Chinese national jailed over B-2 base photography

A Chinese national has been jailed for six months after returning to Whiteman Air Force Base and photographing the sensitive B-2 bomber installation despite an earlier warning, according to the US Air Force.

A Chinese national has been sentenced to six months in federal custody after repeatedly photographing Whiteman Air Force Base, home of the US Air Force’s B-2 Spirit stealth bomber fleet, the UK Defence Journal understands.

According to a US Air Force news update, Qilin Wu returned to the Missouri installation after previously being warned not to photograph the base. Investigators said his conduct included taking images not only of aircraft but also of the installation’s perimeter and infrastructure, eventually leading to an investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, a guilty plea and sentencing.

The case was brought using Section 795 of Title 18 of the US Code together with Executive Order 10104, a 76-year-old measure signed by President Harry Truman. The legislation prohibits unauthorised photographs, sketches, maps and other visual representations of designated military installations, aircraft, weapons and equipment where protection from general dissemination is required. US Air Force officials presented the prosecution as an example of an older legal framework being applied to contemporary security concerns around sensitive military sites.

Colonel David Bethel, commander of AFOSI Region 8, said, as quoted in the news update: “For our Special Agents, this isn’t about a single case. It’s about recognizing that the operating environment has changed.” Bethel said investigators increasingly had to consider activity around military installations in the United States that might not initially present as an obvious security threat. He added: “When someone gathers information around a sensitive military installation, AFOSI has the tools to hold them accountable.”

The incident began on 2 December 2025, when personnel from the 509th Security Forces Squadron responded to a report concerning a suspicious minivan close to the perimeter of Whiteman Air Force Base. Wu, who was driving a vehicle with Massachusetts licence plates, told personnel that he had travelled there to observe the B-2. Investigators said the subsequent concern arose from his return after being warned and the range of subjects photographed around the base.

A senior AFOSI official involved in the investigation said, as quoted in the same news update: “What made this different was the pattern of behavior.” The Air Force said Wu later admitted photographing aircraft and installations at other US military bases, including locations in Florida and Virginia. The published account does not state that he was convicted of espionage, instead describing the offence in terms of unauthorised photography of protected military property.

Following sentencing, Wu was remanded to the US Marshals Service. The U.S. Air Force said he was subsequently processed on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer and is expected to be deported to China.

Whiteman Air Force Base is the principal operating base for the B-2 Spirit, one of the United States’ most sensitive strategic bomber platforms.

The installation is home to the 509th Bomb Wing and forms part of the country’s nuclear and conventional long-range strike capability, making activity around its perimeter a particular counter-intelligence and force-protection concern.

AFOSI said it would continue to investigate suspected unauthorised photography around protected installations and equipment, with individual cases assessed according to their circumstances. Bethel said the Whiteman investigation demonstrated the role of installation security personnel and federal investigators in identifying potentially concerning activity before it develops further, adding: “Det. 811’s work delivered strategic deterrence. This case reflects AFOSI’s professionalism, integration and operational discipline required to defend our installations in an increasingly complex threat environment.”