Latest news with #GBU-39
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5 days ago
- Business
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European missile group MBDA supplying parts for bombs used in Gaza airstrikes: Report
Smoke rises from Gaza after an explosion, as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border. File image/ Reuters MBDA, Europe's largest missile manufacturer, is reportedly selling key components for bombs that have been used in airstrikes in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of Palestinian children and other civilians, according to an investigation by The Guardian. The investigation, conducted in collaboration with Disclose and Follow the Money, highlights concerns about European companies potentially profiting from the devastation in Gaza. The focus of the investigation is the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb, for which MBDA owns a factory in Alabama, US, that produces the 'wings'. These wings, which are fitted to the GBU-39 bomb made by Boeing, unfold after launch, guiding the bomb to its target. Revenues from MBDA Incorporated, the US company, flow through MBDA UK, based in Hertfordshire, England, and any profits are then passed to the MBDA group, headquartered in France, The Guardian reports. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD MBDA distributed almost £350 million in dividends last year to its three shareholders: Britain's biggest defence firm BAE Systems, France's Airbus, and Italy's Leonardo, according to The Guardian. The GBU-39 is reaching Israel under the US military aid program. Since the Hamas massacre of Israeli citizens on October 7, 2023, an estimated 4,800 of the bombs have been shipped, either bought directly from Boeing or transferred from US military reserves, to which Israel responded by launching a war on Gaza. The most recent consignment of 2,166 was announced in February of this year, just as the UN reported that almost 70% of Gaza had been reduced to rubble. According to the investigation, using open source information and analysis by weapons experts, there have been 24 verified cases where the GBU-39 was deployed in attacks that resulted in civilian deaths, including children. These attacks often occurred at night, without warning, targeting school buildings and tent camps sheltering displaced families. Some of these incidents have been examined by the United Nations and Amnesty International, with concerns raised about potential war crimes, The Guardian notes. In one instance, on May 26, 2025, a bomb struck the Fahmi al-Jarjawi school in Gaza City, killing 36 people, half of whom were children. Hanin al-Wadie, a five-year-old girl, survived the attack but suffered severe burns and psychological trauma, losing her parents and sister, The Guardian reports. Weapons experts identified fragments of a GBU-39 bomb at the scene. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD MBDA confirmed its contract with Boeing for the wings and stated that it complies with all relevant national and international laws applicable to the arms trade in the countries in which it operates, all of whom have export policies and operate robust export control regimes, according to The Guardian. However, campaigners argue that the case highlights the limitations of the UK's move to pause some arms shipments to Israel, as the US arm of MBDA can continue supplying Boeing from its Alabama factory. Sam Perlo-Freeman, the research coordinator at Campaign Against the Arms Trade, said that MBDA is profiting from the arming of Israel, according to The Guardian. He suggested that MBDA could sell MBDA Inc. if it wanted to avoid complicity in arming Israel and that the UK government should take all actions within its power to stop the genocide, including sanctions on companies arming Israel and banning UK investments in such companies. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State Department announces $7B arms sale to Israel after Congress blocked initial deal
The Trump administration announced a $7 billion arms sale to Israel, including munitions and missiles, just days after Congress blocked an initial deal. The State Department said Friday that it approved $6.75 billion in munitions, guidance kits, fuzes and munitions support, including 2,166 GBU-39/B small-diameter bombs, for sale to Israel. In the other part of the package, the U.S. is sending 3,000 Hellfire missiles and other equipment at the estimated cost of $660 million. The deliveries of the missiles are slated to start in 2028. 'The proposed sale improves Israel's capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and serves as a deterrent to regional threats,' the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in the press release. 'Israel already has these weapons in its inventory and will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces.' The arms sales came just two days after Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington and held a joint press conference with President Trump. The deal marks the first multi-billion arms sale to Israel under the current administration. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), the ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, criticized the Trump administration for reportedly bypassing Congress and instantly proceeding with the weapons sale. 'Earlier today, the Trump Administration informed me that it would abrogate Congressional oversight and years of standing practice and immediately notify billions of dollars in arms sales,' Meeks said in a statement on Friday. 'This move is yet another repudiation by Donald Trump of Congress' rightful and legitimate oversight prerogative.' The top four legislators on both the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee can pause arms sales to U.S. allies if they are valued over a certain amount. Congress put a hold on a $1 billion weapons package to Israel earlier this week, which reportedly included 4,700 1,000-pound bombs and Caterpillar's armored bulldozers. After the weapons transfer was halted, Meeks said he would approve the request when he is comfortable with the responses he ask of the current administration. 'This is not a situation — Biden, especially Trump — where a king comes in and says, 'This is what I want,' and you just do it automatically,' the New York Democrat told The Hill, adding, 'And in this case, because Prime Minister Netanyahu is here, you want to make it look like something.' 'No. I'm going to do the job that I took an oath to do,' he continued. 'And what I have done, and continue to do, on a responsible manner — of reviewing … when I get my questions answered, then I'm fine.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
