A US manufacturer of components that are integrated into multiple weapons systems used in war crimes.
Honeywell International Inc, headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., operates in the aerospace, energy, and building and industrial automation sectors. Consistently ranked as one of the world’s top 100 arms-producing companies, it derives 13% of its revenue from military applications as of 2022. It is involved in the U.S. nuclear weapons program and produces components for nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles.
For military applications, Honeywell specializes in guidance systems and Inertial Measurement Units (IMU): integral components of guided bombs, missiles, drones, and other aircraft. IMUs measure location, velocity, and acceleration, allowing weapons to be guided to their target.
The company’s HG1700 IMU is described as ”the heart” of Boeing's JDAM kits, which turn unguided bombs into GPS-guided munitions. Israel use Boeing’s JDAM kits extensively, including in all its massive attacks on the Gaza Strip and elsewhere in the last couple of decades, including the 2023–2024 genocidal attacks on Gaza. (See our profile of Boeing for more information on JDAM bombs and their use in potential war crimes.)
Honeywell's HG1930 IMU is similarly an integral part of Boeing’s GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs. These have become Israel’s “weapon of choice” in its 2023–2024 genocidal attacks on Gaza, following pressure by the U.S. government to prioritize their use over that of larger bombs. (See our profile of Boeing for more information on the GBU-39 bombs and their use in potential war crimes.)
While these components typically leave no trace at the site of a bombing, one Honeywell component was found intact following a June 6, 2024, Israeli airstrike on the U.N.-run al-Sardi school in central Gaza. The attack killed at least 40 Palestinians, including 14 children, and wounded at least 74 others. The component was identified as a Honeywell HG1930 IMU, and its markings indicate that it was manufactured in 2022.
The same component was found before, in the remains of an Israeli airstrike in Shujayea, Gaza, in 2014. Its markings indicate that it was manufactured at Honeywell’s factory in Minneapolis in 2012. While Honeywell’s HG1930 IMU is a part of Boeing’s GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb, it can also be a part of other weapons systems; we therefore cannot say definitively which bomb/missile was used in these attacks.
Beyond bombs and missiles, Honeywell components are also integrated into every major combat aircraft used by the Israeli Air Force, including Boeing’s F-15 fighter jets and AH-64 Apache helicopters and Lockheed Martin’s F-16 and F-35 fighter jets. Israel has used all these weapons systems in its repeated attacks on Palestinian civilians, including the 2023–2024 genocidal attacks on Gaza.
Honeywell has also sold military components directly to Israel. In 2012, the Israeli Ministry of Defense awarded the company a $735 million contract to supply its F124-GA-200 turbofan engines for the Israeli Air Force’s fleet of Alenia Aermacchi M-346 ("Lavi") trainer jets.
Through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program, which is funded by U.S. taxpayers, Honeywell supplied Israel with wheel and brake systems for its fleet of F-15 and F-16 warplanes between 2015 and 2017. The company also provided Israel containment rings, which are part of the F-15 engine, from 2023–2024. More such sales have likely occurred but are not publicly disclosed.
Between 2008 and 2020, the company also applied for 30 export licenses to sell Israel “military goods” made by its British subsidiaries, according to the U.K. Campaign Against Arms Trade. All of these licenses have been approved. The specific products exported, however, are not publicly disclosed.
In addition, Honeywell does business with Israel’s largest weapons manufacturers. It has a joint project with state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to produce a GPS anti-jam navigation system for military applications. Between 2007 and 2011, Honeywell participated in another IAI project, providing cockpit avionics systems for the Israeli Air Force fleet of Boeing 707 tankers. Honeywell trained Israeli Air Force pilots on these systems in its factory in the U.S.
It also purchases commercial products from Elbit Systems, Israel's largest weapons manufacturer. It is highly likely that these Israeli weapons manufacturers buy other Honeywell components for their weapons, however most of these relationships are not publicly disclosed.
Honeywell’s other business in Israel focuses on cybersecurity. In 2017, Honeywell entered Israel by acquiring cybersecurity firm Nextnine. Following a decision to increase its investments in Israel, Honeywell acquired cybersecurity startup SCADAfence in July 2023. Honeywell’s representative in Israel is G1 Secure Solutions (formerly G4S Israel).