Press for Conversion! (Issue # 66) Spring 201228

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military forces, they arealso widely exported. Oneof its foreign customers, theUS government, purchasedUS$560 million worth ofElbit’s products between2000 and 2009. Of these,100% were for US militarydepartments and agencies.

In amazing disre-gard for what Elbit actually produces(and how Israel uses them), the Ethi-sphere Institute ranked Elbit as the sin-gle most ethical foreign firm dealingwith the US government in 2008.

Urged on by Israel’s then-Deputy Defence Minister, ShimonPeres, the company began in 1966 asElbit Computers Ltd. It was a joint ven-ture between the Israeli military’s Re-search Institute and Elron Electronic In-

dustries, which was founded by aformer Motorola employee and fundedby Israel’s Discount Investment Corp.(DIC). (See DIC, p.25, and Motorolain table “CPP Investments,” p.53.)

Through a subsidiary, CycloneAviation Products, Elbit upgrades manyvarieties of warplanes (including the F-4, F-5, F-15, F-16 and MiG-21 fighteraircraft), military helicopters (such asthe CH-53, AH-1W, Super Puma) andthe V-22 tiltrotor aircraft. The IsraeliAir Force arsenal includes all of theseexcept the F-5, MiG-21 and SuperPuma, while the V-22 is near the top of

Israel’s shopping list.Elbit produces “Her-

mes” 450 and 900 drones.Israel has used these un-manned aerial vehicles forreconnaissance and airstrikes in the West Bank,Gaza, Lebanon (2006) andSudan (2009).

Elbit also makes elec-tronic systems for air-, land- and sea-based weapons, including Command,Control, Communications, Computers,Intelligence, Surveillance and Recon-naissance systems, electro-optics andelectronic warfare systems.

Other Elbit products used byIsrael’s military include:

Computers, helmet-mounted sys-tems and display systems for F-16s. Advanced combat training systems

for fighter aircraft.Light trainer aircraft.Fire control systems and thermalimaging sights for weapons in Isra-el’s main battle tanks.Support services for warplanes andhelicopters (repair, maintenance andspare parts).Enhanced tactical computers forarmoured vehicles, howitzers andmortars, multiple-launch rocket sys-tems and attack helicopters.Skylark, a “highly-covert” dronethat “supports open area as well asurban warfare scenarios,” and is

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As Israel’s largest war industry,Elbit is fiercely proud of its“Corporate Responsibility

Policy.” As proof that it is a “good cor-porate citizen and an advocate for so-cial and environmental responsibility,”Elbit points to its design, creation andproduction of weapons systems. Elbitpromotes its contribution to worldpeace, by saying that the first “key ele-ment” of its Corporate Responsibility

Policy is “Leveraging …our core tech-nological knowledge, skills, capabili-ties and innovation to make the worlda safer place.”

However, Elbit’s “knowledge,skills, capabilities and innovation” arealmost exclusively devoted to refiningthe technologies of war. In fact, only5% of Elbit’s business is non-military.

With annual military revenuesweighing in at US$2.5 billion, Elbit cur-rently ranks as the world’s 33rd largestmilitary contractor.

Although Elbit’s weapons sys-tems are extensively used by Israel’s

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Spring 2012 (Issue # 66) Press for Conversion! 29

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“battle-proven” by Israel’s military,as well as in Iraq and Afghanistan.Battle management systems for sen-sors and weapon systems withincombat-vehicles.Cutting-edge laser systems for air,ground and naval uses that “havebeen tested and proven in combatfor more than three decades.”Laser designators/rangefinders forground, naval, aircraft and un-manned aerial platforms.Ground-based payloads, for day-and-night scanning, tracking, rangemeasurement, aiming and targeting.Thermal imaging systems. Theseelectro-optical, infrared, night-vi-sion technologies fulfil surveillancetasks for air, sea, ground, “homelanddefense and anti-terror applica-tions.” Elbit’s products include cam-

eras, long range sensors, clip-onnight sights, elbow sights and night-driving systems.

Data obtained by the Coalitionto Oppose the Arms Trade (COAT)from the “Government Contracts USADefense Department” database, showsthat between 2001 and 2003, an Elbitsubsidiary supplied components forAH-64 “Apache” helicopters. Elbit’selectro-optical subsidiary, Elop Ltd.,received about US$1.2 million in con-tracts from US Aviation and MissileCommand to provide a various electri-cal and electronic components for AH-

64s. The US exported this variety ofattack helicopter to Israel which hasthen used them in attacks on Lebanon(2006) and Gaza (2008-2009).

Elbit is also one of two suppli-ers of the electronic detection fencewhich is part of Israel’s separation bar-rier in the occupied West Bank. Two ofElbit’s subsidiaries, Elop and Elbit Se-curity Systems (Ortek), supplied theLong-Range Reconnaissance and Ob-servation System (LORROS) surveil-lance system for the Ariel and A-ramsections of the separation barrier.(LORROS uses cameras made by Sony.See table, “CPP Investments, p.53.)Elbit is also involved in building theMasu’a system to monitor the Jerusa-lem Envelope section of Israel’s sepa-ration wall. To get this contract, Elbitteamed up with Detekion, a US firm.

ReferencesSocial Responsibility Full Reportwww.elbitsystems.com/elbitmain/pages/FullReport.asp

Elbit Systems Ltd.duns100.dundb.co.il/ts.cgi?tsscript=comp_eng&duns=514421098

Top 100 Defense Contractors, Defense Newswww.defensenews.com

Contracts to Elbit Systems Ltd.www.fedspending.org/fpds/search.php

5 Best Foreign Company Ethics Programsethisphere.com/5-best-foreign-company-ethics-programs

Elron Electronic Industriesen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elron_Electronic_Industries

Unique Aerospace Prowess, Israel’s Ministry ofIndustry, Trade and Labor

www.moital.gov.il/CmsTamat/Rsrc/ICA/Industrial_cooperation_in_israel2011-2012/artical3.html

Elbit Systems Awarded $20 Million Follow-OnContract for Israeli Air Force’s PFI ‘Snunit’Trainer Aircraft Operation Program, Feb. 22, 2010ir.elbitsystems.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=61849&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1393398&highlight=

F-16www.elbitsystems.com/elbitmain/area-in2.asp?parent=169&num=170&num2=170

Advanced Combat Training Systemwww.elbitsystems.com/elbitmain/area-in2.asp?parent=76&num=315&num2=315

Services & Privatizationwww.elbitsystems.com/elbitmain/area-in2.asp?parent=1&num=20&num2=20

Ruggedized Tactical Terminalswww.elbitsystems.com/elbitmain/area-in2.asp?parent=4&num=46&num2=46

Skylark® I LE - Mini UASwww.elbitsystems.com/elbitmain/area-in2.asp?parent=3&num=279&num2=279

Battle Management Systemswww.elbitsystems.com/elbitmain/area-in2.asp?parent=4&num=41&num2=41

Laser Systemswww.elbitsystems.com/elbitmain/area-in2.asp?parent=6&num=59&num2=59

Flashlamp-Pumped Laser Designators/Range-finderswww.elbitsystems.com/elbitmain/area-in2.asp?parent=59&num=144&num2=144

Ground-Based Payloadswww.elbitsystems.com/elbitmain/area-in2.asp?parent=111&num=167&num2=167

Thermal Imaging Systemswww.elbitsystems.com/elbitmain/area-in2.asp?parent=6&num=58&num2=58

Government Contracts USA Defense Dep’twww.governmentcontractswon.com

Elbit Systemswww.whoprofits.org/Company%20Info.php?id=554