On 13 October 2005, federal agents raided a Mediterranean-style mansion in Maui, Hawaii. Inside lived Noshir Sheriarji Gowadia—an aerospace engineer born in Mumbai, now a U.S. citizen. He had helped design the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. But that day, he was taken away in handcuffs, accused of selling America’s military secrets to China. What followed was one of the most significant espionage trials in U.S. history.
Who is Noshir Gowadia: The man behind America’s stealth B-2 bomber
Gowadia was born on 11 April 1944 in Bombay to a Parsi family. Brilliant from a young age, he reportedly earned the equivalent of a PhD by age 15. At 19, he left for the United States to study aeronautical engineering and later became a naturalised American in 1969.
Just a year after his citizenship, he joined Northrop Corporation—later Northrop Grumman. He arrived at the perfect time. The U.S. was trying to overcome vulnerabilities exposed during the Vietnam and Yom Kippur wars. Thousands of aircraft had been shot down. America needed a plane that couldn’t be seen.
Gowadia helped build one.
Working under a project code-named Blueberry Milkshake, he spent nearly two decades shaping the B-2 Spirit’s propulsion system. His focus: making the bomber’s exhaust invisible to radar and heat sensors. “The entire geometry came from me,” he later said.
It was no exaggeration. The B-2’s radical flying-wing design and stealth features allowed it to evade detection, deliver 40,000 pounds of bombs, and fly 10,000 nautical miles with one refuelling.
But while his work was celebrated, Gowadia grew disillusioned.
Also Read: How an Indian engineer helped US make the stealth B-2 Spirit bomber and then sold the secrets to China
From Pride to Paranoia
In 1986, Gowadia was forced to leave Northrop after being diagnosed with a rare blood disorder. He then started a defence consulting firm in New Mexico, working on top-secret projects until his security clearance was revoked in 1997 following a contract dispute with DARPA.
His bitterness deepened. “I was one of the fathers of the U.S. Air Force Northrop B-2 Stealth Bomber,” he wrote to a relative.
Around the same time, he purchased a $3.5 million villa in Maui, taking out a hefty mortgage. With $15,000 monthly payments and no security clearance, he needed cash. Fast.
Read more on the Israel-Iran ceasefire here
The China connection to B-2 bombers
In 2003, Gowadia began a covert partnership with Chinese officials. Using aliases like “Catch a Monkey,” he made six trips to cities such as Chengdu and Shenzhen. His job: help China build a stealth cruise missile by designing an exhaust nozzle that reduced infrared and radar signatures—just like the B-2’s.
For these efforts, he was paid at least $110,000. According to The BBC, he used the money to pay off his mortgage. Customs officials flagged the large cash sum. Gowadia said it was for an antique desk.
It wasn’t.
Evidence later showed he helped China test the nozzle in 2004 and provided them with detailed analyses on how to avoid U.S. missile detection. His betrayal gave China a technological edge.
The FBI began investigating in 2004 when shipping documents linked to Gowadia raised alarms. A container addressed to him contained restricted defence materials. Surveillance increased. Searches at airports yielded more documents.
On 13 October 2005, 15 agents swarmed his Maui home. They found 500 pounds of evidence: computers, blueprints, emails, and thumb drives filled with sensitive data.
During interrogation, he confessed, “On reflection what I did was wrong to help the PRC make a cruise missile. What I did was espionage and treason because I shared military secrets with the PRC.”
Also Read: Qatar mediates as Trump declares end to 12-day Israel-Iran war with phased ceasefire, vows it will last 'forever'
The trial and the sentence
The trial began in Honolulu in 2010 and lasted nearly four months. Gowadia’s lawyers argued that he shared only declassified information. The judge disagreed.
U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway said, “He broke his oath of loyalty to the United States. He was found guilty of marketing valuable technology to foreign countries for personal gain.”
After six days of jury deliberation, Gowadia was convicted on 14 of 17 counts. He was sentenced to 32 years in a maximum-security prison in Colorado.
Fallout and a familiar shape in the sky
Today, Gowadia remains behind bars. But the story didn’t end with his conviction. In May 2025, satellite images showed a new drone at China’s Malan test base. It looked almost identical to the B-2. Analysts say it might be part of China’s secretive H-20 programme or a new high-altitude stealth drone.
Its exhaust design and tailless silhouette mirror the Spirit’s profile. Experts believe it’s no coincidence. What Gowadia handed over in the early 2000s may now be airborne. Noshir Gowadia admitted in court, “What I did was espionage and treason.”
His son, Ashton Gowadia, has challenged the verdict, claiming the trial was skewed, “The entire narrative was controlled by the FBI.”
The B-2 bomber: America’s invisible weapon
Dubbed the “Spirit,” the B-2 bomber is one of the most sophisticated aircraft ever built. It was designed not just to fly but to disappear. With its bat-wing shape, radar-absorbing materials, and deeply buried engines, the B-2 emits a radar cross-section no larger than a bird. It can fly 10,000 nautical miles with a single refuelling, cruise at altitudes above 50,000 feet, and deliver both conventional and nuclear weapons—all while staying nearly invisible to enemy defences.
Its most innovative features include a tailless flying-wing configuration, an infrared-suppressing exhaust system, and internal weapons bays that reduce its external profile. Noshir Gowadia’s contributions—particularly the stealth exhaust nozzle—were essential in ensuring the B-2 remained undetectable by radar and heat-seeking missiles.
That invisibility became headline news again in June 2025.
As tensions between Iran and Israel spiralled, the United States launched a surprise operation codenamed Midnight Hammer. Seven B-2 bombers flew non-stop from the U.S., crossed into Iranian airspace, and struck three key nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. This marked the B-2’s return to the frontline of global conflict.
The precision strike caught Iran off-guard. Military analysts described it as a “shock and awe” manoeuvre—made possible by decades of American stealth innovation.
Also Read: Donald Trump announces phased Israel-Iran ceasefire but who blinked first? Here's what we know
Who is Noshir Gowadia: The man behind America’s stealth B-2 bomber
Gowadia was born on 11 April 1944 in Bombay to a Parsi family. Brilliant from a young age, he reportedly earned the equivalent of a PhD by age 15. At 19, he left for the United States to study aeronautical engineering and later became a naturalised American in 1969.
Just a year after his citizenship, he joined Northrop Corporation—later Northrop Grumman. He arrived at the perfect time. The U.S. was trying to overcome vulnerabilities exposed during the Vietnam and Yom Kippur wars. Thousands of aircraft had been shot down. America needed a plane that couldn’t be seen.
Gowadia helped build one.
Working under a project code-named Blueberry Milkshake, he spent nearly two decades shaping the B-2 Spirit’s propulsion system. His focus: making the bomber’s exhaust invisible to radar and heat sensors. “The entire geometry came from me,” he later said.
It was no exaggeration. The B-2’s radical flying-wing design and stealth features allowed it to evade detection, deliver 40,000 pounds of bombs, and fly 10,000 nautical miles with one refuelling.
But while his work was celebrated, Gowadia grew disillusioned.
Also Read: How an Indian engineer helped US make the stealth B-2 Spirit bomber and then sold the secrets to China
From Pride to Paranoia
In 1986, Gowadia was forced to leave Northrop after being diagnosed with a rare blood disorder. He then started a defence consulting firm in New Mexico, working on top-secret projects until his security clearance was revoked in 1997 following a contract dispute with DARPA.
His bitterness deepened. “I was one of the fathers of the U.S. Air Force Northrop B-2 Stealth Bomber,” he wrote to a relative.
Around the same time, he purchased a $3.5 million villa in Maui, taking out a hefty mortgage. With $15,000 monthly payments and no security clearance, he needed cash. Fast.
Read more on the Israel-Iran ceasefire here
The China connection to B-2 bombers
In 2003, Gowadia began a covert partnership with Chinese officials. Using aliases like “Catch a Monkey,” he made six trips to cities such as Chengdu and Shenzhen. His job: help China build a stealth cruise missile by designing an exhaust nozzle that reduced infrared and radar signatures—just like the B-2’s.
For these efforts, he was paid at least $110,000. According to The BBC, he used the money to pay off his mortgage. Customs officials flagged the large cash sum. Gowadia said it was for an antique desk.
It wasn’t.
Evidence later showed he helped China test the nozzle in 2004 and provided them with detailed analyses on how to avoid U.S. missile detection. His betrayal gave China a technological edge.
The FBI began investigating in 2004 when shipping documents linked to Gowadia raised alarms. A container addressed to him contained restricted defence materials. Surveillance increased. Searches at airports yielded more documents.
On 13 October 2005, 15 agents swarmed his Maui home. They found 500 pounds of evidence: computers, blueprints, emails, and thumb drives filled with sensitive data.
During interrogation, he confessed, “On reflection what I did was wrong to help the PRC make a cruise missile. What I did was espionage and treason because I shared military secrets with the PRC.”
Also Read: Qatar mediates as Trump declares end to 12-day Israel-Iran war with phased ceasefire, vows it will last 'forever'
The trial and the sentence
The trial began in Honolulu in 2010 and lasted nearly four months. Gowadia’s lawyers argued that he shared only declassified information. The judge disagreed.
U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway said, “He broke his oath of loyalty to the United States. He was found guilty of marketing valuable technology to foreign countries for personal gain.”
After six days of jury deliberation, Gowadia was convicted on 14 of 17 counts. He was sentenced to 32 years in a maximum-security prison in Colorado.
Fallout and a familiar shape in the sky
Today, Gowadia remains behind bars. But the story didn’t end with his conviction. In May 2025, satellite images showed a new drone at China’s Malan test base. It looked almost identical to the B-2. Analysts say it might be part of China’s secretive H-20 programme or a new high-altitude stealth drone.
Its exhaust design and tailless silhouette mirror the Spirit’s profile. Experts believe it’s no coincidence. What Gowadia handed over in the early 2000s may now be airborne. Noshir Gowadia admitted in court, “What I did was espionage and treason.”
His son, Ashton Gowadia, has challenged the verdict, claiming the trial was skewed, “The entire narrative was controlled by the FBI.”
The B-2 bomber: America’s invisible weapon
Dubbed the “Spirit,” the B-2 bomber is one of the most sophisticated aircraft ever built. It was designed not just to fly but to disappear. With its bat-wing shape, radar-absorbing materials, and deeply buried engines, the B-2 emits a radar cross-section no larger than a bird. It can fly 10,000 nautical miles with a single refuelling, cruise at altitudes above 50,000 feet, and deliver both conventional and nuclear weapons—all while staying nearly invisible to enemy defences.
Its most innovative features include a tailless flying-wing configuration, an infrared-suppressing exhaust system, and internal weapons bays that reduce its external profile. Noshir Gowadia’s contributions—particularly the stealth exhaust nozzle—were essential in ensuring the B-2 remained undetectable by radar and heat-seeking missiles.
That invisibility became headline news again in June 2025.
As tensions between Iran and Israel spiralled, the United States launched a surprise operation codenamed Midnight Hammer. Seven B-2 bombers flew non-stop from the U.S., crossed into Iranian airspace, and struck three key nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. This marked the B-2’s return to the frontline of global conflict.
The precision strike caught Iran off-guard. Military analysts described it as a “shock and awe” manoeuvre—made possible by decades of American stealth innovation.
Also Read: Donald Trump announces phased Israel-Iran ceasefire but who blinked first? Here's what we know
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