'Father' of the B-2
Star-Bulletin
Craig Gima
As far back as 1999, when he moved to Maui from New
Mexico, Noshir S. Gowadia was marketing himself to
foreign countries as the "father" of the
classified technology that helps protect B-2 stealth
bombers from heat-seeking missiles, according to an
affidavit unsealed yesterday.
"I wanted to help this (sic) countries to further
their self aircraft protection systems. My personal
gain would be business," Gowadia said in a statement
given to the FBI on Oct. 14, in which he admitted
to knowingly disclosing top-secret information. "At
that time, I knew it was wrong and I did it for the
money."
In all, the 61-year-old Haiku resident -- who helped
design the stealth bomber as a defense contractor
for Northrop Corp. for 18 years -- is accused of disclosing
the stealth's infrared-suppression secrets to representatives
from eight foreign governments.
He told the FBI that he shared classified information
"both verbally and in papers, computer presentations,
letters and other methods ... to establish the technological
credibility with the potential customers for future
business."
Gowadia was charged Wednesday with one count of willfully
communicating national defense information to a person
not entitled to receive it, which falls under federal
espionage statutes. He is in federal custody in Honolulu
and is set to make an appearance at a detention hearing
today in federal court.
According to prosecutors, Gowadia faces up to 10
years in prison if convicted. Officials said he could
face more charges in the future.
At a news conference yesterday, FBI Special Agent
in Charge Charles Goodwin read from a written statement
and declined to answer questions on the investigation.
"This is a very sensitive, ongoing investigation,"
he said.
Neither the affidavit nor Goodwin revealed which
countries Gowadia allegedly sold secrets to, or whether
they were allied or enemy nations. Goodwin did say
that Gowadia was born in India and is a naturalized
U.S. citizen.
Gowadia's wife, Cheryl, declined comment yesterday
at the couple's home in Haiku.
The FBI searched Gowadia's home on Oct. 13, finding
several classified documents from the engineer's days
at Northrop and when he was a contract engineer in
the 1990s at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in
New Mexico.
During the search, according to the affidavit, Gowadia
denied having any classified material and "displayed
a full understanding of his responsibilities with
respect to the maintenance" of military secrets.
But a day later, when asked about the documents marked
classified that were allegedly taken from his home,
Gowadia submitted a written statement to the FBI in
which he admitted to selling or disclosing classified
information.
The FBI alleges that:
» On Oct. 23, 2002, Gowadia faxed a proposal
to develop infrared-suppression technology on military
aircraft to a representative in an unspecified foreign
country. The information included in the document
was classified at the "top secret" level
and made specific mention of the classified defense
system in the United States.
» In December 1999, Gowadia taught a course
to foreigners in a second unspecified country, including
information deemed "secret" that he had
access to while working for Northrop and as a subcontractor
for Los Alamos. Northrop representatives declined
comment yesterday.
» On several other occasions, Gowadia provided
"extensive amounts of classified information"
to individuals in a third unspecified country while
teaching a course on "low observable technology."
The affidavit did not say how classified information
was allegedly disclosed to representatives from five
other foreign countries. And it is unclear if Gowadia's
course material for classes at U.S. universities was
drawn from classified resources.
As recently as this spring, Gowadia co-taught a course
at Purdue University as a visiting professor. He has
also taught at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa.
The FBI said in the affidavit that it used documents
and computers taken from Gowadia's home, along with
electronic surveillance, to piece together the extent
of the engineer's alleged criminal activity.
Gowadia "has marketed and disclosed United States
military technology secrets related to the B-2 to
foreign governments in order to 'assist' them in obtaining
a higher level of military technology," wrote
FBI Special Agent Thatcher Mohajerin in the affidavit.
The investigation "has also revealed that Gowadia
has been rewarded financially for his efforts."
Gowadia's engineering contract business, N.S. Gowadia
Inc., took in nearly $750,000 in gross receipts between
1999 and 2003. But prosecutors believe Gowadia's actual
income was much higher. The investigation, according
to the affidavit, showed Gowadia "likely"
maintains several offshore bank accounts.
Defense analysts say the allegations against Gowadia
are serious, but they cautioned against rushing to
conclusions, given the government's problematic record
in prosecuting these kinds of national security cases.
Philip Coyle, a senior advisor for the Center for
Defense Information and a former assistant secretary
of defense, cited the Wen Ho Lee case at the Los Alamos
National Laboratory in 1999. Lee was accused of stealing
military secrets from the lab and funneling them to
China.
But the government ended up dropping 59 felony counts
of espionage against Lee, who pleaded guilty to a
single count of improperly handling restricted data.
"He (Wen Ho Lee) did a stupid thing," Coyle
said, "but it turns out what he actually did
was nowhere near what the government first asserted."
There is also the high-profile case of Katrina Leung.
The California woman was accused of spying for China,
but a federal judge dropped all charges against her
in December after prosecutors admitted to illegally
blocking a primary defense witness.
For years, Leung had gathered intelligence on the
Chinese government for the FBI.
Gowadia, meanwhile, appeared to be open about the
technology he is accused of peddling. A 2004 article
in Jane's International Defense Review identified
Gowadia as developing a system that would make military
and civilian aircraft "virtually invulnerable
to attack" from infrared-guided air defense systems.
Publicity like that could have turned the government
on to him, said John Pike, director of Globalsecurity.org,
a private defense policy group. But it also raises
the question about why he was not caught sooner, he
said
