Half juli meldde
The Guardian de betrokkenheid van de Europese raketproducent MBDA
bij de productie van Boeing GBU-39-bommen die aan Israël zijn
geleverd. MBDA verkocht daarvoor belangrijke componenten in de vorm
van zogenaamde Diamond
Back-vleugels, die worden gebruikt om de bommen naar hun doelen
te leiden. De componenten worden geproduceerd door de vestiging van
het bedrijf in Alabama, maar zijn
ontwikkeld door de voormalige Brits-Italiaanse
joint venture Alenia Marconi Systems. Ze “zijn
met duizenden tegelijk naar Israël verscheept en gebruikt bij
meerdere luchtaanvallen, waarbij onderzoek uitwijst dat Palestijnse
kinderen en andere burgers om het leven zijn gekomen”,
aldus The Guardian. De bommen werden
geleverd door de VS, maar de inkomsten voor deze onderdelen
stroomden wel via MBDA UK, dat de inkomsten overmaakte naar het
Franse hoofdkantoor van de MBDA-groep, zo concludeerde The Guardian.
MBDA is een Europese multinational die raketten en
aanverwante systemen ontwikkelt en produceert. Het bedrijf is
gevestigd nabij Parijs en werd in december 2001 opgericht als
resultaat van een fusie tussen het Franse Aérospatiale
Matra Missiles, het Brits-Franse
MatraBAe Dynamics en de raketdivisie van het Italiaanse Alenia
Marconi Systems (een joint venture tussen BAE
Systems en Finmeccanica).
Deze bedrijven waren dochterondernemingen van EADS (nu Airbus), Bae
Systems en Finmeccanica (nu Leonardo), en alle drie zijn tot op de
dag van vandaag de moedermaatschappijen van MBDA. MBDA heeft
momenteel wereldwijd
zo'n 18.000 mensen in dienst.
De fabrikant heeft ook een
adres in Nederland. Het is een brievenbusfirma genaamd MBDA B.V.,
zonder werknemers, gevestigd bij de trustmaatschappij, nl. Trustmoore
Netherlands in de de Amsterdamse Laraissestraat. Volgens de Kamer
van Koophandel (KvK) is het een financiële holding en opgericht
in 1996. Vergeleken met een eerdere KvK uittreksel uit 2016 is er
momenteel niet veel veranderd; MBDA B.V. is van Amsterdam naar
Rotterdam en weer terug naar Amsterdam verhuisd, van de Freeland
Groep naar Trustmoore, maar valt nog steeds onder dezelfde persoon
als gemachtigde.
Uiteraard heeft MBDA alleen om financiële
redenen een Nederlandse entiteit (zoals de Nederlandse
bedrijfsvriendelijke, niet openbaar gemaakte rulings
met de belastingdienst). De holding was al dan niet actief in de
Diamond Back/VS/Israël-operatie. Het is zeker wel een onderdeel van
de MBDA structuur en staat onder controle van belangrijke personen
uit de bedrijven die MBDA vormen, waaronder ook de CEO van MBDA zelf.
De raad van bestuur van MBDA B.V. bestaat tegenwoordig uit
topmensen uit de Franse, Duitse, Italiaanse en Britse militaire
industrie, zoals Eric
Eugene Albert Béranger (CEO van MBDA), Lorenzo
Mariani (MBDA), Jean-Brice
Dumont en Micheal
Siegfried Schollhorn (beiden van Airbus), Manlio
Cuccaro (voorheen Leonardo), Elena
Napolitano (nu Leonardo), Gareth
Jeffrey Edwards en Sara
Louise Hoiles Wallwork (beiden van Bae Systems) en Simon
Richard Barnes, voormalig directeur van European Aerosystems Ltd.
(op adres Bae Systems in Farnborough). Ze zijn allen tussen maart
2023 en april 2025 in hun functie begonnen, met uitzondering van Eric
Béranger, die sinds juni 2019 in de raad van bestuur zit. Samen
vertegenwoordigen zij al de bedrijven die MBDA vormen.
Informatie
over de concernrelaties van de Nederlandse entiteit, zoals
geregistreerd in de Nederlandse KvK, is niet meer openbaar
toegankelijk (zie schermafdruk), waardoor het onduidelijk blijft waar
een holding vandaan komt. Volgens de gegevens van de KvK uit 2016
begon het Nederlandse MBDA echter als Matra BAE Dynamics B.V. (van
28-10-1996 tot 18-12-2001) en in handen van MATRA
Defense S.A.. Het was dus de financiële holding van het Britse
Franse bedrijf, dat in 2001 vanwege het consolidatieproces in de
Europese militaire industrie onderdeel werd van MBDA. MBDA B.V.
maakte kortom al vóór de oprichting deel uit van de raketproducent.
Ook in het Verenigd
Koninkrijk is de informatie beperkt. Een
groot deel van de inkomsten van MBDA is afkomstig van
niet-Europese relaties (38%), mogelijk van MBDA in de VS, maar niet
noodzakelijkerwijs. De gepubliceerde cijfers uit het begin en einde
van het jaar zijn bovendien niet erg informatief, omdat ze geen idee
geven van wat er tussen die data is gebeurd.
Deze complexiteit
en internationalisering van bedrijven heeft verschillende voordelen
voor verkopers van wapens en wapenonderdelen. Dit blijkt bijvoorbeeld
uit het feit dat, hoewel de Britse regering besloot om sommige
wapenleveringen aan Israël te staken, dit beleid alleen van
toepassing was “op militair materieel dat vanuit Groot-Brittannië
werd geëxporteerd. Dit betekent dat de Amerikaanse tak van MBDA
Boeing kan blijven bevoorraden vanuit zijn fabriek in Alabama”,
zoals Juliette Garside, Manisha Ganguly en Ariane Lavrilleux
samenvatten in het artikel in The Guardian. In een steeds meer
verweven militaire industrie betekent dit een uitdaging voor de
controle op wapenexport die gediend zou zijn met meer openbaar
toegankelijke informatie.
De complexiteit van internationale
bedrijven werkt nu als een onzichtbaarheidsmantel voor de precieze
activiteiten. MBDA heeft dochters in landen als Engeland, Frankrijk,
Duitsland en Italië en financiële holdings in onder andere Ierland
(MBDA
TreasuryCompany Ltd) en Nederland (MBDA B.V.). Al deze
complexiteit kan echter niet verhullen dat de betreffende onderdelen
aan Israël zijn verkocht. Niets illegaals, aldus MBDA, het bedrijf
“voldoet aan alle relevante nationale en internationale wetten die
van toepassing zijn op de wapenhandel in de landen waarin het actief
is”.
MBDA noemt
zichzelf een “specifiek en uniek geïntegreerd organisatiemodel
in de defensie-industrie”, opgebouwd rond directeuren, CEO's,
algemeen directeuren van nationale bedrijven en andere belangrijke
stakeholders. Deze integratie zou moeten betekenen dat de
verantwoordelijkheid voor de levering van componenten die gebruikt
worden bij de Israëlische bombardementen op burgers ook de
verantwoordelijkheid is van het hele 'model'. Of dit nu vanuit de VS
gebeurt of de juridisch onder verantwoordelijkheid van bijvoorbeeld
de Britse tak valt.
Zoals Sam Perlo-Freeman,
onderzoekscoördinator bij UK Campaign Against the Arms Trade, zei:
“Wat MBDA zou kunnen doen als ze niet medeplichtig willen zijn aan
de bewapening van Israël, is MBDA Inc. verkopen. We zouden de Britse
regering steunen bij het nemen van alle maatregelen die binnen hun
macht liggen om de genocide te stoppen. Naast een wapenembargo omvat
dit sancties tegen bedrijven die Israël bewapenen en een verbod op
Britse investeringen in dergelijke bedrijven.”
MBDA
profileert zichzelf als een brenger van veiligheid, maar de manier
waarop het ellende brengt, trekt hier minimaal zoveel aandacht. De
oplossing zoals Perlo-Freeman die formuleert, kan worden gekopieerd
voor Frankrijk, Duitsland, Ierland, Italië en Nederland. Om genocide
te stoppen, moet je stoppen met eraan deel te nemen, ongeacht de
formele wettelijke bepalingen. Uiteindelijk is het zó simpel.
Mid-July
theGuardian reported the involvement of European missile producer
MBDA in the production of Boeing GBU-39 bombs delivered to Israel.
MBDA is selling key components in the form of so-called DiamondBack wings, used to guide the bombs to their targets. The
components are produced by the company's Alabama branch, but
developed by former UK-ItalianJoint Venture Alenia
Marconi Systems. They “have
been shipped in their thousands to Israel and used in multiple
airstrikes where research indicates Palestinian children and other
civilians were killed” according
to the Guardian. The bombs were
deliveredby the US, but income for these parts did flow through MBDA UK,
which transferred the income to the French headquarters of the MBDA
group, the Guardian concluded.
MBDA is a European
multinational corporation developing and manufacturing missiles
and related systems. It is based near Paris and was founded in December 2001 as the result of a merger between
French AérospatialeMatra Missiles, the Anglo-French MatraBAe Dynamics and the missile division of the Italian Alenia
Marconi Systems (a joint venture between BAE
Systems and Finmeccanica).
These businesses were subsidiaries of EADS (now called Airbus), Bae
Systems and Finmeccanica (now Leonardo), and all three remain MBDA's
parent companies until today. MBDA currently employs around 18,000people worldwide.
MBDA at the Lairessestraat 145E te Amsterdam
There is also an
address of MBDA in the Netherlands. It is a letterbox company called
MBDA B.V. with zero employees and based at the trust company
Trustmoore Netherlands. It is a financial holding, according to the Chamber
of Commerce (CoC, Kamer van Koophandel (KvK) in Dutch) and
establishedin 1996. Compared to an earlier record of 2016 not much has
changed; MBDA B.V. went from Amsterdam, to Rotterdam, and back to
Amsterdam, from the Freeland Groep to Trustmoore, but still falls
under the same authorized
representative.
Obviously,
MBDA has a Dutch entity only for financial reasons
(like the Dutch
company-friendly undisclosed rulings made
with Dutch tax authorities). It may or may not have been active in
the Diamond Back/US/Israel operation. It is just one more company
involved in military deliveries to Israel with a presence in the
Netherlands (under control of major staff members of the companies,
the MBDA CEO included).
The
board of MBDA B.V. is nowadays filled with hotshots from the French,
German, Italian, and UK military industry like EricEugene Albert Béranger (CEO of MBDA), LorenzoMariani (MBDA), Jean-BriceDumont and MichealSiegfried Schollhorn (both from Airbus), Manlio Cuccaro (formerly
Leonardo), ElenaNapolitano (currently Leonardo), GarethJeffrey Edwards and SaraLouise Hoiles Wallwork (both of Bae Systems), and SimonRichard Barnes, former director of European Aerosystems Ltd. (c/o
Bae Systems at Farnborough). They all started in their position
between March 2023 and April 2025, except for Eric Béranger who is
on the board since June 2019. Together they represent MBDA and all
its companies producing missiles and other high technological weapon
systems.
Concernrelaties 'Niet verkrijgbaar for
this company'translates as: Concern relations 'Not available for
this company.'
Information on
concern relations of the Dutch entity as registered in the Dutch CoC
is not publicly accessible (see screen print) so it remains unclear
where a Holding originates. However according to the 2016 record of
the CoC, Dutch MBDA started as Matra BAE Dynamics B.V.
(28-10-1996-18-12-2001). At that time is was thus the financial
holding of the UK French company which became part of MBDA in 2001
and was owned by MATRADefense S.A., a company which due to the consolidation process in
the European military industry at that time became part of MBDA. So
MBDA B.V. is part of the company even since before the start.
The
UKinformation is also limited. A
large share of MBDA's income
comes from non-European relations (38%), maybe MBDA US but not
necessarily so. The published Start and End of Year figures are not
very informative as they give no clue what happened in between those
dates.
This complexity
and internationalisation of companies has several advantages to
sellers of weapons and weapon components, which is for example made
clear by the fact that while the UK government decided to pause some
arms shipments to Israel, this policy only applied “to
military equipment exported from Britain, which means the US arm of
MBDA can continue supplying Boeing from its Alabama factory,”
as
Juliette Garside, Manisha Ganguly and Ariane Lavrilleux summarize in
The Guardian article. In an increasingly intertwined military
industry, this is a challenge for arms export control.
The complexity of
international businesses works like an invisibility cloak for the
exact operations. MBDA has daughters in countries like England,
France, Germany, Italy and financial holdings in – amongst others -
Ireland (MBDA TreasuryCompany Ltd) and the Netherlands (MBDA B.V.). However all this
complexities cannot hide the fact that components have been sold to
Israel. Nothing illegal, according to MBDA, the company “complies
with all relevant national and international laws applicable to the
arms trade in the countries in which it operates”.
MBDA
calls itself a “specific
and unique integrated organisational model in the defence industry”
build
around directors, CEO's, national companies’ managing directors and
other key stakeholders. This integration should mean that
responsibility for delivering components used in the Israeli bombing
of civilians is also the responsibility of the whole 'model'. Whether
it is happening from the US or the juridical responsibility of the UK
branch.
As
Sam Perlo-Freeman, research coordinator at UK Campaign Against the
Arms Trade said:“What
MBDA could do if they wanted to not be complicit in arming Israel is
they could sell MBDA Inc. We would support the UK government taking
all actions that are within their powers to stop the genocide. Beyond
an arms embargo, this includes sanctions on companies arming Israel,
banning UK investments in such companies.”
MBDA
is depicting itself as a bringer of security, but its bringing of
misery does painfully catch the eye. The solution as worded by
Perlo-Freeman can be copied for France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and
the Netherlands. To stop genocide, stop participating in it, whatever
the formal legal regulations. In the end, it is as simple as that.
Australian
government has been caught out again lying about their arms trade
with Israel. Despite claims to the contrary, it has been revealed
that it signed & vetted all stages of a $900m contract with Elbit
Sys, which makes drones used to kill in Gaza.
https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/we-will-not-be-silenced-end-genocide
*** #Corruption
Concerns
The EU said on Friday that it would
withhold €1.5 bn from an overall #Ukraine Facility fund of €4.5
bn whose disbursement is dependent on achieving good governance
standards and that can’t be used for #military purchases.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/26/world/europe/eu-ukraine-corruption-aid.html *** US
IT-startups betting on the great re-industrialisation of US’s
military base. Dozens of other Silicon Valley industrial companies
are building out large manufacturing operations, at the same time the
Trump administration pushes to bulk up military spending.
*** #Germany
Plans to Nearly Triple Military Spending to $175 Billion. Germany is
going through a major shift in its approach to defense, with the
government prioritizing innovation, startup engagement, and AI
integration.
https://propakistani.pk/2025/07/24/germany-plans-to-nearly-triple-defense-spending-to-175-billion/
*** Over 30
activists gathered outside the #Leonardo UK factory in
#Millbrook on July 23, demanding an end to the company’s
involvement in the #Israeli arms trade.
*** The military will
not fight the climate crisis
Europe is rearming. Laëtitia Sédou of
@_ENAAT explains why she sees support for Ukraine as a "legitimate
exception" and why the arms buildup is slowing down civilian
investment.
*** Against war
and militarisation - Meeting by Disarm #Rheinmetall Berlin, 28 of
July 2025 Do you want to get active against rearmament and
militarization? Then come by! https://de.indymedia.org/node/527532
*** #Welsh
government accused of funding companies exporting arms to #Israel
despite public assurances
*** The #German
government has authorized the export of #Eurofighter combat aircraft
to #Turkey, following a lengthy deliberation period. The Ministry of
Defense has sent a formal confirmation to the Turkish government
regarding the approval of the export.
https://themunicheye.com/germany-approves-eurofighter-jet-exports-turkey-24811
*** #Lockheed’s
#F35 fighter jet programme has been under scrutiny recently after the
Pentagon reduced its purchases in its 2026 budget. #European nations
have continued to purchase the fighters despite arguments to purchase
fewer #US-made weapons.
https://www.ft.com/content/b43d3ad8-8794-4a39-b63b-13b5f86112b9
*** BBC fact finding
Professor @StavrianakisA, an expert in
#UK Arms Export, described the UK government's decision to allow for
the exemption of #F35 parts as "an enormous loophole" &
the UK export #bans on #Israel were quite limited in their
effectiveness. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz09k48z9v0o *** (Old
31/03/25) Next step in Damen
Romania saga?
Romania in talks with Turkish firm
Desan to revive Mangalia shipyard.
*** The banning
of protest group #PalestineAction has made the #UK government an
“international #outlier” when it comes to political protest,
lawyers representing one of its co-founders told the High Court in
London on Monday.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestine-action-court-case-uk
*** Tomorow US Congress
will vote on 2 bills that will make it easier for the US government
and US arms makers to push weapons out the door to foreign clients
more quickly, with less time for congressional scrutiny, and, in some
cases, with Congress not even being informed that the sales are
happening. At a time when arms sales are a centerpiece of U.S.
foreign policy, for good or for ill, this is a misguided approach
that will increase the risks that U.S. arms transfers will sow
instability, fuel conflicts, and enable violations of the laws of
war... https://responsiblestatecraft.org/arms-sales-2673354428/
*** If
#Germany or any significant arms provider imposed an #arms #embargo
on #Israel, its effects for Israel would be immediate and
devastating. And that’s why they should do it, @andrewfeinstein in
german-foreign-policy.
https://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/news/detail/10066
*** A Dutch
court sentenced a chip engineer to 3 years in prison in the
1st-ever prosecution for digital exports of tech assistance under
Dutch sanctions law.
- de #Vlaamse regering te gebieden per
direct iedere #doorvoer te (doen) staken van defensiegerelateerde
producten en ander voor militair gebruik dienstig
*** Details of
ongoing talks between #Thales and Emirati defense and technology
stakeholders to establish an artificial intelligence #AI research and
development (R&D) center in #AbuDhabi. [paywall]
https://www.tacticalreport.com/daily/63682
*** Due to US
#chips and other emerging tech-related export controls to #China
programs, the #Dutch imposed unilateral export controls on SME.
Thereby steering away from the #EU and other int. #export #control
regimes.
*** Trump
administration will allow #semiconductor firm #Nvidia to sell its
previously restricted advanced H20 chips to #China as part of an
agreement Washington and Beijing reached during trade talks in recent
months, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
https://techwireasia.com/2025/07/nvidia-ai-chip-china-export-ban-lifted/
Europe’s largest
missiles maker #MBDA
is selling key components for bombs that 've been shipped in their
1000s to Israel & used in multiple airstrikes where research
indicates Palestinian children & other civilians were killed.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/17/european-missile-group-mbda-selling-parts-for-bombs-that-have-killed-children-in-gaza *** When you've to pay
to military strengthen your opponent.
*** Een hapsnap
artikel over oorlogsvoorbereiding, militaire productie, wapenhandel
en overslag en de '#Rotterdamse
haven', mensen met Palestijnse achtergrond in Vlaardingen en
bevoorrading Russen door een bedrijf uit Schiedam.
https://www.bnnvara.nl/joop/artikelen/de-oorlog-in-mijn-regio
If military might become the ruling
power “the consequences will be grave: a global arms race, renewed
wars of conquest, shrinking trade, and the collapse of the
cooperation needed to confront shared global threats.”
*** The EU is split
on UK joining its weapons fund - and France is saying non
Some countries are sceptical about full
British involvement in the EU's defence investment fund - with senior
officials saying it will undermine the bloc's supply chain.
More than half of Israel's arms exports
last year went to Europe, up from 35% in 2023, as countries replace
donated equipment and invest heavily under #NATO’s expanded
military spending commitments.
*** Shadow looms
over #Mexico’s former president Peña Nieto as a fresh
investigation is launched into allegations that he accepted a $25
million #bribe from #Israeli businessmen to secure contracts for
#Pegasus spyware during his 2012–18 presidency.
https://www.jfeed.com/news-world/mexico-pegasus-spyware-bribery-scandal
*** #Switzerland
exported 20% more #war materiel in the first half of 2025 compared to
the same period last year. Among the buyers of Swiss military
equipment were authoritarian regimes such as #Qatar and #Saudi Arabia
(and rose by 95.5% & 57%, respectively.
https://menafn.com/1109775416/Swiss-Weapons-Exports-Grew-20-In-First-Half-Of-2025
*** The #UAE is
interested in the procurement of #Russian military aircraft,
especially the Su-35 #fighter jet and the Ka-52 attack #helicopter.
https://www.tacticalreport.com/daily/63658
[paywall]
*** Defence of Europe
to gain national income. New europen fighter aircraft FCAS pestered
by conflict between Germany and France. Now it becomes clear France
wants 80% of the production.
*** Despite
#Spain’s public statements to an embargo, sources within the MoD
admit a full break would be “highly difficult”, as key parts
of the military tech still rely on #Israeli systems.
*** The #Dutch
city of #Papendrecht witnessed a protest demonstration on Saturday
against "#GKN #Fokker" company's export of spare parts for
#F-35 stealth multirole fighter jets to the Israeli entity.
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3511668.htm
*** #NATO
accounts for 34% of all #US #arms exports globally. No wonder, Trump
came away from the Hague saying he enjoyed himself at the NATO event.
The NATO summit didn’t utter a word about Russia. It was, in
reality, about fuelling #Trump’s MAGA movement.
https://www.eurasiareview.com/07072025-natos-mega-spending-pleases-trump-oped/
The Chinese Global Times: Tying the
gains & losses of the #Rafale in specific markets rigidly to
#China is merely self-dramatization; it isn't only an evasion of
reality and also a recurring issue of "shifting the blame to
China" when faced with problems.
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202507/1337841.shtml
Vier van de 14
secretarissen-generaal van de NAVO waren Nederlander en lid van een
vertrouwelijke 'vriendenclub' voor de eilte, zo blijkt uit boek Onder
ons en bijbehorende database. Zie mijn bespreking ↑
July 3
*** How to support the
military industry of a country committing genocide?
Buy weaponry from that country (&
continue to claim your are defending democracy rights), like eg
#Romania does.
*** "While
life in Gaza is being obliterated & the West Bank is under
assault," report shows "why Israel's genocide continues:
because it is lucrative for many," like corporations
"financially bound to Israel's Apartheid & militarism."
*** Which foreign
arms manufacturers are already operating in #Ukraine?
Companies from #Germany,
the #Czech Republic, #Canada,
and #Turkey have already invested in
local manufacturing. Other countries are currently in the planning
stage.
https://ubn.news/which-foreign-arms-manufacturers-are-already-operating-in-ukraine/ *** Arms to
hug, arms to kill and arms to commit genocide
An important part of the problem: EU Buying #Weapons Tested on
#Palestinians
*** De NAVO wekt
de verwachting dat ze voor veiligheid zorgt. Maar met de VS sleept ze
ons mee naar chaos en gevaar. Het is een gedwongen huwelijk met een
roekeloze, machtsbeluste mogendheid die zich niks van internationale
verdragen aantrekt.’
https://www.bnnvara.nl/joop/artikelen/waarom-laten-we-ons-meeslepen-in-de-ramkoers-van-trump
*** European
states continue to impose substantial barriers to transparency in
arms transfers. This has significant implications for international
efforts to enhance accountability in the global arms trade,
especially as defence spending escalates worldwide.
https://www.asser.nl/about-the-asser-institute/news/new-report-the-transparency-deficit-in-european-arms-exports/
*** Military production
requires continuously high levels of investment to maintain
technological progress. This sucks public investment from other parts
of the economy.
Unlike defence, where the repurposing
of civilian technologies for military uses carries a cost to society, many green
investments involve beneficial substitutions that reduce the cost of
a green transition.
