Dataharvest 2026 - the European Investigative Journalism Conference

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, many European countries have increased their defence spending and awarded large new contracts to arms companies. Beneficiaries include US corporations such as Lockheed, as well as European firms such as BAE Systems, Airbus, Rheinmetall, or Leonardo. At the same time, these companies are making money by exporting weapons to authoritarian regimes, and their weapons could end up on the battlefields of Libya or Yemen. Some of these companies have continued to support Israel in its destruction of Gaza by selling weapons to the country.
How can such companies be investigated? Whistleblowers can occasionally help journalists to expose dubious deals and hidden manoeuvres. But arms deals can also be investigated without the help of an insider. Videos showing military vehicles can be geolocated. Satellite pictures reveal the locations of naval vessels. Tracking websites allow you to follow the routes of warships and aeroplanes. Company employees reveal the military projects they are working on on LinkedIn.

This presentation will demonstrate how open-source methods can be used to investigate the arms industry. Drawing on specific examples from recent investigations, it will show how these methods can be employed to shed light on the activities of companies such as a European missile-maker that supplied Israel with bombs used in Gaza, German engine manufacturers whose products are being used in Russian and Chinese warships, Turkey's breaches of the arms embargo in Libya, and the role of Airbus, as well as French-made warships in the war zone around Yemen. The presentation will also highlight the activities of a German arms giant Rheinmetall,, which sent personnel through an embargoed port in Eritrea to assist with the repair of Emirati naval guns in the Red Sea.