Does General Dynamics Corporation support Israel?

General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems is the only U.S. producer of the metal bodies for the MK-80 series of aerial bombs — including the 2,000-pound MK-84 — of which the U.S. supplied more than 14,000 to Israel in 2023-24 for extensive use in Gaza. Framed precisely: the bombs are transferred by the U.S. government (from stocks and new sales), with General Dynamics as the manufacturer; Bellingcat and munitions researchers have identified General Dynamics lot markings ("GDT") on bomb remnants documented in Gaza.

During the Gaza war, the U.S. State Department approved a $774.1 million Foreign Military Sale to Israel of 32,739 120mm tank cartridges (M1147 HEMP-T and/or M830A1 MPAT rounds), with General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (St. Petersburg, Florida) and Northrop Grumman Defense Systems named as the principal contractors; deliveries are estimated to begin in 2027. It followed the December 9, 2023 emergency sale of 13,981 M830A1 tank cartridges ($106.5 million) drawn from U.S. Army inventory, for which the Secretary of State waived congressional review. Framed precisely: government-to-government sales in which the U.S. government contracts the manufacturers; the dollar figure is the estimated value of the entire 2024 case, not General Dynamics' share alone.

Gulfstream Aerospace, a wholly owned General Dynamics subsidiary, supplied a special-missions Gulfstream G550 to Israel's Ministry of Defense, formally received by the Israeli Air Force's 122nd "Nachshon" Squadron at Nevatim in April 2021 and converted by Israel Aerospace Industries/Elta into the "Oron" multi-sensor intelligence aircraft, which has flown surveillance missions over Gaza and Lebanon during the war. It joined the IAF's existing Gulfstream G550-based fleet of Nachshon Eitam (airborne early warning) and Nachshon Shavit (signals intelligence) aircraft delivered since the mid-2000s. These are direct aircraft purchases rather than U.S. Foreign Military Sales of weapons.

On General Dynamics' Q3 2023 earnings call, CFO Jason Aiken told investors that while "the Israel situation obviously is a terrible one," the "incremental demand potential coming out of that" was significant, singling out artillery: the company had already gone from 14,000 to 20,000 155mm rounds per month and was accelerating toward 85,000-100,000, adding "the Israel situation is only going to put upward pressure on that demand." An executive statement about business opportunity from the war, not a donation.