ongoing concerns about China recruiting Western military expertise. A former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and contract F-35 instructor has been arrested and charged with illegally training Chinese military aviators — a case federal officials say poses serious national security concerns. According to an article written by Thomas Newdick at The War Zone, the allegations are particularly alarming given the former officer’s experience connected to the highly sensitive F-35 program. The U.S. Department of Justice announced that retired Air Force Maj. Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., 65, was arrested in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and charged by criminal complaint with providing — and conspiring to provide — defense services to Chinese military pilots without authorization, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act. Brown, a former combat pilot who used the callsign “Runner,” served more than 24 years in the Air Force. During his career, he flew and instructed on multiple aircraft, including the F-4, F-15, F-16, and A-10. After leaving active duty in 1996, he later worked as a contract simulator instructor, training U.S. pilots on the F-35 Lightning II and A-10. Federal prosecutors allege that beginning around August 2023,...
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