Companies from China, France, India, Italy, the Netherlands, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States are significantly involved in the production of nuclear weapons. Many of the companies involved have multi-year contracts, totalling at least $335 billion and continuing for decades.1
2024 (PDF) | Complicit Companies | Watchlist | Changes | New Arms Race | US Bombs in Europe | Issuer information
Recent changes to the list:
New in 2024
Peraton (United States)
Peraton is a U.S.-based national security and technology company, and in previous reports listed on the watchlist. By acquiring Northrop Grumman’s IT and Mission Support Services Business in February 2021, Peraton is now the recipient of a contract for Missile Applications Software Support to the Minuteman III systems and has replaced Northrop Grumman as one of the subcontractors in the management and operation of Sandia National Laboratory.
Rolls-Royce (United Kingdom)
Unlike in previous reports, companies involved in the production of nuclear-armed submarines also fall within this report’s scope (see also the methodology section). As a result, Rolls-Royce, which produces key components for the UK Dreadnought submarines, has been added to the list of companies fully profiled.
Arcfield added to watchlist
U.S. corporation Arcfield was launched in 2021, comprising Peraton’s spun off systems engineering, integration and support services business.2 Analex Corporation, now an Arcfield company, carries out program support services for the Trident re-entry subsystem and has been added to this report’s watchlist.3
No longer listed:
Aerojet Rocketdyne
In July 2023, L3Harris completed its acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne.4 Aerojet Rocketdyne’s involvement in the nuclear weapon industry is therefore included under L3Harris’ profile, as are all financing and investment relationships with Aerojet Rocketdyne.5
Moved to watchlist
Groupe REEL (Constructions industrielles de la Méditerranée (CNIM)
In September 2022, Groupe REEL completed its acquisition of CNIM Systèmes Industriels.6 CNIM Systèmes Industriels is contracted by the French government to supply missile launch systems for their nuclear submarines.7 Groupe REEL will take over responsibilities for the designing of equipment for the assembly and loading of missiles for the strategic nuclear submarines.8 Groupe REEL is a family company, with approximately 3% owned by its employees through a mutual fund.9 As no financing relations within the analysed period were identified for Groupe REEL, the company is included in the watchlist.
Larsen & Toubro
In the November 2021 Don’t Bank on the Bomb publication, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) was included with a full profile. However, the company currently claims not to “manufacture any explosives or ammunition of any kind, including […] nuclear weapons or components of such munitions” nor any delivery systems.10 Further information clarifying L&T’s precise scope of activities related to nuclear weapon production, deployment or stockpiling is currently unavailable. For this reason, the company has been moved to the watchlist.
Volat
Belarusian company Volat was added to the watchlist, as the production of mobile launchers for the Russian Topol missiles is mentioned on their website.
Watchlist
The full profiles listed in this report focus on the production of key components for nuclear weapons. Still, there are other companies involved in activities prohibited by the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, including the building of facilities to enable any stationing, installation, or deployment of nuclear weapons on the national territory of other countries. There are also several companies that are not currently publicly traded, and while these fall outside the scope of the report, some information may be of interest.
The watchlist also provides an overview of companies for which clear ties to the nuclear weapons enterprise have been identified, but For financial institutions and others seeking to implement comprehensive exclusions from any nuclear weapon associated company, the watchlist should, at a minimum, trigger additional due diligence.
Complicit Companies
The nuclear industry is changing. The re-nationalization of the UK’s Atomic Weapons Establishment- removing Serco from the list of publicly traded companies involved in the production and maintenance of nuclear arsenals is one example. The sale of all government related contracts of another long-term nuclear weapon associated company (AECOM) so that it is no longer involved in any aspect of nuclear weapon development or stockpiling is another. These changes removed these companies from their association with the production of nuclear weapons, as well as several investor blacklists.
Northrop Grumman is the biggest nuclear weapons profiteer, with at least $24 billion in outstanding contracts, not including the consortium and joint venture revenues. Raytheon Technologies and Lockheed Martin also hold multi-billion-dollar contracts to produce new nuclear weapon systems. The other 25 companies profiled in this report build the key components or otherwise contribute to nuclear weapon development, testing, production, manufacture, possession, stockpiling or use, now prohibited under international law.
There are changes in the number of nuclear weapon associated companies. Some companies, like Serco, had long-term contracts government contracts revoked. Others, like AECOM, have chosen to end their involvement in the nuclear weapon industry. The industry itself is getting smaller, with companies acquiring or merging together. Raytheon and United Technologies is one example, Northrop Grumman’s acquisition of Orbital ATK is another. Raytheon is in the process of acquiring Aerojet Rocketdyne, which will further shrink the industry.
Airplanes and submarines are outside the scope of the research. However, companies involved in producing airplanes and submarines designed to deliver nuclear weapons are often involved in other parts of nuclear weapon production. For example, Lockheed Martin, which is currently producing the F35 (Joint Strike Fighter), one variant of which will be certified to drop nuclear weapons, is included due to more than US$ 7.9 billion (€ 6.9 billion) in outstanding contracts for nuclear armed missiles for the US and UK.
Renationalization of the Atomic Weapons Establishment- an illustration of risky business
In 2020, the UK decided to nationalize its nuclear weapons facilities and start a new nuclear warhead project at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE).11 That meant ending what was meant to be a 25-year non-revocable contract with the AWE-ML consortium (Serco, Jacob’s Engineering and Lockheed Martin).12
This is an illustration of the risks faced by any company taking contracts for nuclear weapon related work. Each of these companies already knows that there are some risks from government contracting, they state as much in each annual report. However, until recently, the idea that long-term nuclear weapon related contracts might be terminated was not given much credit. Now that the weapons are prohibited under international law, an additional level of risk exists. This is also true for those relying on a supply chain involving States inside the treaty- which could halt those shipments to reduce any risks of assisting in the production, manufacture, or development of nuclear weapons.
New Nuclear Arms Race
Despite global calls for restraint and nuclear disarmament, new nuclear weapons are being developed in all nuclear armed countries. The company profiles provide information about a few new types of weapons, including the US Ground Based Strategic Deterrent and Long-Range Standoff weapons, the French ASMPA-successor the ASN4G, and the Indian efforts to expand to submarine launched ballistic missiles. In addition, efforts to build hypersonic submarine launched ballistic missile capabilities, like those planned in a US$ 109.5 million (€ 95.9 million) contract with the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, are discussed.
Some of the lower yield weapon options outlined in the 2018 US Nuclear Posture Review are also now under development. For example, the US National Nuclear Security Administration has started building the first low-yield, submarine-launched ballistic missile warhead W76-2, at the Pantex Plant in Texas. The conversion of W76-1 warheads into W76-2 warheads will cost a minimum of US$ 125 million (€ 110.1 million).13 The private contractors involved in this work are part of Consolidated Nuclear Services LLC (CNS), a Bechtel -led joint venture including Leidos, ATK Launch Systems (now part of Northrop Grumman), SOC, and Booz Allen Hamilton 14 as a teaming subcontractor.15
Three of the contractors named in the report are involved in production activities for the B61-12. Boeing is producing the tail-kit assembly under a US$ 185 million (€ 163 million) contract. Honeywell International operates and manages the Sandia National Laboratory which designed the new hardware for the bomb, and Huntington Ingalls Industries provides nuclear operations and manufacturing. According to the contract terms, the Boeing designed B61-12 tail kits are meant to be ready by May 2019.17 These are the weapons the United States deploys outside their territory, it is yet unclear when the new bombs will be delivered to their European locations. Another company, Atlantic CommTech got a contract in 2016 to modernize the Weapon Storage and Security System at the hosting bases in Europe, but that work is only meant to conclude by October 2020.18
The new contracts, the new types of weapons, the new allocation of resources all show that the new nuclear arms race is happening. Last updated November 2021US nuclear weapons in Europe
An estimated 180 B61 nuclear gravity bombs are currently deployed by the US at airbases in five European countries (Kleine Brogel AB in Belgium, Buechel AB in Germany, Aviano AB and Ghedi AB in Italy, Volkel AB in the Netherlands, and Incirlik AB in Turkey). Despite a majority of those populations objecting to this stationing, work is under way to replace the B61 bombs with a new version, the B61-12. The Federation of American Scientists reports, however, that there are 2-5 year delays on the B61-12 project as a whole, while new bomb plans (B61-13) are meant to start in 2038.16
Notes
Leone, D., “NNSA Has Started Building Low-Yield Sub Warhead”, Nuclear Security & Deterrence Monitor, 25 January 2019, (www.exchangemonitor.com/nnsa-started-building-low-yield-sub-warhead/), viewed in January 2019.