Indian jailed in US for plot to export restricted aviation technology to Russia

Illegal aviation tech export plot

Sanjay Kaushik, a 58-year-old Indian businessman based in New Delhi, has been sentenced to 30 months in a US federal prison for orchestrating an illegal attempt to export restricted aviation technology to Russia. A federal court in Portland, Oregon, also imposed three years of supervised release following his jail term.

The sentencing caps a year-long probe into Kaushik’s efforts to bypass stringent US export controls introduced after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The regulations prohibit the transfer of “dual-use” technologies that have both civilian and military applications.

The case centred on an Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS), a key component used in aircraft navigation and flight control systems. Prosecutors said Kaushik, the managing partner of New Delhi-based air charter firm Arezo Aviation, worked with co-conspirators to acquire the device from a supplier in Oregon using false documentation. To obtain an export licence from the US Department of Commerce, the group claimed the equipment was intended for civilian helicopters operated by Kaushik’s company in India.

Investigators later established that the AHRS was actually destined for Russian end-users, with India used as a transshipment hub to conceal its final destination. US Attorney for the District of Oregon Scott E Bradford described the operation as a “calculated, profit-driven scheme,” rejecting suggestions that it was a one-off compliance lapse.

Court filings show the conspiracy began as early as September 2023 and involved multiple transactions and coordination with sanctioned Russian entities. Kaushik was arrested in October 2024 when he arrived in Miami on a business trip. In October 2025, he pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act, admitting he prioritised personal financial gain over US national security and foreign policy concerns.

The prosecution was led by the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, which targets sanctions evasion and illicit procurement networks linked to Russia. Assistant Attorney General John A Eisenberg said stopping the AHRS device before it left the United States marked a significant national security achievement.

Analysts say the sentence sends a strong signal to international middlemen attempting to route sensitive technology through third countries such as India, highlighting Washington’s determination to dismantle global sanctions-busting networks.