Textron (United States)

Textron is one of the world’s largest arms producers. Its subsidiary Textron Systems manufactures a range of land systems, air launched weapons, (sub)munitions and sensor systems.[i]

Textron had been on the Red Flag List of this report since its first publication in 2009. Textron’s Sensor Fuzed Weapon (SFW) was designated CBU-97. Later a new type (including a Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser) was produced, designated CBU-105. The SFW is a cluster munition that is prohibited by the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Over the years, the SFW has been sold primarily to the US Air Force, but also to several other states. In its 2014 Fact Book, the company itself states that it has supplied over 7,900 SFWs to its customers, including the US Air Force and to other countries.[ii] Over the years sales have been reported to countries including Turkey[iii], Oman[iv], United Arab Emirates,[v] South Korea[vi], Saudi Arabia[vii] and India[viii].

In May 2016, the US government decided to suspend the transfer of cluster munitions to Saudi Arabia after continued reports by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International that US made cluster bombs were being used in Yemen.[ix]

In an August 2016 filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Textron announced that it would “discontinue production of its sensor-fuzed weapon product.”[x] In July 2017 Textron reported in a filing to the US SEC, that it had by then “completed the final delivery of [its] discontinued sensor-fuzed weapon product in the second quarter of 2017”.[xi] Textron confirmed this in a call with analysts in January 2018.[xii]

PAX welcomes Textron’s decision to end its production of the Sensor Fuzed Weapon.

However, contracts published by the US Federal Procurement Data System show that after these announcements Textron still signed contracts with the Indian Air Force for “Sensor Fuzed Weapon Flight Test Support Extension”. The latest extension of this contract, that is aimed to support India in integrating cluster munitions in its arsenal, would run at least until 30 November 2018.

Furthermore, Textron is also still involved in the maintenance of cluster munitions. In 2018 it held a contract with the US government for “Technical and Analysis Support of Sensor Fuzed Weapons, CBU-105”. The contract ran at least until 28 September 2018.[xiii] At the time of writing, it is not known if these contracts are already finalized.

Because of the ongoing maintenance in 2018 of (at least US and Indian Air Force) cluster munitions and test support for the Indian Air Force, Textron is clearly still involved in cluster munitions. Maintenance and test support of cluster munitions is, as per this report’s methodology, not seen as production. It is, however, assistance with the stockpiling and/or retention of cluster munitions, which is prohibited under the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Textron should cease all involvement with cluster munitions as soon as it can and where possible not renew existing contracts.

Therefore, we list investors in Textron in Appendix 2 to this report and in the Hall of Shame Table on this site under Investors in Textron. We call on these investors to engage with the company to make it halt any involvement with cluster munitions in a way prohibited the Convention on Cluster Munitions prohibits as soon as possible.

 


 

[i]       Textron, “Our Company”, Textron website (www.textron.com/About/Company), last viewed 28 March 2018; Textron, “Our Company”, Textron website (www.textron.com/about/company/index.php), last viewed 28 March 2018.

[ii]       Textron Systems, “2014 Fact Book”, available at www.textron.com/assets/FB/2014/systems.html, last viewed 28 March 2018.

[iii]      Textron Systems, “Textron Systems Completes International Sale of Sensor Fuzed Weapon to Turkey”, 1 November 2006, available at investor.textron.com/news/news-releases/press-release-details/2006/Textron-Systems-Completes-International-Sale-of-Sensor-Fuzed-Weapon-to-Turkey/default.aspx, last viewed 28 March 2018;
Textron Systems, “2014 Fact Book”, 2015, available at www.textron.com/assets/FB/2014/systems.html, last viewed 28 March 2018.

[iv]      Textron Systems, “2014 Fact Book”, 2015, available at www.textron.com/assets/FB/2014/systems.html, last viewed 28 March 2018.

[v]      Textron, “Textron Defense Systems and UAE Armed Forces Sign Sensor Fuzed Weapon Contract”, 13 November 2007, Textron website (investor.textron.com/news/news-releases/press-release-details/2007/Textron-Defense-Systems-and-UAE-Armed-Forces-Sign-Sensor-Fuzed-Weapon-Contract/default.aspx), last viewed 28 March 2018.

[vi]      Textron, “South Korea to Integrate Textron Defense Systems’ Sensor Fuzed Weapon with FA-50 Aircraft”, 6 April 2010, available at investor.textron.com/news/news-releases/press-release-details/2010/South-Korea-to-Integrate-Textron-Defense-Systems-Sensor-Fuzed-Weapon-with-FA-50-Aircraft/default.aspx, last viewed 28 March 2018. U.S. Department of Defense, “U.S. DoD Contracts, No. CR-101-14”, 29 May 2014, available at archive.defense.gov/Contracts/Contract.aspx?ContractID=5295, last viewed 28 March 2018. Federal Procurement Data System, “Procurement Identifier FA821314C0017 – P00008”, 28 July 2017, Federal Procurement Data System database (www.fpds.gov/fpdsng_cms/index.php/en/), last viewed 9 April 2018.

[vii]     Textron Systems, “2014 Fact Book”, 2015, available at www.textron.com/assets/FB/2014/systems.html, last viewed 28 March 2018.

[viii]     Textron, “Textron Defense Systems Receives $257M Order to Supply Sensor Fuzed Weapons to Indian Air Force”, 9 February 2011, available at investor.textron.com/news/news-releases/press-release-details/2011/Textron-Defense-Systems-Receives-257M-Order-to-Supply-Sensor-Fuzed-Weapons-to-Indian-Air-Force/default.aspx, last viewed 28 March 2018; U.S. Department of Defense, “U.S. DoD Contracts, No. P00015”, 13 September 2013, available at archive.defense.gov/Contracts/Contract.aspx?ContractID=5133, last viewed 28 March 2018; U.S. Department of Defense, “U.S. DoD Contracts, No: CR-091-14”, 14 May 2014, available at archive.defense.gov/Contracts/Contract.aspx?ContractID=5285, last viewed 28 March 2018.

[ix]      Cluster Munitions Coalition, “US suspends cluster munitions sales to Saudi Arabia”, Cluster Munitions Coalition, 1 June 2016, Cluster Munition Coalition website (www.stopclustermunitions.org/en-gb/media/news/2016/us-suspends-cluster-munitions-sales-to-saudi-arabia.aspx), viewed 28 March 2018; Human Rights Watch, “US: Stop Providing Cluster Munitions”, 2 June 2016, Human Rights Watch website (www.hrw.org/news/2016/06/02/us-stop-providing-cluster-munitions), viewed 28 March 2018.

[x]      Textron, Form 8-K: August 30, 30 August 2016, p. 2, Get filings website (http://getfilings.com/sec-filings/160830/TEXTRON-INC_8-K/), last viewed 16 November 2018.

[xi]      Textron, Form 10-Q: For the quarterly period ended July 1, 2017, 26 July 2017, p. 21, Textron website (https://www.textron.com/assets/10-K/2017/HTML/ ), last viewed 16 November 2018.

[xii]     Textron, “Q4 2017 Earnings Call Presentation, 31 January 2018, Textron website (https://investor.textron.com/investors/events-and-presentations/default.aspx), last viewed 16 November 2018.

[xiii]     Federal Procurement Data System, “Procurement Identifier FA868211C0044”, 30 June 2018, Federal Procurement Data System database (www.fpds.gov/fpdsng_cms/index.php/en/), last viewed 11 October 2018.