Chinese man who photographed Air Force base pleads guilty to charge

JOHNSON COUNTY, Mo. (KCTV) - A Chinese man who took photos of Whiteman Air Force Base in December 2025 pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday.

Qilin Wu, a 35-year-old man from China, pled guilty to one count of taking photographs of a vital military installation and military equipment without authorization.

Wu had been accused of photographing things from outside Whiteman Air Force Base on Dec. 2, 2025.

The Whiteman Air Force Base Office of Special Investigations investigated a report of a suspicious minivan with a Massachusetts license plate on that day. Court documents said Air Force patrolmen were dispatched to the area to investigate and found Wu, who told them he was there to “observe the B-2 Spirit aircraft.”

A day later, the AFOSI was notified that the same minivan was at a perimeter fence of the base. There, Wu admitted to taking videos of the B-2 Spirit aircraft, as well as numerous photos of Whiteman’s perimeter fencing, a gate and military equipment.

Investigators found 18 photos on Wu’s phone.

Wu is subject to a sentence of up to one year in federal prison for the crime. A sentencing hearing for him has yet to be set.