Elbit Systems Ltd is an international defense and electronics company headquartered in Israel. It is one of the primary suppliers of weapons (including UAV military drones) and surveillance systems to the Israeli army, including maintenance and support.
Elbit Systems Ltd is an international defense and electronics company headquartered in Israel. It is one of the primary suppliers of weapons (including UAV military drones) and surveillance systems to the Israeli army, including maintenance and support.
The company has developed systems for the F-16 fighter jet (such as the central mission computer, display, and helmet systems), the AH-1W Cobra attack helicopter, the Merkava tank, and several other platforms used in combat by the Israeli military. It has also been contracted to supply the Israeli army with a new command-and-control system for ground troops as well as training modules for weapons systems.
Elbit is also one of the main suppliers of surveillance technology to the Israeli separation wall in the occupied West Bank, specifically the Jerusalem, Ariel, and A-Ram segments of the wall.
In 2004, the International Court of Justice ruled that the wall was illegal and demanded that Israel “stop and reverse the construction of the wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around East Jerusalem, which is in departure of the Armistice Line of 1949 and is in contradiction to relevant provisions of international law.”
Elbit is one of the largest producers of UAV military drones in the world, specifically the Skylark and the Hermes 450 and 900 drones, which are used by NATO forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Hermes 450 has been routinely used in attacks against civilians in Gaza, particularly during Operation Cast Lead (2008-09), which was ruled by the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission as a violation of international human rights law, a possible war crime, or even a crime against humanity. According to reports by leading human rights organizations and UN bodies, the strikes during Cast Lead targeted civilian homes, hospitals, and shops, killing 1398 Palestinian men and women, including 345 minors. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, during the Israeli attack on Gaza of November 2012 (Operation Pillar of Defense), at least seven civilians, of whom four were minors, were killed by such drones. Versions of Elbit drones are sold in the U.S. by a joint venture with General Dynamics.
Other unmanned combat vehicles developed by the company include the Guardium Unmanned Ground Vehicle, in collaboration with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The Guardium is an autonomous, armed patrol robot used by the Israeli military for patrols in the occupied territory.
Elbit was recently contracted to supply the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with border surveillance technology for the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona.
Elbit's 2010 Annual Report disclosed that a subsidiary of the company produces white phosphorus ammunition. According to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the deployment of white phosphorus against humans is illegal and constitutes a war crime. In the aftermath of Operation Cast Lead, the International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed the use of white phosphorus bombs in Israel's attacks on Gaza.
In 2010 Elbit bought Soltam Systems Ltd, an Israeli defense contractor which provides artillery, mortars, and ammunition to the Israeli Defense Forces, the United States, and NATO countries. Soltam provides 120 mm mortars to the IDF, which were used in Israel's 2014 attack on Gaza known as Operation Protective Edge.
Many of Elbit's other weapons and military systems were also used in the same attack, including numerous UAVs, the Guardium armed ground robot, aerial platforms, smart helmets, and tank visualization systems. In its report on Operaton Protective Edge, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that the destruction to both property and civilian life as the result of tank shelling, could "amount to a violation of the principle of distinction...[and] may also constitute a direct attack against civilian objects or civilians, a war crime under international criminal law." The report documented specific cases of attacks on civilian property and life by tank shelling. Israeli soldiers also reported the purposeful destruction of Palestinian agricultural land with tanks.
Defense for Children International documented that during Operation Protective Edge, UAVs were responsible for the deaths of at least 164 children, while artillery and tank shelling killed at least 81 children.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) 2192 Palestinians were killed during the 50 days of Operation Protective Edge, including numerous whole families. More than 20,000 housing units were destroyed, leaving more than 100,000 people homeless.
In the month of July 2014 alone, during the peak of the assault on the Gaza, Elbit’s profits increased by 6.1%, the highest level of increase since 2010. According to economic analysts, Elbit's Haifa-based company is expected to see increasing demand for its products from both the Israeli and foreign governments.