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THE FACTS:  F-35 SUPPLY CHAIN - UK ARMING GENOCIDE

A fact sheet in PDF format is here

All references at ppsc.uk/refs

The UK government regularly approves exports of weapons and military technology to Israel, despite knowing that these will be used to kill civilians in violation of international law.¹  One of the most damning examples is the UK's role in the supply chain for the F-35 fighter jet.  By value, 15% of each F-35 is made in the UK.².

LOCKHEED MARTIN HAVANT - PROFITING FROM GENOCIDE

F-35s are complex, requiring four hours maintenance per hour of flight³, so they need a constant supply of spares and components to keep them flying and killing.  Since October 2023, Lockheed Martin's site at Langstone in Havant has sent at least six shipments of such components to Israel.⁴  During that time, Israeli F-35s have dropped hundreds of 2000lb bombs in Gaza, many near hospitals and in designated civilian evacuation zones.⁵  Each such bomb leaves a crater a double-decker bus could fit in with room to spare, and can kill anyone within a "lethal fragmentation" zone 720m across.⁶  That's about the size of Havant Town.  720m is the distance from Havant Park to the Lockheed Martin site at Langstone - the length of our march on Tuesday 17 June.

SLAUGHTER OF INNOCENTS

When dropped on one of the world's most densely populated areas, such weapons inevitably cause devastating civilian casualties.  The majority of the 62,000 people Israel has killed in the last 19 months were women and children.⁷  On average the "Israel Defence Forces" have killed, and continue to kill, one Palestinian child every 46 minutes.⁸  That's not "defence".

EFFECT ON WORKERS

The government's refusal to take appropriate action means that UK workers now find themselves complicit in the most serious possible violations of international law and crimes against humanity.  But workers have the power to halt this by refusing to handle exports to Israel.  We urge them to do so, and we support calls for a just transition for arms industry workers to use their skills to produce socially useful and ethical products instead.

ARMS EMBARGO NOW!

We demand:

• An immediate halt and ban on all arms trading and military collaboration with Israel.
• A total ban on trade with illegal settlements and all other trade that aids Israel’s violations of international law.
• Immediate and wide-ranging sanctions, travel bans and asset freezes on all Israeli government ministers, including Benjamin Netanyahu.

JOIN THE MOVEMENT - STAND WITH PALESTINE

Along with millions of people around the world, we will continue to take action against companies like Lockheed Martin that facilitate Israel’s crimes against humanity.  Join the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and be part of the international movement for peace, justice and equality.  ppsc.uk/join

Footnote: THE F-35 SUPPLY CHAIN IN THE UK

Dozens of other companies are involved along with Lockheed Martin UK.  BAE Systems makes the active interceptors used by F-35 pilots, in Rochester, Kent, and the rear fuselage of the F-35 in Samlesbury, Lancashire.  Durability testing for F-35s takes place in a BAE facility in Brough, Yorkshire.  The laser targeting system is made by Leonardo in Edinburgh.  Bomb release equipment is made by L3 Harris in Brighton.  The ejection seat is made by Martin-Baker in Denham, Bucks.  Forged Solutions, one of whose sites is in Sheffield, is also registered to export F-35 components.  We demand that the government introduce an immediate two-way arms embargo on Israel, so that Britain will no longer ship weapons or components to be used in Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians.

A fact sheet in PDF format is here.
All references at ppsc.uk/refs

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