Industry News and Headlines

Ex-F-35 Pilot Arrested For Training Chinese Military Aviators; DOJ Cites Pattern Seen In U.S. Marine Case

The U.S. Department of Justice announced the arrest of Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., a former Air Force F‑35 instructor pilot, for allegedly providing combat aircraft training to Chinese Air Force pilots without a State Department license. Brown, who retired in 1996 and later worked as a defense contractor, traveled to China in December 2023 to conduct the illicit training. The indictment mirrors a previous case against former Marine pilot Daniel Duggan, highlighting a pattern of retired U.S. aviators being recruited by Beijing. Authorities emphasize that such unauthorized training violates the Arms Export Control Act and poses a serious national‑security risk.