A Taiwanese pilot is under arrest after he allegedly planned to steal a U.S.-made helicopter and fly it to a Chinese aircraft carrier.
The pilot was offered $15 million to fly the CH-47 Chinook helicopter onto a People’s Liberation Army Navy vessel during a planned exercise, the South China Morning Post reported. The plan failed when Taiwanese authorities arrested the officer, only identified as Hseih, in August. (RELATED: GOP Presidential Candidate Says US Commitment To Taiwan ‘Will Change’ Once We No Longer Need Their Semiconductors)
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy aircraft carrier Liaoning participates in a naval parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of China’s PLA Navy in the sea near Qingdao, in eastern China’s Shandong province on April 23, 2019. – China celebrated the 70th anniversary of its navy by showing off its growing fleet in a sea parade featuring a brand new guided-missile destroyer. (Photo by Mark Schiefelbein / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read MARK SCHIEFELBEIN/AFP via Getty Images)
Hseih allegedly rejected an initial offer of about $6,350 a month to steal the heavy-lift helicopter, but acquiesced when the Chinese offered a $1 million down payment and $15 million total, while also agreeing to evacuate his family to Thailand, according to the Morning Post. The Taiwanese Army has eight CH-47SD helicopters, according to Flight Global’s 2024 “World Air Forces Directory.”
China massed forces off the coast of Taiwan while offering a plan for “integrated development” in September.
The CH-47D has a top speed of 177 miles per hour, can carry up to 17 tons of cargo and had a range of 706 miles, according to the United States Army’s Center for Military History.
The alleged attempted helicopter theft is not the only Chinese spy scandal from 2023. United States Air Force fighters shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon Feb. 4, after it transited across the United States and flew near sensitive sites, including Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana and Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.
The former base houses intercontinental ballistic missiles, while the Air Force operates B-2 Spirit stealth bombers from the latter.
The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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