EDO in Brighton developing new generation of micro weapons for US assassinations

Smash EDO have called for three months of direct action to close down EDO MBM

In May 2012 John Eaton, a director of the EDO MBM factory in Brighton, spoke on behalf of the company at an arms conference in Washington on work being done in Brighton to develop bomb release units with a footprint "the size of a dollar bill".[1] In his abstract for the talk Eaton contends "flexible responses require new approaches to the delivery of small non traditional weapons from non traditional airframes involved in the kill chain."[2]

ITT Exelis is already supplying components for the MQ9 Reaper (Predator B)drone, used by both the US and the UK in Afghanistan.[3]

In marketing its products in the US EDO is profiting from the covert and illegal war being fought by the US army and CIA using unmanned aircraft armed with miniature weapons in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.

Operations in Pakistan alone have killed at least 800 civilians, including 175 children.[4]

The US' assassination policy is illegal under international law. The UK charity Reprieve, who are currently involved in a legal challenge against British involvement in US assassinations said "Evidence suggests that drone strikes in Pakistan are being carried out in violation of international humanitarian law, because the individuals who are being targeted are not directly participating in hostilities and/or because the force used is neither necessary nor proportionate."[5]

Chloe Marsh, of Smash EDO said "This is just one example of the weapons being manufactured at the EDO factory being used in war crimes and is exactly why we have called for a citizen's weapons inspection of the factory on July 16th."

"We have been attempting to force EDO to be transparent about what it manufactures in Moulsecoomb for over eight years"

Andrew Beckett, commenting on a statement condemning the demonstration by Mike Weatherley MP, said "I think its shameful that the Brighton and Hove Conservative Party is defending a private company that is manufacturing weapons to be used in war crimes."

"Mike Weatherley has again attempted to cloud the issue by linking the demonstration to the Olympic torch ceremony. In fact the ceremony is taking place in Hove whereas the EDO factory is in Moulsecoomb. The Conservatives are, again, trying to draw attention from the real issue, EDO MBM's complicity in war crimes."

[1] The presentation is available at