Border Profiteers
The Border Profiteers List is a database compiling companies which are involved with and profiting from the European border system. The fortification and externalisation of borders is not only driven by political interests but also by being a source of profit for an array of different companies from producers of surveillance equipment and weapons to concrete and food distribution for camps, consultant companies and research facilities.
The Border Profiteers List is a non-exhaustive and growing resource for civil society actors, researchers and activists. An online form to submit contributions to this list will be available here shortly.
As the Border Profiteers List relies on open and public sources we make no warranties about the completeness of information provided in this list. We also do not assume any legal liability or responsibility for outdated, incorrect, or incomplete information. However, we will address reports of outdated, incorrect, or incomplete information as quickly as possible.
A large proportion of the entries is based on research by the Informationsstelle Militarisierung (Information Centre for Militarisation).
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| Registered office | Netherlands - Leiden |
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| Categories | autonomous systems |
As Europe's largest armaments group, Airbus offers especially to the military a broad portfolio ranging from combat helicopters and aircrafts, satellite reconnaissance and communication to the operation of drones in for example foreign deployment of the German Federal Armed Forces.
Read more| Registered office | Austria - Vienna |
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| Categories | autonomous systems |
The Austrian Institute of Technology, headquartered in Vienna, is the successor organisation to the Austrian Study Society for Atomic Energy. On Wikipedia, AIT is described as one of the largest non-university research institutions in Austria, giving the impression that it is a public institution. In its web presence, however, AIT presents itself as a company and in fact it is a limited liability company with several "subsidiaries", only 50.46% are owned by the state. The rest of the shares are held by the "Association for the Promotion of Research and Innovation" of the Federation of Austrian Industries.
Read more| Registered office | Germany - Fürstenfeldbruck |
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| Categories | autonomous systems |
The Munich-based company ESG (Elektroniksystem und Logistik GmbH) was founded in the 1960s as a joint spin-off of the companies AEG/Telefunken, Rhode & Schwartz and Siemens. It was initially tasked to plan the electronic components for the German Tornado fighter aircraft (which is also designed for use with nuclear weapons). Further defense contracts followed, mainly from Germany, e.g. for the development of the fire control system for the Gepard anti-aircraft gun tank. Today (as of September 2021), ESG is majority-owned by the investment company Armira Partners GmbH & Co KG, according to de.wikipedia.de .
Read more| Registered office | Israel - Yokneam Illit |
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| Categories | autonomous systems |
The Israeli company was founded in 1993 by members of the Israeli army and specializes in so-called "(M)UGI "s ((Mini-) Unattended Ground Imaging Sensors), i.e. sensors that can monitor areas over a longer period of time without operators and maintenance. Radar and thermal sensors are used, which can independently identify and report suspicious behavior. Particular emphasis is placed on the possibilities of covert or camouflaged deployment.
Read more| Registered office | United States of America - Wilsonville (Boston) |
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| Categories | autonomous systems |
FLIR is the abbreviation for "Forward Looking Infrared" and describes a technology that is mainly used on board ships, helicopters and drones and has made great progress in recent years in terms of range and resolution. Through the publication of drone videos, the technology has come to dominate the visual perception of wars among the general public. Especially around 2010, many European coast guard patrol boats were equipped with FLIR. For some years now, FLIR technology has also been increasingly used in so-called "autonomous driving" and is therefore becoming more and more common.
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