B-2 bomber's secretive 'masking' exhaust was designed by an Indian-American. He then committed treason

The United States’ stealth B-2 Spirit bomber was partly possible because of an Indian-American engineer who sold the plans to China, which the country used to build its own stealth aircraft program, according to court documents and declassified reports. Noshir Gowadia, originally from Mumbai, was a propulsion and low-observable technology expert at Northrop (now Northrop Grumman). He played an integral role in designing the B-2’s ultra-secret exhaust system - a feature that lets it avoid being detected by radar and infrared. In May 2024, The War Zone captured satellite imagery that showed an aircraft eerily similar to the B-2 Spirit bomber, sitting on a barren airstrip in western China. This came nearly 20 years after Gowadia was arrested by the FBI for leaking sensitive information about the bomber to China. The aircraft seen at a classified test facility near Malan, Xinjiang, is believed to be a drone, a testing ground for the H-20 bomber, long rumoured to be China’s answer to the B-2.

Noshir Gowadia was code-named "Blueberry Milkshake" while he worked on the B-2 stealth bomber's propulsion system at Northrop. He had access to military secrets because of the top security clearance offered to him. After leaving Northrop in 1986, he went on to teach university-level courses on aeronautics. But his role in the stealth aircraft bomber did not end. In 2005, the FBI found hundreds of classified documents in a furniture container sent to him by someone. This included detailed schematics of stealth nozzles and several email records tying him to Chinese government operatives.

Also Read: What are B-2 stealth bombers? US plane that can carry two 15-ton bunker-buster bombs

A probe was launched, and it was revealed that Gowadia had made multiple trips to Chengdu and Shenzhen between 2003 and 2004, and gave away the technology on infrared-suppression and low-visibility propulsion systems. He made presentations detailing the ways in which cruise missiles can disappear from radar and infrared sensors. In return, he received over $110,000, routed through offshore accounts and Swiss banks over three years.

Also Read: 'Those who know Iranian people...': Khamenei's BIG statement on 'surrender' before Trump's ceasefire announcement

Gowadia was arrested in Hawaii and charged under the Arms Export Control Act and the Espionage Act. He once said, “The entire geometry [of the B-2 exhaust] came from me.” Gowadia initially denied the charges that he sold the plans to China, but later admitted, “On reflection, what I did was wrong to help the PRC make a cruise missile. What I did was espionage and treason.” He is currently serving a 32-year sentence in the Florence ADX supermax facility in Colorado.

US prosecutors feared that his actions could lead to China developing a next-generation stealth weapon. The sighting of the aircraft eerily similar to the B-2 bomber, with its 52-meter wingspan, tailless design, and bat-wing silhouette, signals that Beijing is preparing to create its own bombers. It is believed to be a high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) stealth drone, which is likely a step in the direction of building the H-20 stealth bomber or J-36 fighter. Experts think the US defence plans sold by Gowadia could have formed the basis for China's progress in stealth aviation.