Ex-Engineer Charged With Selling Secrets

So reads the headline at CBS News. The story:

(AP) An engineer who called himself the father of the technology that protects the B-2 stealth bomber from heat-seeking missiles has been arrested and accused of selling U.S. military secrets involving the aircraft to a foreign country, the FBI said.

Noshir S. Gowadia, 61, of Haiku, was arrested Wednesday in Honolulu.

According to the FBI, Gowadia in 2002 faxed a document detailing infrared technology classified top secret by the Air Force to a foreign official. He also provided classified information to two other countries, the FBI said.

The government would not identify the countries or disclose how much he allegedly received.

“Suffice it to say that this is a very sensitive, ongoing investigation,” said Charles Goodwin, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Honolulu office, fending off most questions at a news conference Thursday.

Gowadia, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in India, was jailed without bail on a charge of willfully communicating national defense information to a person not entitled to receive it, an offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Gowadia was an engineer with Northrop Grumman Corp. from 1968 to 1986 and helped design parts of the B-2’s propulsion system that make it difficult for enemy missiles to detect the bomber. The technology remains highly classified.

According to an affidavit filed Wednesday by the FBI, Gowadia marketed himself to foreign officials and other foreigners as the “father” of the B-2’s unique infrared suppressing propulsion system.

Since the talking point of the moment for the media seems to be ‘we should really be concerned about anyone who deliberately works to harm our national security’ this story should be on the front of every major newspaper in the country.

I won’t hold my breath, though.

Thanks to ST reader Dan for the heads up about this story.