to strike Iran’s most secure nuclear facility—an unprecedented move. Meanwhile, away from the spotlight, China appears to be quietly working on a similar aircraft.According to The War Zone, satellite imagery from May 14, 2025, revealed a large flying-wing stealth aircraft at a secret test base near Malan, Xinjiang. The drone-like craft—believed to be a high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) platform—was seen outside new hangars, hinting at a broader ecosystem involving China’s next-gen programs like the H-20 bomber and J-36 fighter.

The aircraft’s wingspan, estimated at 52 meters (around 170 feet), closely matches that of the U.S. B-2.

China’s leap in stealth technology may not have been entirely domestic. In 2005, former Northrop engineer Noshir Gowadia—one of the key figures behind the B-2’s propulsion and stealth systems—was arrested for selling U.S. defense secrets to China and other nations.

Gowadia, originally from Bombay (now Mumbai), joined Northrop in the 1960s and was instrumental in developing the B-2’s low-observable technology. After leaving the company in 1986, he started his own consulting firm. But by 2004, the FBI had begun investigating him after classified infrared-suppression documents were found in a furniture container sent to him.

According to a report in the Popular Mechanics, Gowadia made several trips to China in 2003–2004 and handed over sensitive stealth technology—receiving $110,000 over three years. The FBI raided his Maui home in October 2005, seizing 500 pounds of evidence including documents and electronic media.According to the report, "Gowadia had spent two decades at the aerospace and defense contractor Northrop (now Northrop Grumman) where he was instrumental in designing the stealth propulsion system for the B-2 Spirit bomber, one of the most revolutionary military technologies in generations. He once had top security clearance and taught university classes in advanced aeronautical principles."Gowadia initially denied wrongdoing but later confessed in writing: “On reflection, what I did was wrong to help the PRC make a cruise missile. What I did was espionage and treason.”

In 2010, he was convicted on 14 counts under the Arms Export Control Act and Espionage Act. He was sentenced in 2011 to 32 years in prison and remains incarcerated at the supermax prison in Florence, Colorado.

His son, Ashton Gowadia, continues to claim his father’s innocence, alleging that critical evidence was withheld from the jury and that the FBI controlled the entire narrative.

But the damage had been done. China had gained what it needed—and today, it’s inching closer to fielding a stealth bomber that may soon rival the B-2.