UK-linked firm helped produce bombs used in deadly Gaza strikes

The US subsidiary of one of Europe's largest arms manufacturers plays a key role in producing precision bombs used by Israel in its war on Gaza, which have been linked to the deaths of hundreds of civilians.

MBDA, headquartered in France, is a major supplier in the manufacture of Boeing’s 250-pound GBU-39 bomb. Its US subsidiary, MBDA Inc., provides the bomb’s wings, enabling it to glide and strike targets with precision.

The GBU-39 has been widely used in Israeli strikes on Gaza, with The Guardian identifying its use in 24 attacks during the war, which have killed 500 people, including at least 100 children.

Since 7 October, around 4,800 of these bombs have been sold to Israel, including 2,166 in a February shipment.

Although MBDA Inc. is linked to the Hertfordshire-based MBDA UK, with profits flowing back to the UK, the company is not subject to UK arms export laws or Foreign Secretary David Lammy's new restrictions on arms sales to Israel.

This is because MBDA Inc. operates under US laws and export controls, and the UK’s restrictions do not apply to overseas subsidiaries, even if they are owned by UK companies.

According to The Guardian, MBDA UK accounted for 40 percent of the MBDA group’s revenue in 2023. That year, £350 million in dividends was paid to its three major shareholders: the UK’s BAE Systems, France’s Airbus, and Italy’s Leonardo. MBDA’s total revenue rose to £4.2 billion in 2024.

One of the strikes involving the GBU-39 was on the Fahmi al-Jarjawi school on 26 May, which killed 36 people - half of them children. Another strike targeted Kuwaiti Peace Camp 1 in Rafah, sparking a fire that set tents alight, killing 45 people and wounding 249.

According to the UN, private companies must conduct due diligence and adjust their business practices during conflict, as outlined in its guiding principles on business and human rights.

MBDA's own policies refer to these responsibilities, but the company declined to say whether it would divest from its US subsidiary or halt sales to Israel.

Campaigners at Campaign Against the Arms Trade have called on MBDA to sell its US subsidiary to comply with international law. They also urged the UK government to impose an arms embargo on Israel, sanction firms arming it, and ban investment in those companies.

Israel’s war on Gaza, increasingly described as genocide, has killed 58,573 people and wounded 139,607 more. The enclave has been left largely uninhabitable and in a prolonged humanitarian crisis.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes.