export-controls 31 August 2017

Israel suspends drone export after alleged live fire demo

Israel’s Ministry of Defense has suspended the export licence of a firm called Aeronautics Defense Systems following an investigation into claims that it was asked by Azerbaijan to demonstrate the live capabilities of a drone against an Armenian military position, reports the Jerusalem Post.

The newspaper says that the two Israelis operating the UAV ‘refused to hit the position and senior representatives of the company took control and operated the craft themselves, ultimately missing their targets’.

It says that the company strongly denied that the event ever occurred, releasing a statement that the company ‘never performs demonstrations using live fire and that was true in this case as well’.  The paper added that Israel’s Defense Ministry said that while it does not, as a rule make it a practice to comment on issues involving military exports, ‘the claim is being examined by the relevant parties at the ministry.’

 

See: http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Export-of-Israeli-drones-frozen-after-suspected-live-demo-in-Armenia-503764