Companies that sell weapons to Israel have been displaying missiles at a three-day arms expo in London.

The International Training Technology Exhibition (IT2EC) – the annual showcase for the latest advances in modern warfare – and the accompanying Underwater Defense Technology (UDT) conference are taking place this week at the Excel Arena in Newham, east London.

More than 50 countries and 120 companies were invited to participate in this event IExperts including Elbit Systems UK, a subsidiary of the Israeli company, claim its Hermes 450 drones killed aid workers, including three Britons, in Gaza earlier this month.

The drone is powered by engines produced by UAV Engines, an Elbit subsidiary based in the Midlands, movement against arms trade explain.

Other major arms exporters including Britain’s BAE Systems, L3 Harris and Rolls-Royce took part in the event, as did US firm Lockheed Martin, which produces Israel’s F-16s and F-35 fighter jets and demonstrated a simulated flight of a stealth bomber. .

Activists say parts made by British manufacturers account for 15% of the value of the F-35.

Potential buyers will be able to sit in a virtual reality F-35 cockpit and shoot targets.A sales representative told I: “It’s epic,” before adding: “It’s exactly like the real deal.”

The event came as British Foreign Secretary David Cameron confirmed on Wednesday that the British government would not suspend arms exports to Israel, amid growing pressure from activists and lawyers claiming arms sales to Israel violate international law. big.

The government has previously denied providing “lethal or military equipment” to Israel and called for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza.

East Lothian MP Kenny MacAskill of the Alba Party said I The display of weapons was “abnormal.”

“It’s bad enough that Britain is involved in manufacturing and supplying the weapons that are killing people indiscriminately in Gaza. But flaunting this is disgusting.

“This is not a Palestinian game or a reality show, but utter terror for millions of people. The sale of arms to Israel must stop and therefore it must be shown that Israel is reveling in the carnage caused.”

Other countries in attendance included Australia, which had a booth displaying weapons, while German officers in army overalls tried out the latest virtual reality military gear.

IT2EC spokesman Gary Waterfall said I: “There is an anger [sic] country here.

“We adhere to very strict government rules about who can and cannot attend the show. So it’s not our decision but UK policy on who can attend the show.”

The Department of Business and Trade (DBT) said I: “These meetings are run commercially by private companies and are not government events.

“It is therefore the organizer’s responsibility to ensure that all relevant regulations are adhered to, including those relating to inviting exhibitors and attendees.

“This particular event is hosted by Undersea Defense Technologies (UDT) and the compliance section of their website contains further details on how they do this.”

UDT website Notes that the promotion and display of weapons and other restricted items requires an import and export license from the relevant government authorities.

Mr Waterfall added: “It’s less about signing contracts and closing deals, it’s more about networking.”

However, a sales representative told I He has signed contracts at the event in the past, adding that one of his company’s clients is Israel.

The government has identified 28 licenses and 28 pending applications “most likely to be used by the Israel Defense Forces for offensive operations in Gaza,” according to documents from one agency. legal challenge Palestinian NGO Al-Haq opposed DBT in the High Court in January.

“Priority” licenses include the following components: fighter aircraft; utility helicopters; armored personnel carriers; naval ships; radars; targeting equipment and small arms ammunition.

Export rules state that export licenses should be refused or revoked if the DBT finds there is a “clear risk” that UK-made weapons could be used to “commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law”.

Human Rights Watch Calling on the government to immediately halt arms transfers to Israel, claiming that “since 2015, the UK has licensed military exports to Israel worth at least £474 million, including fighter jet parts, missiles, tanks, technology, small arms and ammunition.” .

CAAT spokesperson Emily Apple said I: “It is extremely disgusting that the companies exhibiting at UDT are not only complicit in Israel’s genocide, but are also gleefully promoting the exact same equipment, such as F16 and F35 fighter jets, that Israel uses to massacre Palestinians.

“Arms expos like UDT will only cause more death and destruction around the world. These companies should face an arms embargo instead of profiting from Israel’s horrific war crimes.”

Lord Cameron said this week that he had reviewed the latest legal advice on Gaza and that the UK’s position on export licenses was “unchanged”, adding that it aligned the UK with “like-minded countries”.

The United States is Israel’s largest supplier, providing approximately 68% Germany provides about 30% of the weapons purchased by foreign countries. Italy reportedly exported $2.3 million worth of arms and ammunition to Israel in the last three months of 2023.

this The Hague Court of Appeal In February this year, the Netherlands ordered a ban on the export of F-35 parts and components, citing possible human rights violations and violations of international law by Israel. A similar case is pending in Denmark regarding the suspension of exports of F-35 parts to the United States.

CanadaJapan, Spain and Belgium have all announced that they will stop exporting arms to Israel. Australia claims it has not provided weapons since the conflict in Gaza began.

Weapons on display at military exhibition

British company BAE Systems, which makes parts for F-35 fighter jets sold to Israel, displayed weapons at the event, including the Sting Ray Mod lightweight torpedo, which can “autonomously detect, classify and engage targets.”

Another weapon displayed by BAE was the Kingfisher standoff ASW (anti-submarine warfare) effector, which was promoted as a “cost-effective alternative to torpedoes” as it consisted of only “approximately 3 kilograms of explosives”.

The Franco-Italian consortium EuroTorp showed off a MU90, a NATO-standard caliber fire-and-forget lightweight torpedo with the flags of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates painted on its sides, displaying the flags of those countries. The company is already in business.

US company Lockheed Martin displayed a mock-up of an F-35 fighter jet, and customers at its stand could also scan a QR code displaying a vertically launched anti-submarine rocket – designed to be launched from a naval ship before entering water emission. “The torpedo is then free to acquire the target.”

Turkish weapons company Aselsan demonstrated the Deringöz AUV for surveillance and mine detection, while Israeli company DSIT Systems unveiled its new DogFish sonar system, which is designed to automatically detect, track and classify underwater threats such as submarines and midget submarines.

The meeting came on the same day that Turkey announced a ban on exports to Israel after the Gaza Health Ministry reported that more than 33,000 Palestinians had been killed.