Kubota engines are the driving force These remote-controlled behind Israel’s “Avantguard” robotic killing machines Unmanned Ground Combat Vehicles have infra-red, thermal- with their 7.62 mm machine-guns. imaging cameras to target their weapons at night. www.armyrecognition.com Robotic Military Vehicles John Pike, director of Glo- Kubota Corp. Kubota engines are the driving force balsecurity.org, said of “Guardium,” a Kubota Corp. behind an Unmanned Ground Combat similar unmanned ground vehicle pro- Vehicle (UGCV) called the “Avant- duced by G-NIUS, noted that Canada Pension Plan guard.” These armed robotic all-terrain “Robots like this are potentially the Investments vehicles are used by Israel’s military. future of ground warfare…. A robot Powered by Kubota’s four-cylinder, does what it’s told,… [t]hey don’t 2012 shares=$13 million 100 horsepower, V3800DI-T turbo-die- have fear, and they kill without com- (Direct & indirect investments) sel engines, these remote-controlled punction.” vehicles are manufactured by an Israeli (For more on G-NIUS robotic vehicles, million 2011 shares=$13 million company called G-NIUS Unmanned see “Texas Instruments,” pp.39-40.) (Direct investments only) Ground Systems. G-NIUS is jointly- his Japanese company is the owned by Israel’s two largest war in- Construction Equipment world’ largest manufacturer of dustries: Kubota supplies the engines of choice Tcompact diesel engines. Kubota z (See previous issue, in a wide variety of heavy construction is also a leading producer of tractors pp.28-29.) vehicles made by Bobcat, a subsidiary and construction equipment and has an- z Israel Aerospace Industries (See of Doosan. (See previous issue, p.26.) nual revenues of US$12 billion. previous issue, p.48.) The “Who Profits from the oc- Established in 1890, Kubota Delivered to the Israeli Army in cupation” database, published by Isra- supplied Japan’s military during its war June 2010, the “AvantGuard,” is de- el’s Coalition of Women for Peace, with Russia (1904-1905). Then, during signed to use Elbit-made “Overhead notes that Bobcat machinery is “used the 1930s, with Japan’s invasion and Remotely Operated Weapon Stations.” for the construction of checkpoints and occupation of Manchuria, and its domi- These weapons turrets are also used on settlement infrastructure in the West nation by military and industrial elites various Israel tanks, jeeps and ar- Bank.” “Who Profits” has photos of “[w]ar was once again good for moured personnel carriers. They fire two Bobcat loaders in which model heavy-industrial producers such as 7.62 mm caliber machine guns, and use numbers S220 and S130 are visible. Kubota. Now producing engines as an electro-optical/infra-red, thermal- Bobcat’s website reveals that these well as pipes and machine tools, the imaging camera to perform weapons models are powered by liquid-cooled company benefited handsomely sighting, tracking and targeting func- Kubota diesel engines. The S220 Bob- from the war effort.” tions at night. cats are driven by 75 hp (56 kW) Kubota’s engines are now used G-NIUS states that this robotic Kubota engines, while the S130s have in two kinds of vehicles supporting Is- vehicle “is effectively deployed in a va- Kubota’s 46 hp (34.3 kW) engines. rael’s occupation of Palestinian land: riety of combat missions, including: Another photo of a Bobcat z Remote-controlled robotic all-ter- Advance Guard, Armed Sentry [and] loader being used in the occupied ter- rain military vehicles used by Isra- Combat Logistic Support.” ritories is online thanks to the UK- el’s armed forces, and Interestingly, the “AvantGuard” based group, “Corporate Watch.” This z Heavy construction equipment used is based on the “Wolverine” tracked organization describes its efforts as to build military checkpoints and vehicle, a Tactical Amphibious Ground “Tracking Corporate Complicity in the settlement infrastructure in the oc- Support platform designed by a Cana- Occupation of Palestine.” A March- cupied territories. dian company called Dumur Industries. 2010 blog on its site shows a Bobcat 12 Press for Conversion! (Issue # 67) Fall 2012 Leumi loader in Katzerin, “a settlement of 6,444 people situated in the occupied Le’Israel Golan Height[s].” Katzerin, it says, “was established on the land of the Syr- Canada Pension Plan ian area of Fakhura.” The Bobcat ve- Investments F-15 hicle which is shown at work in this town, is easily identified as an S150 2012 shares=$9 million loader. This model is also listed in Bob- (Direct & indirect investments) cat’s catalogue as using a Kubota-made diesel engine. In fact, of the 18 varie- 2011 shares=$11 million F-16 (Direct investments only) ties of loaders in Bobcat’s catalogue, every one uses a Kubota engine. eumi Le’Israel, the “National The Kubota Engine Division’s Bank of Israel,” has its origins website lists one service representative in the “Jewish Colonial Trust” in Israel, F.K.Generators and Equip- L and the “Anglo-Palestine Company.” ment Ltd. It’s customers includes Isra- Founded in the UK in 1899, as “the fi- Merkava el’s Ministry of Defence, Bezeq, Ta- MK4 nancial instrument of the Zionist Or- diran Electronic Systems (owned by El- ganization,” Leumi is now Israel’s larg- bit Systems) and state-owned Israeli est bank. After Israel’s 1983 financial weapons-maker, Rafael. (See previous crisis, when bankers illegally manipu- issue, pp.11, 28-29 and 49.) Also on lated stock prices, Israel’s government Kubota’s client list are Leumi Le’Israel took over Leumi. Also nationalized and Paz Oil (See pp.13-14 and 30.) Leumi has financed Israeli were Hapoalim and Israel Discount war industries such as TAT Bank. (See previous issue, p.10 and this References Technologies, which makes issue, pp.8-9.) The state is still Leumi’s Corporate Data components for weapons www.kubota-global.net/c-data/data.html top shareholder, with 11.4% of its stock. used by Israel’s military, and Kubota Corporation Leumi has financed Israeli war www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Kubota- industries like TAT and Imagesat. Imagesat which provides Corporation-company-History.html military-intelligence services. AvantGuard TAT Technologies (TAT) g-nius.co.il/unmanned-ground-systems/avantguard.html Leumi and its US subsidiary loaned $12 EROS B AvantGuard million to TAT which makes cooling www.army-technology.com/projects/avantguard systems for military land and airborne unmannedgr/ applications, systems for military shel- AvantGuard UGCV: Driven by Innovation ters and battle vehicles, fuel systems for g-nius.co.il/pdf/brochures/AvantGuardUGCV.pdf F-16s and heat exchangers for F-15s ORCWS 7.62 and F-16s. Israel has received hundreds www.army-guide.com/eng/product2733.html of these two varieties of US warplanes. AvantGuard UGCV TAT’s customers include some g-nius.co.il/unmanned-ground-systems/avantguard.html Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Rafael. of the world’s top war industries, like Tail to teeth: unmanned haulers ease the soldier’s Boeing, EADS, Safran and Thales, as lot on the battlefield, International Defence Re- Imagesat International well as Honeywell and Lockheed Mar- view, January 15, 2010. Leumi gave Imagesat a credit agree- g-nius.co.il/PRclippings/20100115IDR_Tail2Teeth tin (see previous issue, p.39, and this ment “to finance up to $70 million for UGV.pdf issue, pp.15-16.) TAT’s website also the development of its EROS observa- “Four wheels and an electronic brain: Meet IDF’s lists the Israeli Air Force, the US Navy, tion satellites.” Imagesat is a subsidi- newest soldier,” Haaretz, April 28, 2008. Elbit and Rafael, as customers. (See www.haaretz.com/news/four-wheels-and-an-electronic- ary of IAI, but is partly owned by El- brain-meet-idf-s-newest-soldier-1.244794 previous issue, pp.28-29 and 48-49.) bit. Thanks to Imagesat the In 2009, Bank Leumi loaned Bobcat Company “Ministry of Defense in Israel pres- www.whoprofits.org/Company%20Info.php?id=744 US$1.3 million to finance TAT’s pur- ently receives intelligence services chase of Bental Industries. This Israeli WorkSaver BOBCATALOG from three Israeli imaging satellites: www.bobcat.com/publicadmin/getFile.do?id=42006 firm makes motors for “electric turret the two Eros satellites and the mili- Corporations in Katzerin Industrial Zone – and gun control systems” used in Isra- tary satellite, Ofek 5.” Part three, March 25, 2010. el’s Merkava MK4 tank and other ar- corporateoccupation.wordpress.com/2010/03/25/corp orations-in-katzerin-industrial-zone-part-three/ moured vehicles. It also makes motion Investments, Loans & Services technologies for missiles, drone aircraft Leumi subsidiary, Leumi Partners Ltd., Israel - Kubota Engine Division www.engine.kubota.ne.jp/english/prof/wws/wws_net1/ and jet engines. Besides being “a ma- is the bank’s corporate investment arm, nd/israel.htm jor supplier” to the Israel Defense specializing in non-banking companies Customers Forces, Bental’s customers include Is- and funds in Israel. It has encouraged www.fk-generators.co.il/content.php?id=22 rael’s top war contractors: Elbit, Israel investors to buy stocks in top Israeli Fall 2012 (Issue # 67) Press for Conversion! 13