US engineer sold military secrets to China By Peter Bowes

BBC News, Los Angeles Published duration 10 August 2010

image caption Noshir Gowadia risked a lifetime in jail for a mortgage in Maui

A jury in Hawaii has convicted a former US engineer of selling military secrets to China.

Noshir Gowadia, who helped design the propulsion system for the B-2 bomber, was found guilty on multiple counts - including conspiracy and money laundering.

Indian-born Gowadia, 67, could be sentenced to life in prison.

The case is one of a series of major prosecutions targeting alleged Chinese spying in the US.

'Basic stuff'

According to prosecutors, Gowadia helped China to design a stealth cruise missile.

It involved an exhaust nozzle that would evade infrared radar detection and US heat-seeking missiles.

Gowadia was accused of travelling to China between 2003 and 2005 while designing the missile.

He was said to have been paid $110,000 (£69,000) - money that was used to pay off a mortgage on a luxury home on the island of Maui.

In his defence, lawyers said it was true that Mr Gowadia had designed an exhaust nozzle for China - but that it was "basic stuff" based on unclassified information that was publicly available.

Gowadia, who was born in India, moved to the US in the 1960s and became a citizen about a decade later.

He has been in custody for nearly four years and faces life in prison when he is sentenced in November.