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Retired U.S. Air Force Pilot Arrested For Allegedly Training Chinese Military SEO DES: Prosecutors allege Brown went to China in Dec 2023, stayed until Feb 2026, training PLAAF pilots & briefing them on US Air Force tactics, breaching ITAR laws SOCIAL: A retired U.S. Air Force officer, Gerald Eddie Brown Jr., 65, has been arrested and charged with providing unauthorized military training to members of the Chinese military, the U.S. Department of Justice said on 25 February 2026. Arrested in Indiana, he faces charges under the Arms Export Control Act for supplying defense services without a State Department license. Prosecutors allege Brown traveled to China in December 2023 and stayed until early February 2026, where he trained People’s Liberation Army Air Force pilots and briefed them on U.S. Air Force operations and tactics, violating export control laws under ITAR. A former Major with 24 years of service, Brown previously flew and instructed on several fighter jets, including the F-35. The FBI and Air Force Office of Special Investigations are probing the case, which officials describe as a serious national security concern. Washington, United States: A retired U.S. Air Force officer and combat pilot has been arrested and charged for allegedly providing and conspiring to provide defence training to members of the Chinese military without authorisation, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced in a press release on 25 February 2026. Gerald Eddie Brown, Jr., 65, a U.S. citizen known by the call sign “Runner,” was arrested in Jeffersonville, Indiana, and was expected to make his initial appearance before a Magistrate Judge in the Southern District of Indiana on 26 February 2026. Brown has been charged under the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) for providing prohibited defence services to foreign military personnel without a required license from the U.S. State Department. According to the DOJ, Brown “provided and conspired to provide defence services to Chinese military pilots without authorisation,” in violation of U.S. law. Prosecutors say the training he offered falls under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), which require U.S. persons to obtain a licence from the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls before providing any military training or assistance to foreign nationals or foreign military units. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg emphasised that Brown was trained by the U.S. Air Force to defend the nation, a role his alleged conduct now reverses. “When U.S. persons, whether military or civilian, provide training to a foreign military, that activity is illegal unless they have a licence from the State Department,” Eisenberg said. “The National Security Division will use all tools at its disposal to protect our military advantages and hold to account those who would violate the AECA.” FBI officials also highlighted the national security implications of the case. Roman Rozhavsky, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, stated that Brown’s conduct allegedly aided efforts by the Chinese government to “modernize China’s military capabilities” by exploiting the expertise of former U.S. service members. Rozhavsky added that this arrest is intended to serve as a warning to others who might collaborate with U.S. adversaries. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia also condemned the alleged conduct, saying Brown “broke his oath” and “jeopardized the safety of our servicemembers and allies” by offering his training services overseas. Brown served over 24 years in the U.S. Air Force, retiring in 1996 at the rank of Major. His military career included commanding sensitive units with responsibility for nuclear weapons delivery systems, leading combat missions, and serving as a fighter pilot and simulator instructor on multiple aircraft including the F-4 “Phantom II,” F-15 “Eagle,” F-16 “Fighting Falcon,” A-10 “Thunderbolt II” and the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. After leaving active duty, Brown worked as a commercial cargo pilot and later as a contract simulator instructor training U.S. military pilots. According to the criminal complaint, Brown began making arrangements in August 2023 to contract with Chinese military personnel for combat aircraft training, using a co-conspirator to negotiate with Chinese national Stephen Su Bin who previously pled guilty in U.S. federal court in 2016 to conspiring to hack into defence contractor networks to steal sensitive data. Su Bin and his company were added to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Entity List in 2014. Brown allegedly travelled to China in December 2023 to begin the training work and remained there until early February 2026. Once in China, prosecutors say he conducted extensive briefings on U.S. Air Force operations, answered questions about U.S. military tactics, and trained People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) pilots. The DOJ’s announcement explicitly links Brown’s case to an earlier prosecution of a former U.S. Marine Corps pilot, Daniel Edmund Duggan, who was charged in 2017 with similar violations. Duggan was arrested in Australia in October 2022 and is awaiting extradition to the U.S. on comparable AECA charges for providing defence services to the Chinese military. In recent years, U.S. and allied security agencies have warned that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army continues to pursue current and former Western military personnel to bolster its capabilities, a trend that has drawn warnings from NATO and U.S. military leadership about safeguard obligations even after service members retire. The case is being investigated by the FBI’s New York Field Office, with assistance from its Louisville, Indianapolis and Los Angeles field offices, as well as the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Prosecution is being handled by attorneys from the DOJ’s National Security Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, with support from the Southern District of Indiana.

Military Aviation

Retired U.S. Air Force Pilot Arrested For Allegedly Training Chinese Military

Aviation Today News Desk / February 27, 2026

Washington, United States: A retired U.S. Air Force officer and combat pilot has been arrested and charged for allegedly providing […]

Las Vegas, United States: A British Airways Airbus A350-1000 lost a rear landing gear wheel shortly after departing Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas while en route to London Heathrow Airport, officials and aviation trackers confirmed. The incident occurred on Monday evening, 26 January, when Flight BA274, operated by a British Airways Airbus A350-1000 registered G-XWBN, was climbing out after takeoff around 9:05 p.m. local time. Livestream footage from an automated airport camera showed sparks near the right main landing gear as the aircraft lifted off, followed seconds later by the separation of the right-rear wheel assembly as the gear was retracting. Despite the unusual mechanical failure, the flight continued across the Atlantic Ocean and landed safely at Heathrow Airport at about 14:28 GMT on Tuesday, approximately nine hours after departure. Airport officials at Harry Reid International confirmed the wheel was recovered from the airfield, and that no injuries or damage to airport property were reported as a result of the incident. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been notified. British Airways said in a statement that “safety and security underpins everything we do” and that the airline is supporting authorities with their investigations into the cause of the separation. The Airbus A350-1000 is equipped with a robust multi-wheel landing gear system, with six wheels on each main landing gear bogie. The detached wheel was the outermost rear wheel on the right main gear. Such redundancy typically allows an aircraft to operate safely even with a single wheel loss, provided all other systems remain within normal operating parameters. Cabin crew conducted an onboard engineering assessment once the aircraft reached cruising altitude and determined there was no immediate safety risk necessitating a diversion to an alternate airport. The decision to complete the transatlantic flight to London was made in consultation with British Airways’ operations and engineering teams. Upon arrival at Heathrow, the aircraft was taken out of service for inspection and repairs. Investigators are expected to examine the landing gear assembly and maintenance history to determine the cause of the wheel separation.

British Airways flight Loses Wheel After Las Vegas Takeoff, Lands Safely In London UK

Aviation Today News Desk / January 29, 2026

Las Vegas, United States: A British Airways Airbus A350-1000 lost a rear landing gear wheel shortly after departing Harry Reid

Louisville, United States: The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Thursday its preliminary investigation into the Nov. 4 crash of UPS Flight 2976 in Louisville has identified fatigue cracks and areas of overstress failure on the left engine pylon aft mount lug, a structural connection that attaches the engine/pylon assembly to the wing. Investigators said the cracking preceded the accident and likely contributed to the pylon’s structural failure and subsequent separation of the left engine during takeoff. The accident involved MD-11F freighter N259UP, operating a domestic UPS cargo flight from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) to Honolulu, which was destroyed after impacting terrain shortly after liftoff. All three crewmembers aboard the aircraft and eleven people on the ground were fatally injured; 23 additional people on the ground were reported injured. The NTSB opened its investigation the day after the accident and recovered perishable data and wreckage for examination. According to the preliminary report, investigators documented evidence of fatigue cracking in the left pylon aft mount lug and signs of overstress on adjacent structure. The report notes that when one side of the pylon support failed from fatigue cracking, the remaining structure could not carry the redistributed load and experienced overstress failure. Investigators are now focused on the component’s maintenance and inspection history to determine why the cracks were not detected. NTSB officials said the discovery of fatigue cracks is a “major clue” in determining how the structural failure began but emphasized the investigation remains ongoing. The NTSB has invited parties including the FAA, UPS, Boeing (which acquired the MD-11 program after merging with McDonnell Douglas), GE Aerospace, and labor representatives to participate in the probe, and it will continue to collect and analyze flight data, maintenance records and metallurgical evidence. A final report is typically issued about a year after an accident. The preliminary finding prompted immediate regulatory and industry responses. Boeing recommended that operators temporarily ground MD-11 aircraft pending further analysis; several carriers, including UPS and FedEx, temporarily removed MD-11s from service. The Federal Aviation Administration issued airworthiness directives that temporarily grounded the MD-11 and the related DC-10 model because of design commonalities affecting the pylon/wing attachment. Local officials and first responders described a scene of intense destruction on impact. Video and photographic evidence included in the NTSB packet show the left engine separating from the aircraft and the airplane striking structures near the airport perimeter before being consumed by post-crash fire. Authorities closed portions of the airport in the immediate aftermath and emergency services responded to multiple ground casualties. Investigators said they will continue metallurgical analysis of the failed pylon components, review the aircraft’s full maintenance and repair history (including recent work performed by third-party repair facilities), and reconstruct load and stress conditions immediately prior to failure. The agency also is reviewing whether inspection protocols for that specific lug/component were adequate given the airplane’s age and usage cycles.

NTSB Finds Fatigue Cracks In MD-11 Pylon Linked To Deadly UPS Flight 2976 Crash

Aviation Today News Desk / November 21, 2025

Louisville, United States: The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Thursday its preliminary investigation into the Nov. 4 crash

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