Explosive Stuff weblog

News and opinions on international arms trade. Subscribe and stay tuned!

Dutch military naval technology to Ankara, ends in Karachi

05.11.20
Dutch military naval technology to Ankara, ends in Karachi The Dutch government has issued a permit for the sale of military technology for corvettes to the Istanbul Naval Shipyard* with final destination Pakistan. The deal is worth € 46.7 million, which is 5% of average Dutch annual arms exports over the past decade. The Thales technology includes advanced Smart-S radar (optimised for... read more >

Frontex awards €50 million in border surveillance drone contracts to Airbus, IAI and Elbit

30.10.20
Last week border guard agency Frontex announced it had awarded new contracts for drone surveillance services in the Mediterranean to arms companies Airbus, with subcontractor Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI), and Elbit. Frontex will pay up to €50 million under framework contracts to provide “maritime aerial surveillance services with Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems for long... read more >

Military vessels and naval production in the Eastern Mediterranean

26.08.20
This week EU foreign ministers will discuss the crisis in the eastern Mediterranean at an informal meeting in Berlin, while Turkey and Greece flex their muscles and sent their fleets to sea. According to the Turkish president Erdogan to "act with more determination concerning the protection of its rights, and (of) laws in the region.” According to an article in the Jeruzalem Post,... read more >

Mega Egyptian order for Dutch branch of French Thales

19.08.20
This week the Dutch government answered questions of the Dutch MP's Karabulut (Socialist Party) and Van Ojik (GreenLeft) on a large military sale of C3-technology to Egypt. Hiding behind commercial confidentiality the government refuses to name the company involved and the frigate – build by a European shipbuilder – on which the systems will be assembled. Enormous The Dutch... read more >

Major Dutch arms export to Egypt

13.07.20
In July the Dutch government informed the Parliament that it gave permission to export naval command, control, communication (C3) and military radar to Egypt. Value: € 114.038.400. This is a very large arms deal for the Netherlands (approximately 10% of annual total). According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the equipment is to be installed at a naval frigate to be used for patrol tasks... read more >

Arms watch or arms control

30.06.20
Annual reports on arms exports (see list) are published by almost all EU governments, but mostly not very timely. Reporting on arms exports is a mandatory part of EU transparency policy. Amazingly the reports concerning international trade are often published in national languages only. They also have different formats, sometimes caused by unwillingness to provide information, sometimes because... read more >

We need security, not more military

28.05.20
The defence industry is busy to sell its message that investing into armaments is a way out of the sour economic times and international developments laying ahead. It does so on national, as well as European levels. But is that what Europe, the world needs? Big spenders In April 2020 the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute published its figures on military expenditures on 2019 for... read more >

Hypersonic weapons: fast and dangerous

13.05.20
Since the Gulf War of 1990-1991, a wide array of new military technology has been developed. This includes new risky techniques like machine learning to enhance nuclear C3 systems, with the huge danger of the US or its competitors inadvertently accelerate crisis instability. It includes adaptions to brains to make them more useful for military operations. It can also bring change to what seems to... read more >

Imports and exports both part of military policy

29.04.20
Arms trade has two sides; the export by one is the import by the other. Arms export is controlled in most countries but import is not. Although it may have large and long term consequences for security and human rights. Not in the country importing, but in the country of export. Turkish import Since Ankara started the invasion of northern Syria in October 2019 arms exports to Turkey are... read more >

The future is now

16.04.20
In the coming months decisions will be taken with long term consequences for military expenditure and arms production. The arms industry has been shifting parts of its production from swords to ploughshares recently to help producing the medical equipment needed to fight the corona virus. This was widely reported by the industry, press and by governments. But not all swords went to the forgery.... read more >

The security paradigm is changing

04.04.20
Early March, production lines in Italy and Japan for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter closed because of corona. The virus affects even the world's largest military program ever. Military power has its limits when facing a pandemic. Troops are brought home from foreign deployments such as Iraq and US military exercises like Defender 2020 are scaled down if not fully stopped. All of the approx. 5,... read more >

(resend) New Dutch submarines; how about proliferation?

19.03.20
(corrected version) The Netherlands is in the midst of a multi billion euro acquisition of new conventional submarines to replace its current class. Recently the acquisition process was scrutinised by a large amount of questions (267) by members of the parliament to the government. The acquisition has a defence-industrial component and will impact future European arms exports as well as the... read more >

New Dutch submarines; how about proliferation?

19.03.20
The Netherlands is in the midst of a multi billion euro acquisition of new conventional submarines to replace its current class. Recently the acquisition process was scrutinised by a large amount of questions (267) by members of the parliament to the government. The acquisition has a defence-industrial component and will impact future European arms exports as well as the proliferation of... read more >

Not management, not shareholders but employees pay for Airbus underperformance

05.03.20
Airbus is a European civil-military aeronautic company based in France, Germany and Spain. It is 26 per cent state-owned (see figure, click to enlarge). For financial and organisational reasons it has its official headquarters in tax haven the Netherlands (see table). Airbus is the worlds largest builder of civil air liners, but produces also helicopters, fighter jets, drones, cybertechnology and... read more >

Turkish defence industry not a miracle

17.02.20
Turkish foreign and military policy becomes rapidly more assertive and autonomous. It can be seen in the Syria policy from the invasion to the current armed stand-off, in trafficking weapons to Libyan allies, in obstructing EU collaboration with NATO and in President Erdogan concluding agreements on defence industrial cooperation with other countries, from Malaysia to Senegal and Ukraine, on a... read more >

The Panel of Experts on arms exports to Libya

08.01.20
With all eyes on Iran, developments in other parts of the conflict-torn region are ongoing almost outside the eyes of the public. Troops of Commander Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA, supported by the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt) declared a final and decisive battle to take Tripoli last month. Fighting and shelling between the two sides of the conflict has been raging there... read more >

Damen to help Nigerian military to transport troops and weapons in Delta

10.12.19
In a video clip the use of the Landing Ship Transport 120 can be watched; ramps unfold and weapon systems are boarded. The ship is developed by the Dutch conglomerate of ship wharfs Damen. Tanks (up to 70 tons), vessels and armoured vehicles can be brought aboard in several ways at different spots of the ship. Construction of a slightly smaller type of the class, the LST 100, for the Nigerian... read more >

Brexit; arms production and sales part II - EU/UK arms trade

05.11.19
Brexit; arms production and sales part II - EU/UK arms trade After Brexit, the UK Government aims continuation of existing policies on arms exports. Which means maintaining broadly the same policy as the EU on export control and sanctions legislation. "This included preparing for a no-deal scenario by transposing EU export control legislation into UK law through the EU (Withdrawal) Act, and... read more >