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Rolls-royce V-POL

POLITICAL AUDIT UPDATED 2026-05-27
V-POL Score 1.71 /10 C Rolls-royce — BDS-1000 448
V-POL 1.71

Evidence-only forensic audit. Scoring happens downstream — see the main dossier for the composite assessment.

Rolls-Royce Holdings plc — V-POL Domain Audit

Corporate Communications & Public Stance

Rolls-Royce has issued no public statement specifically addressing the Israel-Palestine conflict, the October 2023 Hamas attacks, or the subsequent Israeli military campaign in Gaza. The company’s 2023 and 2024 Annual Reports and Sustainability Reports contain no named reference to Gaza, Palestine, or the Israeli conflict 12. The company’s 2023 Annual Report mentions “deeply distressing events in Israel and Gaza” only as external context for geopolitical risk, without naming Israel as a conflict actor or making any moral or business judgment 1. The 2022, 2023, and 2024 Annual Reports reference Israel in the context of standard civil and defence aviation customer markets — as a destination for civil turbofan engine services via El Al and implicitly as an F-35 programme end-user state 12. No dedicated geopolitical risk section specifically addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict appears in any annual report reviewed 12.

In March 2022, Rolls-Royce issued a press release explicitly condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and announced the immediate suspension of all business activities in Russia and Belarus 3. This was a named, explicit statement framing the decision as both moral and commercial 3. No comparable corporate statement addressing Gaza or the Israel-Palestine conflict has been issued at any point between October 2023 and the date of this audit 12. No public statement by Rolls-Royce addressing the ICJ Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024 was identified 4. No public statement addressing the ICC arrest warrants of 21 November 2024 was identified 4. No amendment to export arrangements, supply chain posture, or public communications on Israel was identified in the period following either ruling 4.

Operations in Occupied or Contested Territories

The F135 engine that powers the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is manufactured by Pratt & Whitney, NOT Rolls-Royce 5. Rolls-Royce’s role in the F-35 programme is limited to the LiftSystem for the STOVL F-35B variant. Israel operates only the F-35A (the F-35I “Adir” variant, 50 delivered and 25+ on order), which uses the Pratt & Whitney F135 with no Rolls-Royce LiftSystem 6. Rolls-Royce therefore has no material F-35 propulsion nexus to Israel; its Israel-relevant military involvement is via MTU engines in the Merkava/Namer/Eitan and the Israeli Navy (scored in V-MIL), not the F-35 75.

Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG, through its subsidiary MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH, manufactures diesel engines for Israeli military vehicles 689. The Merkava 4/5 (Barak) tanks are powered by MTU 12V883 engines (1,500hp) 689. The Namer APC is powered by MTU engine systems 689. The Eitan APC entered service in October 2023 and is powered by MTU 8V199TE21 engines 689. SIPRI Arms Data confirms approximately 1,060 MT883 diesel engines for Merkava tanks and Namer APCs exported from Germany to Israel between 2002-2022, plus 50 engines in 2023 9.

In Foreign Military Sales, Rolls-Royce Solutions America Inc. contracted as principal contractor for $180 million FMS to Israel for Eitan APC engines in April 2025 10. Rolls-Royce Solutions America was awarded an FMS contract worth $194 million for Power Pack Less Transmissions engine systems for the Namer APC in September 2016 11. The US State Department previously approved a $238 million sale of 270 power pack engine systems to Israel in February 2019 11. Rolls-Royce recorded $97 million in Israel revenue in 2024, confirmed via company financial disclosures 6.

Rolls-Royce Solutions Israel Ltd. is operational in Netanya, Israel, confirmed via MTU Solutions website 12. The subsidiary operates at 6 Meir Ariel St., Netanya, with contact number +972 9 885 85 22, and also operates a purchasing office at 45 Hamelacha Street, Netanya 12.

Following the UK Government’s partial suspension of arms export licences to Israel in September 2024, the Campaign Against Arms Trade identified Rolls-Royce as a company whose components feature in licensed UK defence exports to Israel, primarily through its position in the F-35 supply chain 131415. The UK suspended approximately 30 of 350 export licences to Israel in September 2024 following an International Humanitarian Law review, citing “clear risk” of items being used in Gaza 1416. However, F-35 components were explicitly exempted from the suspension 1416. The Open General Export Licence for F-35 was amended to exclude direct exports to Israel while allowing continued supply through US prime contractors 14. In June 2025, the UK High Court ruled that the UK’s F-35 exports to Israel are lawful, rejecting an NGO challenge 17. The Dutch Court of Appeal ordered the Dutch government in February 2024 to halt F-35 parts exports to Israel 18. Declassified UK reporting documents the supply chain link between Rolls-Royce components and Israeli operations in the occupied territory 19.

Rolls-Royce Holdings plc is not listed in the United Nations Human Rights Council’s database of businesses with activities in Israeli settlements (A/HRC/43/71, updated 2023) 20. The database focuses on companies with direct nexus to settlement construction, infrastructure, financial services to settlers, or provision of services specifically within settlement boundaries 20. Rolls-Royce’s supply chain position — as a propulsion manufacturer selling into a US-managed multinational defence programme — is categorically distinct from the settlement-nexus activities covered by the database methodology 20.

UN Special Procedures sent Joint Communication AL OTH 82/2024 to Rolls-Royce Power Systems on May 20, 2024, requesting information about arms transfers to Israel and potential international humanitarian law violations 2122. Rolls-Royce Power Systems responded on July 12, 2024, stating: “We abide by all applicable export control and sanctions laws… exports are considered against a range of criteria, including relevant international law” 22.

Internal Governance, Content & Retail Policies

Morning Star reported in January 2024 that workers at Rolls-Royce’s Derby facility expressed solidarity with calls to halt arms exports to Israel 23. Unite the Union issued statements in 2024 acknowledging worker sentiment at Rolls-Royce Derby but stopping short of calling for formal industrial action on arms exports 23. No evidence of Rolls-Royce management taking retaliatory or disciplinary measures in response to this union activity was identified 23. No formal disciplinary actions, HR enforcement incidents, or employment tribunal proceedings arising from employee political speech or activism on this topic were identified 23. No lawsuits against unions for pro-Palestine speech were identified. No shareholder resolution specifically on Israel-Palestine due diligence or arms export review was identified as having been tabled at a Rolls-Royce AGM and subsequently suppressed.

Rolls-Royce is a B2B aerospace and defence engineering conglomerate, not a media, technology, or consumer platform operator. Algorithmic content moderation, editorial content policy, and platform governance are structurally inapplicable to this entity. Rolls-Royce does not operate a consumer retail business. Product labelling and retail sourcing practices are structurally inapplicable. The company’s 2023 and 2024 Modern Slavery Act Statements reference supply chain due diligence processes consistent with UK statutory requirements but contain no specific reference to Israeli, Palestinian, or settlement-origin goods sourcing 12.

Brand Heritage & State Partnerships

Rolls-Royce explicitly and extensively leverages its military aviation heritage in corporate branding and public communications. The Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust actively maintains and promotes this history, including the Merlin engine’s defining role in the Spitfire and Hurricane during the Second World War 1. The company’s Defence division is consistently presented in annual reports and investor relations materials as a core, strategically valued business pillar — not a peripheral activity 12. Defence division revenue grew significantly in 2024, driven in part by F-35 engine hours flown and MRO income 2.

Rolls-Royce holds a Royal Warrant and has longstanding formal ties to the British monarchy and state establishment, renewed following King Charles III’s accession in 2023 24. Rolls-Royce is a member of ADS Group, the UK’s aerospace, defence, security, and space trade association, which engages in government advocacy on defence procurement, export policy, and industrial strategy 25. Following the UK Government’s September 2024 export licence suspension, ADS Group issued a statement expressing concern about implications for the UK defence industrial base and urging a clear policy framework for F-35-related exports 25.

The UK Government holds a single “Special Share” in Rolls-Royce Holdings plc, commonly referred to as a “golden share” 2624. The share grants veto rights over any single shareholder or concert party acquiring more than 29.9% of ordinary shares and changes to the company’s Articles that would affect or circumvent this mechanism 26. The purpose of the golden share is explicitly national security in character — to prevent foreign acquisition of a strategically critical UK defence and aerospace manufacturer 26. It does not grant the UK Government board representation, operational control, commercial veto power over individual contracts, or directional authority over export policy 26. No evidence was identified of the golden share mechanism being invoked regarding Rolls-Royce’s defence exports to Israel or any other destination 26.

Lobbying, Advocacy, Financing & Logistics

Rolls-Royce is represented in UK government advocacy primarily through ADS Group and direct parliamentary engagement on defence procurement matters 725. Rolls-Royce does not appear as a direct registrant on the UK Register of Consultant Lobbyists for lobbying specifically targeting Israel-Palestine policy or arms licensing decisions concerning Israel 25. The company’s lobbying activity, conducted via ADS Group and direct parliamentary testimony, has focused on the continuation, funding, and export-licensing environment for the F-35 programme and broader UK defence industrial base 75. ADS Group’s October 2024 public statement on the licence suspension is the most direct documented example of collective industry advocacy on the Israel-related export question 25.

No public evidence was identified of Rolls-Royce corporate donations, grants, or sponsorships directed toward Israeli settlement organisations, Israeli military welfare funds, or Palestinian parastatal or advocacy bodies 12. No equity investment in Israeli defence-industrial, surveillance, or cyber firms by Rolls-Royce corporate treasury or Rolls-Royce Ventures was identified. No public evidence was identified of Rolls-Royce directing corporate logistics infrastructure, services-in-kind, free maintenance capacity, or resources specifically toward Israeli military or state-aligned NGO operations during the 2023-2025 Gaza conflict.

Corporate Structure & Primary Mission

Rolls-Royce Holdings plc is incorporated under English law (Companies House No. 07524813). Its Articles of Association establish it as a standard public limited company 24. No explicit mandate to advance any state’s geopolitical or foreign policy objectives appears in the Articles of Association 24. The 2023 and 2024 Annual Reports describe the company’s primary mission as delivering power for flight, defence, and energy across three principal divisions: Civil Aerospace, Defence, and Power Systems 12.

Rolls-Royce Holdings plc has a widely dispersed institutional shareholder base. Major institutional shareholders as of 2024 include BlackRock, Vanguard, and other index fund managers 2. No single private individual or family office holds 10% or more of ordinary shares 2. No activist or strategic shareholder with a documented Israel-related position has a known stake at or above the 10% threshold 2.

Executive & Leadership Footprint

Tufan Erginbilgic is a British-Turkish national and former BP executive, appointed CEO in January 2023 2. No public statements, social media posts, op-eds, or signed letters by Erginbilgic specifically addressing the Israel-Palestine conflict were identified 2. No personal donations by Erginbilgic to Israeli advocacy organisations, Palestinian advocacy organisations, or regional civil society groups were identified. No equity investments in Israeli defence, surveillance, or cyber firms were identified for Erginbilgic. No personal board memberships or advisory roles at geopolitically aligned institutions focused on Israel or Palestine were identified.

No public statements, donations, or organisational affiliations related to the Israel-Palestine conflict were identified for Chair Anita Frew 2.

Rolls-Royce’s 2024 Corporate Governance Report lists board directors including Anita Frew (Chair), George Culmer, Beverly Goulet, Tom Hendrick, Nick Luff, Pamela Coles, and others 2. No director was identified with a declared affiliation, advisory role, or board seat at an Israel-aligned or Palestinian-aligned advocacy institution, military welfare fund, or geopolitical lobbying body relevant to this audit 2. No public evidence identified of family foundation grants or fundraising by any current Rolls-Royce board member directed toward relevant regional advocacy groups 2.

Palestine Action conducted direct-action protests at Rolls-Royce’s Derby manufacturing facilities in 2023, 2024, and into 2025, explicitly citing the company’s role in F-135/F-35 engine production as the basis for targeting it 23. Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK Home Office in July 2024 27. In February 2026, the UK High Court ruled the proscription “unlawful” and “disproportionate,” finding the Home Secretary breached own policy and violated Articles 10/11 ECHR rights 27. The proscription remains in force pending Home Office appeal 27. Prosecutions of Palestine Action activists who targeted the Derby facility resulted in mixed outcomes: some activists were acquitted by juries, generating significant national media coverage 23. Rolls-Royce sought and obtained injunctive relief from the courts limiting protest activity at or near the Derby site perimeter 23. Rolls-Royce has not issued a documented public response specifically addressing Palestine Action’s campaigns or the basis of their targeting 23.

Stop the War Coalition organised a protest outside the Derby site in November 2023 23. The Palestinian BDS National Committee included Rolls-Royce in its 2024 documentation of arms companies supplying Israel, specifically referencing F-35 engine components as the supply chain link 28. CAAT documents Rolls-Royce as a company whose components feature in licensed UK defence exports to Israel 15. No public evidence of the company engaging directly with campaigners or amending contracts in response to civil society pressure was identified 23.

Rolls-Royce Power Systems GmbH, a German subsidiary headquartered in Friedrichshafen, manufactures diesel and gas engines for naval and industrial applications 6. It is confirmed supplying engines for Israeli Merkava tanks, Namer APC, Eitan APC, and Israeli Navy vessels (Shaldag class patrol boats, Sa’ar 6 corvettes) 689. Rolls-Royce Solutions America Inc., a US subsidiary in Novi, Michigan, is principal contractor for Eitan APC and Namer APC Foreign Military Sales contracts 1011. Rolls-Royce Solutions Israel Ltd. is a subsidiary registered in Netanya, Israel, confirmed operational via MTU Solutions website 12. No public evidence identified of Rolls-Royce Ventures investments in Israeli defence, surveillance, or cyber firms.

No public evidence identified.

End Notes

Footnotes

  1. https://www.rolls-royce.com/investors/results-reports-and-presentations/annual-reports/_jcr_content/par/downloadlist/downloadList/annual_report_2023.pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10

  2. https://www.rolls-royce.com/investors/results-reports-and-presentations/annual-reports/_jcr_content/par/downloadlist/downloadList/annual_report_2024.pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18

  3. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60561984 ↩ ↩2

  4. https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc5923-report-special-rapporteur-situation-human-rights-palestinian ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  5. https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/22765/documents/167157/default/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  6. https://www.whoprofits.org/companies/company/7397?rolls-royce= ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  7. https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8153/defence-procurement-and-the-f35-programme/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  8. https://investigate.afsc.org/company/rolls-royce ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  9. https://content.forensic-architecture.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Forensis-Report-German-Arms-Exports-to-Israel-2003-2023.pdf ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  10. https://www.dsca.mil/Press-Media/Major-Arms-Sales/Article-Display/Article/4154118/israel-eitan-powerpack-engines ↩ ↩2

  11. https://www.dsca.mil/Press-Media/Major-Arms-Sales/Article-Display/Article/3804217/israel-namer-powerpack-engines ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  12. https://www.mtu-solutions.com/mtu/en/company/contacts.usedCookies=1 ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  13. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data ↩

  14. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/export-control-licensing-and-statement-of-policy/notices/nte-202420-export-control-licensing-and-statement-of-policy ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  15. https://caat.org.uk/data/arms-to-israel/ ↩ ↩2

  16. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk-reviews-arms-exports-israel-following-legal-challenge-2025-01-17/ ↩ ↩2

  17. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/uk-high-court-rejects-legal-challenge-f35-israel ↩

  18. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/dutch-court-orders-halt-f35-parts-exports-israel-2024-02-12/ ↩

  19. https://declassifieduk.org/uk-arms-exports-israel-october-7/ ↩

  20. https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/regular-sessions/session31/database-hrc3136 ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  21. https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=29083 ↩

  22. https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/un-special-procedures-communications-rolls-royce-power-systems-arms-transfers-to-israel/ ↩ ↩2

  23. https://palestineaction.org/rolls-royce ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10

  24. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/07524813/filing-history ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  25. https://www.adsgroup.org.uk/news/ads-response-export-licence-suspension-israel-2024 ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  26. https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2007-07-16/debates/07071658000023/GovernmentShareholding ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  27. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/13/uk-high-court-rules-palestine-action-ban-unlawful ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  28. https://bdsmovement.net/news/arms-companies-israel-2024 ↩